Travel in Bulgaria

The village of Oreshak, northern Bulgaria, is home to a unique exhibition of folk arts and crafts representing artists from Bulgaria and abroad. The selection includes ceramics, wood and metal carving, textile, knitting, crocheting, jewellery and weapons. Located on 4,500 square metres , the display features more than 1,000 works from all over the world. The exhibition is open around the year, without days-off. Troyan Monastery, the third largest monastery in Bulgaria, is not far away either. For more information, log on to: www.oreshak.org.

Yekaterina

One of the real treasures of south-western Bulgaria – Rupite is located 8 km away from Petrich, Blagoevgrad Province. The village of Rupite is one of the oldest settlements in the valley of Struma river and dates back to the fourth century BC. As a result of the volcano outburst, the area around Rupite has many magma rocks and hot mineral water springs. Rupite became notorious because of Baba Vanga, the famous Bulgarian clairvoyant, who spent her last years in the village. If you are fascinated by Vanga’s story, you can visit her grave, the house she lived in and the St Petka Balgarska Church Vanga built in Rupite.

Yekaterina

Situated on the banks of Cherni Osam River, near Oreshak, northern Bulgaria, the Troyan monastery is the third largest monastery in Bulgaria. According to the chronicles kept by an unknown monk, the monastery was founded by a hermit who came to the place after the fall of the second Bulgarian state (after 1422). The monk quickly won respect of the local people who started visiting his hut for prayer and advice.

The monastery is built in the style of Bulgarian Renaissance. Similarly to other Bulgarian monasteries, Troyan has its miraculous icon. The legend has it that the Three-handed Holy Virgin icon was donated by a monk who learnt about Troyan’s hermit and dropped by to spend some time with him on the way from Mt Athos to present-day Romania.

You can drive or take a train to the Troyan Monastery from Sofia, Pleven or Lovech.

Yekaterina

If you are interested in rural tourism in Bulgaria – visit the village of Gorno Dryanovo. Located on the southwestern slopes of the Rhodopes, only 18 km from Gotse Delchev, this mountain village is home to Pomaks, ethnic Bulgarians converted to Islam under the Ottoman Empire. One of the local sights is the Gradishkata Skala, or the City Rock, one km north of the village. In the past there was a building on top of the rock. The Roman coins laid in its foundation are still there.

Yekaterina

What is your top one-day trip@? If living in Sofia, is it the Rila monastery or Plovdiv or Samokov and Borovets perhaps? I would recommend Ribaritsa, 150 km north from the capital in the Stara Planina range, an excellent place for both nature and food, and there are a couple of newly built nice hotels as well. 

I recently went to Borovets for the first time. The countryside is pretty as is most of Bulgaria and must be beautiful covered with snow. It was very misty so I couldn’t see the extent of the building but what is already there and established reminded me of a seedy resort wanting to attract a rowdy, drinking crowd. There were pubs, clubs, fast food and exotic bars everywhere you looked. Definitely worthy of Blackpool, a resort on the north west coast of England which advertises for stag and hen parties.

I haven’t yet visited Bansko. Is it any different or is it worth a visit? 

Pam

I’d like to recommend the hot baths in Ognyanovo, near Gotse Delchev. The road to the village may not be that good, but the journey is worth it once you get to the village. Blessed with hot mineral springs, every hotel has their own pool, most are outdoor. And if you get bored, Kovachevitsa, Leshten and Greece are dozens of miles away.

posted by Ani Ivanova

Why not spend a late summer holiday in Albena?

There’s a magnificent long beach (four kilometres)

lined by fine boutiques and restaurants.

There’s also a nice balance of nationalities -

German, Scandinavian, Dutch and British -

and the resort is mercifully free of the kind of

tackiness increasingly found in Portuguese and

Spanish holiday resorts. Prices may be a bit steeper 

than elsewhere in Bulgaria but if you hunt around 

you can find reasonable all inclusive deals whereby 

you can eat and drink to your

stomach’s content while  luxuriating by the 

swimming pool.

by Gabriel Hershman

Click on the Shoot Bulgaria contest banner above for details on VAGABOND and Sony’s challenge  to those of you willing to get a famous or get a camera. All you need to do is keep your eyes open while travelling around or just visiting Bulgaria.

I know it’s summer and everyone is going to, coming back from or generally talking about the Black Sea but I personally would hate to go there right now. Instead I’d go places that the crowds avoid at this time of year - Sandanski, Sapareva Banya, Bansko. Varshets, 20 km from the town of Vratsa, is one of the places to go if after thermal baths and mountains. It is small, not too touristy and has some nicely renovated hotels with professional staff when it comes to water treatments, every kind of them. Prices are decent.

by Ani Ivanova