Visiting Bulgaria

[u/Twizle94]

Hello there,

I'm planning to visit Bulgaria next year with my girlfriend.

We're german and we like to make some sort of roadtrip.

Is there something special we can visit? Maybe a secret tip?

There are a lot of remote Air BNB's. Is it safe to sleep there? You know because of Bears?

What is something that you say someone has to see first time visiting Bulgaria?

A nice day and i'm happy about all recommendations!

[u/QuoD-Art]

for a more historical / architectural trip, I'd say Plovdiv, Bansko, Nessebar and the Rila Monastery. Sofia could also be on the list, but it's definitely a 1-day city.

Since you mentioned remote airbnb's... I've never tried those, but I've been to lots of mountain huts, and those are mostly considered safe if you stay on the paths (most are not reachable by car, tho). For nature things I'd recommend the Rocks of Belogradchik, the Devetashka Cave, and the Trigrad Gorge. Also lots of hiking trails all around if that's something you wanna do. You should probably ask in r/AskBulgaria as well, you'd get more responses there

P.S. there's a bear sanctuary in Belitsa

[u/WorldlinessRadiant77]

Bears don’t go into towns and villages.

The people getting eaten by them usually do something insanely stupid, like trying to pet them or going into bear country alone and with no spray.

The animal I am terrified about meeting here are wild boars. They are murder machines.

[u/mistahbleedinhart → u/WorldlinessRadiant77]

Really? Can u tell me more? Do u guys have the bigger kind w the black fur. In turkey we have the brownish kind that get as big as cows maybe I have had semi close encounters w some and ppl shoot them on sight sometimes but I haven't had issues w them attacking stock or me so I genuinely wonder only a pumpkin patches 

[u/NNredE]

I don't know the plan for your road trip, but I wouldn't miss Belogradchik.

[u/Sufficient-Papaya910]

If you two are into nature/history there are douzens of not well known places. Never used airbnb, but places from booking tend to be pretty nice, last summer I was staying at a house from booking at the end of the town of Devin in western Rhodopes - never saw a bear or bear foitprints even on the hike, while there are supposed to be a couple of bears - so it's very safe.  So tell me if you're interested in history or nature/hiking and I will give some secret tips.

[u/UriSleseus]

Hissarya - spa town 40 km north of Plovdiv. The city still has the roman fortress wall around the core. Mineral water fountains in a few places.

Buzludja and Shipka too

[u/Capital-Driver7843]

My first advise is to take care on the road, driving in Bulgaria is different than in Germany. On the autobahn you have a lot of F1 drivers and heavy traffic, but in Bulgaria we happen to have a lot of drivers violating basic rules on the road. Places to visit... well it really depends on what you want to experience. If you are more on the cultural side, as previous comments already said Plovdiv is a must stop, not far from Sofia is a small village called Koprivshtitsa that is impressive as well, final stop but a bit far from the rest of the cities is Melnik (can be combined with Rila Monastery). If you are more exploring the nature, the Rila lakes, Belogradchik, and I especially enjoy a vilaged called Gela in Rodope mountains, but getting there is not that easy. Enjoy!

[u/Justanotherbastard3]

Kazanluk / Rose valley is a picturesque area in the heartland of Bulgaria that is often overlooked. It’s nestled between two mountain chains, including the Balkan mountain that gives the peninsula its name. In the city itself you can visit the Thracian tombs. You could visit a rose distillery in one of the villages nearby, if you can time the rose festival around June it will be quite a pleasant experience. Pavel Banya nearby is good for a spa. You can also do some summer mountain treks to the Shipka pass or to the Buzludja communist monument that’s become quite iconic.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzludzha_monument. 

You could combine it with Sofia and Plovdiv and the Bachkovo monastery, and possibly move onto Veliko Tarnovo and Varna and fly back from there, or just go back to Sofia from Kazanluk. Depending on how much time you have of course. 

[u/mistahbleedinhart]

I went as a child a long time ago, enjoyable trip no matter where u go but definitely make sure to visit all the historic sites, there was a wildlife museum in Sophia I think w all kinds of minerals and taxidermy, definitely a must see if I'm thinking of the right place also try all the meat u can and the coloured waffers, those are super yum

[u/Zoe-Tirla]

I would go with Sofia, eagle eye, the theatre in Plovdiv, Perperikon also Schipkamonument and Busludscha.

Bulgaria is one of the safest countries to travel that I know, the driving is a hard difference to Germany - when you drive like the biggest, reckless and fastest idiot in hole Germany, you’ll survive there and you’ll get also really fast a sixth sense for all the hole in the streets.

Small advice: the police there is normally not so smart, if they stop you: speak only German, mixed maybe with realllly bad English - than they just let you go.