Located in the southeastern part of Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula, Bulgaria is famous for its popular seaside resorts on the Black Sea, although Bulgaria certainly has a lot more to offer, including ancient culture, picturesque scenery and exceptional food. Here you can find the top 10 tourist attractions in Bulgaria!
10. Vitosha Mountain
Web/Wikipedia
Forming a majestic backdrop to Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, Vitosha Mountain has been designated a national park. It’s actually the oldest park in the Balkans and many animals, including fox, wild boar, deer, bears and a variety of rare birds, call it home. Vitosha is also famous for its ‘morianes’ – piles of huge rounded granite boulders carried and deposited here by glaciers thousands of years ago, as well as for a number of excellent mineral springs. It’s also home to the renowned resort of Aleko, the most established winter ski resort in the region. If you’re not in the mood for hiking up the mountain, you can take the cable-car to see the panoramic views from the top.
9. Belogradchik Rocks
The Belogradchik Rocks are one of the most famous and impressive natural phenomenon in Bulgaria. They are a group of bizarrely shaped sandstone and limestone rock formations, reaching up to 200 m in height. They form a strip, which is 30 km long and up to 3 km wide, and are located south of the town of Belogradchik in Bulgaria.
8. The Rotunda of St George (Sveti Georgi)
flickr/Dennis Jarvis
The oldest building in Sofia, the Rotunda of St George (Sveti Georgi), which is located in a square alongside the Presidential Building, dates back to the 4th Century. Located in the remains of the ancient town of Serdica, the church is famous for its magnificent architecture and the layers of medieval frescoes that were unearthed beneath a covering of plaster. Currently operating as a museum, the Rotunda’s magnificent dome is a UNESCO Heritage Site.
7. Tsarevets Fortress
flickr/Dennis Jarvis
This very popular tourist attraction is located on Tsarevets Hill in the old part of the Veliko Tarnovo town. Tsarevets Hill has been inhabited since the 2nd Millennium BC and was also home to the Byzantine Empire. Then, in the 9th Century, a Bulgar settlement was founded here and its defensive wall, built in the 12th Century, still remains today. In its heyday the wall was 1100m long, around 3.4m thick in certain spots and over 10m high.
You can still see the three outlines to the entrances amongst the ruins. In fact, the third entrance, called Frenkhisarska Gate, was guarded by a tower called Baldwin’s Tower, so named because Latin Emperor Baldwin I died there. Amongst the ruins, excavations uncovered a number of treasures including the foundations of 470 houses, an inn, aristocratic homes, 23 temples and four monasteries. Items discovered include gold jewellery and embroidered clothing from the Second Bulgarian Empire. In the museum on the premises, you can see some of the items that have been uncovered as well as learn all about the site.
6. Balchik Palace and Botanical Gardens
flickr/Andra Moclinda-Bucuţa
The magnificent Palace in Balchik was built in 1924 as the summer residence of the Romanian Queen Maria Alexandrina Victoria De Edinburgh. The magnificent Botanical Garden, which is another famous attraction in the town, is located on the same site. These beautiful gardens were first established in 1940 on the site of the original park and gardens belonging to the palace. Today these gardens cover an area of 65 000 square meters and boast an array of just over 2000 species of plants.
5. Boyana Church
Web/Wikipedia
Located on the outskirts of Bulgaria’s capital city, Sofia, Boyana Church has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Boyana church dates back to the 10th century but sections had been added to the church until the 19th century. It boasts exquisite 13th Century frescoes that encompass 89 scenes, including 240 human images. This is considered to be the most important collection of Medieval art from Eastern Europe to be found.
4. Alexander Nevski Cathedral
flickr/Iñaki Rodríguez
One of the best places to visit in Sofia, the cathedral of St Alexander Nevski is located in its main square with its golden dome making it a city landmark. Originally built at the beginning of the 20th Century in honour of Russian Emperor Alexander the Second, the cathedral was named after St Alexander Nevski, a 13th Century Russian prince, who was a great diplomat and military leader.
This grand cathedral can accommodate up to 10 000 people and its domes are covered with gold. The bell tower is 53m high and boasts 12 bells, their ringing can be heard from 15 kilometres away! The cathedral is exquisitely decorated with marble, mural paintings and 82 icons created by a number of artists from surrounding countries. Amongst the treasures inside is the mosaic mural of Tsar Ferdinand and Queen Eleanor, the pulpit, and the Royal and patriarchal thrones.
3. Old Nessebar and Modern Nessebar
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Located on the Black Sea, Nessebar is a city and fishing port that dates back 2500 years. Today it’s connected to the mainland by a narrow stretch of land and is designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Its famous for its treasure trove of Greek, Roman and Byzantine ruins. The modern part of town is a very popular seaside resort with a range of excellent beaches. It’s also a port for cruise ships whose passengers come to explore the many historic relics in the Old Town, including a variety of churches and various fortifications.
2. Rila Monastery
flickr/Dennis Jarvis
Just 121km from Sofia you’ll find the Rila Monastery, the largest and most well-known monastery in Bulgaria. Located in the Rila Mountains, it’s particularly famous for its extraordinary collection of woodcarvings, murals, old weapons, icons, jewellery and other treasures including bibles written on parchment. Sadly, most of the early 10th Century building was destroyed in a fire, and the current structure was erected in the 19th Century – although there is an earlier piece, the Khrelio’s Tower, built in the 14th Century.
1. The seven Rila lakes
flickr/Filip Stoyanov
Considered to be one of the most exquisite natural attractions on the Balkan Peninsula, the Seven Lakes of Rila are found in the northwestern Rila Mountains. These glacial lakes that connect by narrow streams are located at differing altitudes and look like large steps or footprints leading upwards. They are scattered at the bottom of a massive circle of mountains and each is named for its particular quality and shape.
The highest is Tear Lake, named because of the clarity of its water. The deepest is Eye Lake, at 37.5 metres and then there’s Kidney Lake, so named because of its shape. The Twins are both narrow in the middle and wide at each end, resembling an hour glass and In dry seasons, the lake becomes two smaller lakes, hence its name. There’s also Three-leafed Lake and Fish Lake, and the lowest lake of all, is appropriately named Lower Lake.
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