Things to do in Bulgaria

Bulgaria covers about 111,000 square kilometres between the Danube, the Balkan range and the Black Sea. Cyrillic took shape here in the late ninth century. Signs are in Cyrillic, and most routes run through a handful of towns.

How the country is laid out

• Sofia. The capital, under Vitosha mountain at 2,290 m. Boyana Church, on the city's edge, holds frescoes of 1259 and is on the UNESCO list.
• Rila. Rila Monastery is in the mountains about 120 km south of Sofia, roughly two hours by road. It was founded in the tenth century and rebuilt after a fire in 1833. The church walls are covered in frescoes.
• Plovdiv. About 145 km south-east of Sofia. A Roman theatre, a hillside old town of Revival-era houses and the Kapana craft quarter. It was European Capital of Culture in 2019.
• Varna and the coast. The Black Sea resorts, with Varna as the sea capital, some 470 km from Sofia.
• The north-east. Madara, where a rider is carved in a cliff face, and Pliska, the first capital. Both are a day trip from Varna.
• Veliko Tarnovo. Capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, with the Tsarevets fortress above the Yantra river.

What people book

Bookings start in Sofia or Varna. Sofia has phone-led city quests, one on the communist era. It also has private car days to Rila Monastery and to Plovdiv, with an English-speaking driver.

Varna's day runs out to Madara and Pliska with a guide, hotel pickup and entry fees covered. Veliko Tarnovo and the ski resorts you arrange yourself.

Practical

• Weather. Sofia reaches about 28C in July and sits near 2C by day in January, with snow. The Black Sea is warm all summer, near 24C in August. The mountains hold snow from December to March.
• Monasteries. Cover shoulders and knees. Rila stands at about 1,150 m and runs cooler than Sofia.
• Distances. Sofia to Plovdiv is under two hours by motorway. Sofia to Varna takes about five.
• From the airport. The metro links Sofia airport with the centre in about half an hour.
• Skiing. Bansko and Borovets run from December to March.
• Tipping. About ten per cent in restaurants where service is not added.