As one of the oldest cities in Bulgaria, Veliko Tarnovo is steeped in five thousand years of history. This small, picturesque city is home to one of Europe’s grandest medieval monuments, the Tsaravets Fortress. If you have never been to Bulgaria before, this is certainly one of the country’s must-see destinations.

As Nessebar is one of the most visited seaside towns in Bulgaria, it’s a good idea to get an idea of its history. Nessebar is a peculiar mixture of its glorious past and its modern resort present – here’s the connection between them in a few lines of history.

Melnik is the smallest town in Bulgaria. It is a proclaimed cultural-historical reserve and a museum-town. It combines nature and rocks flocked around the houses perching on hills, history, culture and wine.

The area of the Seven Rila Lakes is one of the iconic attractions in Bulgaria, a “must do” for every foreign visitor, no matter a hiker or not. Located in the northwestern parts of Rila Mountains, the highest mountain range on the Balkan Peninsula, the area is a part of many trekking routes and fairly easy to access.

There’s a lot to love about Plovdiv: just ask the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Turks, all of whom fought to claim it as their own. Originally established by the Thracians around 5000 BC, Plovdiv was proclaimed the sixth-oldest city in the world, and while it’s not future-shy (it’s recently been named the European Capital of Culture for 2019), Bulgaria’s second city rightfully revels in its past.

Discovered in 1944, this tomb dates from the Hellenistic period, around the end of the 4th century BC. It is located near Seutopolis, the capital city of the Thracian king Seutes III, and is part of a large Thracian necropolis. The tholos has a narrow corridor and a round burial chamber, both decorated with murals representing Thracian burial rituals and culture. These paintings are Bulgaria’s best-preserved artistic masterpieces from the Hellenistic period.

The relief depicts a majestic horseman 23 m above ground level in an almost vertical 100-metre-high cliff. The horseman is thrusting a spear into a lion lying at his horse’s feet. A dog runs after the horseman.

Tiny 13th-century Boyana Church is included on Unesco’s World Heritage list and its 90 murals are among the very finest examples of Bulgarian medieval artwork.

The rocks of Belogradchik are rock sculptures, situated west of the town of Belogradchik, in the fore hills of the western Balkan mountain range. They contain groups of rock figures resembling people, animals, fortresses, pyramids or different objects with imposing sizes – from a few meters to several dozens of meters.

Тhе fіrѕt іmрrеѕѕіоn thіѕ рlасе сrеаtеѕ іѕ lіkе іt wаѕ а ѕсеnе оf аn ехоtіс іѕlаnd mоvіе. Тhе drірріng wаtеr bеаrѕ аdvеnturе аnd thе ѕtrеаmѕ, fоrmеd bу thе rіvеr`ѕ сlеаr wаtеr, rеаѕѕurе аnd соmfоrt. Тhе mаіn wаtеrfаll drорѕ frоm 20 m. Іt ѕрlіtѕ іntо ѕеvеrаl brаnсhеѕ аnd сrеаtеѕ fеw оthеr wаtеrfаllѕ.

In the valley of the Roussenski Lom River, in north east Bulgaria, a complex of rock-hewn churches, chapels, monasteries and cells developed in the vicinity of the village of Ivanovo. This is where the first hermits had dug out their cells and churches during the 12th century. The 14th-century murals testify to the exceptional skill of the artists belonging to the Tarnovo School of painting.

Open Air Ethnographic Museum “Etar” is the first one of this type in Bulgaria. He was found on the 7 of September 1964 year. The museum is situated 8 km South of Gabrovo. In Open Air Ethnographic Museum “Etar” is the only one and unique collection of the old-times water-driven machinery in Bulgaria .

The Castle of Ravadinovo is a spectacular attraction located a couple of kilometers from Sozopol. If you are driving from Burgas down south the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, there is no chance of missing the impressive construction of picturesque steeples and towers with some of the roof trusses still bare- a sight to behold.

Bulgaria’s third city and maritime capital. A combination of port city, naval base and seaside resort, it’s an appealing place to while away a few days, packed with history yet thoroughly modern, with an enormous park to amble round and a lengthy beach to lounge on.

Ruse is called “the small Vienna” and this is for a good reason. This culturally and historically rich city takes pride in numerous magnificent buildings which were designed and built in Neoclassicism, Baroque, Modern, Secession style by architects from Italy, Austria, Germany and Bulgaria.

Stone Forest is a fabulous natural pheno-mena most known with its Bulgarian name of “Pobitite Kamani”, which means “stones beaten into the ground”, a name completely corresponding to the reality. These are numerous limestone pillars as high as 10 m, hollow or solid cylinders, truncated cones, different bulgings and single rocks and cliffs. 

Picture: Vidin Stoyanov

Burgas will give you a warm welcome – hospitality and kindness of the southerners are deeply moving; the emotional Burgas nights will remain a never-to-be-forgotten experience; no other spot of Bulgaria is so close to sea and its romantic atmosphere as Burgas.