Bulgaria Travel Guide
Lately getting a Schengen visa is getting increasingly difficult, costly and time-consuming. People forget that there are other countries in Europe that are not Schengen members. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania, Ukraine, Russia and the United Kingdom have other visa norms; except for UK and Ireland, getting a visa to these countries is relatively easy.
Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is great for history buffs and nightlife lovers alike; you will find a lot here that will make your visit worthwhile.
The stunning Aleksander Nevski Cathedral is the world’s largest Orthodox Christian church. With its golden domes and neo-Byzantine style, it was built to commemorate the sacrifice of 200,000 Russian soldiers who died for Bulgaria in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78).
The National Museum of History, set in a spacious garden has excellent Thracian Gold and Roman exhibits.
Vitosha Nature Park is situated just 10kms from Sofia and has many trekking tracks and interesting villages. The Cherni Vrâh (literally ‘Black Peak’) and Zlatnite Mostove; a stone formation that looks like a river running downhill, are both situated in this park.
At the National Gallery Quadrant 500, you can browse a large collection of medieval and contemporary paintings. For ballet classics there is the Sofia Opera and Ballet, which puts on world-class performances for tickets as low as 10 Euros; and Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra is the place for a classical music night out.
Veliko Târnovo, the second largest city used to be the capital of Bulgaria during the 11th and 12th centuries when Bulgaria ruled over a vast empire.
The Tsarevets Fortress looms over this town and could be your starting point for exploring this historical town. The panoramic view from the fortress reveals a thrilling sight; the city is contained in a hairpin bend of the Yantra River and encircled by densely forested hills.
The market square, Samovodska Charshiya has a crafts center, silversmithery, leatherworks, and ceramics. Here you can also buy face masks made of hair and wool; something unique to Bulgaria and still used in villages for spring rituals. The ul Nezavisimost and the ul Stambolov are the main arteries of the town and have some great bars and restaurants.
Veliko Târnovo’s oldest street is the Ulitsa Gurko. It has haphazardly clustered whitewashed houses draped with rose bushes and ivy. This picturesque street’s most remarkable house is the Sarafkina Kâshta. Viewed from the street, the house appears to have just two stories but from the river, you can see that its five stories high.
The Asenevtsi Monument is built on a narrow spit of land jutting into the Yantra River. It has a tall central sword like column encircled by statues of the Asen dynasty that still inspire Bulgars with tales of bravery.
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