Sofia is one of the most ancient capitals in Europe. As a result, it contains historical evidence from all epochs which makes it a unique cultural experience. Take a short journey in Sofia with the following video:
Archive | Travel RSS feed for this section
Winter in Bulgaria
If you like to ski and snowboard, here are some great destinations in Bulgaria in which you can spend your winter holidays.
Borovets
Photo by aneye4apicture via Flickr
Borovets (a.k.a. Chamkoria) is a first class resort situated in the north flank of Rila mount. At the end of 19th century it was established as a hunting residence for the Bulgarian king. Since then, it has grown into the biggest winter sports resort in Bulgaria. Borovets has even hosted World Cup Alpine Skiing twice.
The town of Borovets has very good ski facilities. The ski runs are supplied with number of chair lifts and drag lifts. The resort has a snow making system, covering an area of above 20 hectares. The runs are sound-tracked and lit up by modern lighting systems, allowing night skiing. Variety of many different inclines and types of snow offer the best opportunities for ski enthusiasts of all levels, from the absolute beginner to the extreme high performer.
Altitude: 1350 m.
Distance from Sofia: 73 km.
Webcam: http://www.bulgariaski.com
Map: Borovets, Route from Sofia
Season: all the time (winter for ski, summer for hiking)
Pamporovo
Pamporovo is located in the heart of Rodopi mountain, at 1650 meters above sea level. The climate is very mild during the winter (annual average temperature 5.5 C). The resort has the biggest number of sunny days per year in comparison with all other mountain resorts in Bulgaria. The tourist season starts at December and continues until the end of April. Pamporovo is mainly winter resort, because it has been adapted mostly for ski sports.
Almost all ski-tracks start from the near Snejanka peak. The mountain peak is one of the One hundred national tourist sites of the Bulgarian Tourist Union.
Photo by ifot via Flickr
The resort is suitable for ski and snowboard, hiking, spa. Pamporovo provides activities for the children too – ski school and kindergarten.
Altitude: 1650 m.
Distance from Sofia: 260 km.
Webcam: http://www.bulgariaski.com
Map: Pamporovo, Route from Sofia
Season: mostly winter
Bansko
The picturesque town is located in the north slope of Pirin mountain. As the climat is mountain-like there is abundance of snow from December till April.
Bansko is rich in history. The archeological traces date back to 100 BC and the period of the Roman Empire. However, what is most interesting for the tourists is the old town and its 18th century traditional Bulgarian style. The town was part of the Ottoman Empire and enjoyed a self-rule autonomy which made it prosperous. It is also famous with the first Protestant church in Bulgaria which was founded in 1868.
Photo by Nacho y Adriana via Flickr
Today Bansko is an attractive resort for both summer and winter tourism. A new gondola lift starts from the town itself and rides up to the ski slopes of Todorka peak. The ski-tracks are suitable for all level skiers. Since the 2008-2009 season Bansko has been hosting the ladies’ races from the Alpine Skiing World Cup.
Recently, the town has gained international popularity because of the annual Bansko Jazz Festival.
Altitude: 925 m.
Distance from Sofia: 170 km.
Webcam: http://www.bulgariaski.com
Map: Bansko, Route from Sofia
Season: all the time (winter for ski, summer for hiking and village tourism)
Additional Information
If you don’t travel with a car, here is how you can get to one of the above mentioned resorts:
Once you land in Sofia, you can get a bus from the Central Bus Station. Tickets can be purchased there.
To find the perfect hotel, we advice you to check Tripadvisor.
Have fun!
Pictures of Bulgaria
Hello!
We are working very hard on the Bulgarian course. As a hint of a feature of the course, we show you some wonderful pictures of Bulgaria (click on the images for more information about the locations):
photo credit: Panoramas Read More…
Bulgarian Resorts
As the legend has it, when God created the Earth He gave a gift to every country. The nice sea shores to Spain, the mighty Alps to Austria, the Seine river to France. When He finished his work, there was nothing left for the small Bulgaria. Therefor, He took a small piece of every gift, and gave it to Bulgaria. There are a lot of different kinds of resorts in Bulgaria. For summer – the beaches on the Black sea or some of the old fashioned villages in the mountains. For winter – the ski resorts or visiting some of the bigger cities. A summer (or spring) in Bulgaria:
- Sozopol – It is a very nice sea resort and is also an ancient village. There are a lot of nice hotels, good restaurants and lovely beaches. Also, the old part of the town is from the 19th century and presents the typical houses for that period. There are some amazing restaurants there, with view to the sea and the beach.
- Golden Sands (Zlatni Piasatsi) – This is one of the biggest resorts. There are a lot of luxurious hotels and golden sand beaches (as you can see from the name).
- Nesebar – This town is one of the most ancient in Europe and as you can expect, there is an old town as well as sunny beaches. If you are interested in archeology you can find some interesting buildings there. Don’t forget to see the old mill of the town.
- Balchik – A nice sea resort. What you can see there is a small castle build by the Romanian queen, when the lands were occupied by Romania. There is also a botanical garden.
- Primorsko – This resort is in the most south parts of the Bulgarian seashore. What is interesting there is the Ropotamo river which goes into the sea. Around the river the lands are protected because of some unique animals. If you go there do take the little boat and float a bit on the Ropotamo river.
- Rodopi mountain – This is the perfect place for summer if you can’t stand the heat. The Rodopi mount has some of the nicest old villages with wonderful clear air and friendly people. There you can visit Smolian or Chepelare or Bachkovo.
- Veliko Tarnovo - This is a town build on a hill. What is interesting there is the medieval castle. If you go there, do check if the light show will be in the time when you’re visiting. It’s worth to see it. It is a show of light and music in the old castle which is performed at night. If you go there do visit also Etara. This is an ethnological museum which is an actual old fashioned Bulgarian village. There you can see how the old Bulgarians have worked, you can try Turkish coffee with white jam and see how the people back in age have performed their crafts.
A winter (or autumn) in Bulgaria:
- Sofia – The capital of the country is also its biggest city. There are various entertainment there – theater, cinema, musical fests, exhibitions, disco clubs and nightlife. There are also some museums and interesting sights such as the church Aleksander Nevsky, The National Palace of Culture, Sveta Nedelia church, The Park of Liberty, etc. During winter season there is a ski path in the nearby mount Vitosha which is enlightened even at night. There are a lot of bars, pubs and restaurants which have very attractive prices.
- Plovdiv – This town is actually lovely at every season. There is an old part of the town which is very romantic, as well as a new modern part. Plovdiv is lately a town of culture, and there are usually a lot of interesting events. If you go there during warmer time do go to the old Roman amphitheater where they act and perform operas.
- Bansko – If you are more keen on winter sports, you can visit Bansko. This is a nice town between two of the highes mountains in Bulgaria – Rila and Pirin. There are several ski paths there and a lot of good hotels.
- Pamporovo – This is another ski resort. There are a lot of hotels and this place is especially good for ski.
This, of course, is not a full list of good Bulgarian resorts. However I do hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions and/or you want more information, please feel free to leave a comment.