Balkanology  ::  Explore Southeast Europe

Bulgaria | Links

The sites listed on this page are specifically about Bulgaria. Many of the more general sites listed in the Overview of the Balkans are also useful for planning a trip to Bulgaria.

Travel Information

• Welcome to Bulgaria

  Standard tourist board site, lots of lists but not particularly inspiring.

• Pictures of Bulgaria

  This site has a lot more than just pictures - you can also find detailed information about many of Bulgaria's tourist attractions, including some quite obscure ones barely mentioned in most guidebooks.

• Bulgaria In Your Pocket

  IYP's Sofia city guide has the usual concise but thorough treatment of the city, with some additional information about out-of-town sights such as Mount Vitosha. They also have smaller-scale guides to Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas and Bansko.

• Sofia City Guide

  What to see and where to go out in the capital.

• Plovdiv Guide

  This site includes lots of information about Plovdiv, online hotel booking, and a long list of places to see (but note that many of these places are nowhere near Plovdiv - this is not quite made clear). There is also a useful guide to the Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet, including the handwritten version which guidebooks and phrasebooks tend to ignore.

• Bulgarian Monastery

  This site describes itself as "The ultimate guide to monastery tourism in Bulgaria", which seems fair enough. They have descriptions and photos of more than 30 monasteries. All that's missing is an indication of how to reach them by public transport.

• Beach Bulgaria
  BulgariaSki

  As a non-skier and non-sunbather I didn't spend long looking at either of these sites, but they seem to offer fairly detailed information, and both have online booking facilities.

• Bulgarian National Parks

  Central site for three national parks: Rila, Pirin, and Central Balkan. The information provided is fairly limited.

Transport and Practicalities

• BDZ - Bulgarian State Railways

  The English version of the BDZ site is simple and effective. Almost anything you need to know about Bulgaria domestic trains can be found quickly here: timetables for individual stations and between any two stations, with full details of fares. There is also a full international timetable, but (as usual) little indication of international fares. Note that place names in drop-down lists are listed in alphabetic order based on the Cyrillic alphabet, even when the names themselves are displayed in the Latin alphabet.

• Avtogari.info - Interurban Bus Timetable

  This site allows you to search for bus timetables between any two towns in Bulgaria. It has recently been made available in a user-friendly English version.

• Sofia Central Bus Station

  Timetables and fares to and from Sofia's shiny new terminal, in English. Both domestic and international buses are included. Note that these schedules do not include buses from Sofia's other bus stations (for example, some international buses that leave from a nearby parking lot). The home page informs us that the station is equipped with "technical equipments and sanitary knots", which is reassuring. I think.

• Etap / Grup

  One (or two) of Bulgaria's largest private bus operators, running comfortable coaches on various main routes - check fare and schedules here.

• MATPU-96

  One of the main international bus operators (although there are many more), with services to Turkey, Macedonia, Greece, and Serbia.

• Bulgaria Air
  Sofia Airport
  Varna Airport

  Bulgaria Air operates domestic flights from Sofia to Varna as well as international flights. See the airport sites for information on other airlines flying to Bulgaria.

From the Travel Pages

• Bulgaria's coastal defence (wild beaches on the Black Sea)

  The Guardian, 25 April 2009

• Hidden Treasure (Veliko Târnovo)

  The Guardian, 23 August 2008

• "I am starting to love this dirty town" (Varna)

  The Guardian, 21 April 2008

• Dancing Bears Park sanctuary (Belitsa)

  The Telegraph, 15 April 2008

• Give Bulgaria's capital a miss, head for its cultural heart (Plovdiv)

  The Independent, 04 November 2007

• Partying amid Cold War ruins (Sofia)

  The New York Times, 01 July 2007 (may require registration)

• For a few leva more... (Skiing in Borovets)

  The Observer, 17 October 2004

• Bulgaria's venerable second city (Plovdiv)

  The New York Times (requires free registration), 02 May 2004

Background

• Vagabond

  Monthly English-language magazine, with some excellent features about travel in Bulgaria and its Balkan neighbours, as well as articles on a range of other topics.

• Sofia News Agency

  Up-to-the-minute news from Bulgaria.