Bulgaria is one of the oldest countries in the world and has it all – go to the Black Sea in the summer, or choose skiing in some of the wonderful mountains in the winter. Go hiking, or simply explore the old towns and villages. Adventure awaits in every corner.
Here I will suggest you few day trips ideas, I’ve been to recently, but for more check my first blog post about Bulgaria: Bulgaria – rich on history and beautiful nature.
The locations are easily accessible by car or on an organized bus trip. My starting point is Sofia, but by car, you will be free to explore it from anywhere, or why not doing a week roaming all those places and sleeping at traditional houses, monasteries etc.?
Each of the day trips, I am about to include in this blog post, offers 3-4 destinations, which are not too far from each other. The monasteries never have an entrance fee, but most of the other sights have. However, the entrance fees are very cheap and always have discounts for kids, students, retired and disabled people.
I loved eating at all those typical local restaurants and buy local products anywhere I went, and I encourage you to do the same, as the livelihood of most of these people highly depends on the tourism.
DAY TRIPS
OPTION 1. The Wonderful Bridges – Asen’s Fortress - Bachkovo Monastery
The Wonderful Bridges
Mother Nature is the best artist. The Wonderful Bridges are also called the Rock Bridges. They are created by a brush of nature. The perfect arches of the 3 bridges located in the Rhodope Mountains make them look surreal like a painting. They are 1’450 metres above sea level.
Asen’s Fortress
Asen’s Fortress is a Bulgarian medieval fortress, which is located on a rocky ridge in the Rhodope Mountains. This well-preserved sight of the fortress (on the picture on the right) is the Church of the Holy
Mother of God. Asen’s Fortress is 279 metres above sea level and is a ‘’keeper’’ of history and breathtaking views. The wind is always welcome up there, but I didn’t mind to get a quick refreshment, take a breath of this pure mountain air and teleport back in time.
Entrance fee: 3lv = 1,50 euro
Bachkovo Monastery
Bachkovo Monastery is a major Eastern Orthodox Monastery in Southern Bulgaria. It is the second-largest monastery in the country. Built in the 11th century it combines three cultures – Byzantine, Georgian and Bulgarian. It plays an important role as it is directly subordinate to the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. In the temple is held the miraculous Virgin Mary icon.
OPTION 2. Devetashka Cave – Krushuna Falls – Lovech
Devetashka Cave
The distance from Sofia to Devetashka Cave is 170km. Devetashka Cave is one of the biggest caves in Bulgaria and a true natural wonder. It is a large karst cave, previously occupied by Paleo humans for tens of thousands of years and nowadays it is a home for over 30,000 bats and other species.
By the way, ‘’The Expendables 2’’ filmed some of their scenes in Devetashka Cave, which caused small damages to the cave and also was a reason for the displacement of a lot of bats from their home, majority of which returned one year later.
Entrance fee: 3lv = 1,50 euro
Krushuna Falls
Krushuna Falls is 34km from the city of Lovech and are another natural wonder with unique lush vegetation, breathtaking scenery and karst cascades. They are the biggest travertine cascade in Bulgaria.
Entrance fee: 3lv = 1,50 euro
Lovech
Lovech is one of the oldest Bulgarian towns. The cobblestone streets of the old Varosha neighbourhood with the typical historical National historical buildings will bring you to another time, back to the beginning of 19th century.
When visiting Lovech, you cannot skip the Covered Bridge, which is also the symbol of the town. Originally it was created of a wooden material by Kolyo Ficheto. Back then in 1876, the bridge was 84 metres long. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by fire. The current reconstruction of the bridge is 106 metres with the architect being Zlatev.
Once there, don’t skip the fortress of Lovech. On the way up you will also see a statue of the Bulgarian Apostle of Freedom - Vasil Levski.
Entrance fee for the fortress: 4lv = 2 euro
OPTION 3. Rupite - Rozhen Monastery – Melnik
Rupite
Rupite is a village in southeastern Bulgaria. It is known as the home of the famous Bulgarian medium Baba Vanga – there you can see her house, a little church and a little ‘’zoo’’ of birds and water turtles.
Rupite is a mountainous protected area, which has an extinct volcano Kozhuh Mountain (kozhuh = mantle). The hill is built of volcanic rocks.
Rozhen Monastery
Rozhen Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God is nestled in the Melnik Earth Pyramids. The way to get there is loaded of scenic views - the ones only nature can create. As most of the Bulgarian monasteries, this one is also located on a hill.
Melnik
Melnik is an architectural reserve with beautiful typical houses 96 of which are cultural monuments. Located in Blagoevgrad Province, it is the smallest town in Bulgaria, with its 385 citizens.
This architectural reserve is also very famous for its wine, so don’t hesitate to go and see the winery tunnels and do some wine tasting in the Kordopulova House, or somewhere in the many taverns. However, this house is interesting for a visit, not only because of the wine and the tunnels.
OPTION 4. Glozhene Monastery – Teteven – Saeva Dupka Cave – Ostrich Farm
Glozhene Monastery
Glozhene Monastery is landed on a rock, up in the northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains. It is built on a high, inaccessible rock terrace. Nowadays, there is a small narrow road big enough only for cars. If a bus is passing, they have to call in advance to close the road, because otherwise if a car meets the bus both can't move further. If you love hiking, this is also an option. The views from the monastery are amazing and the history/legends are also interesting. The monastery has a tunnel which was connecting it to another monastery, but afterwards, this tunnel was used by the Apostle of Freedom, Vasil Levski as an escape route from the Ottoman troops. The tunnel was closed due to an earthquake, which filled it in 1928.
Teteven
Teteven is located in central Bulgaria, in the foothills of the Balkan Mountains. It has cold winters, cool summers and breathtaking views.
Saeva Dupka Cave
Saeva Dupka Cave is one of the most famous and beautiful caves on the territory of the country. It is between 1 and 3,5 million years old. The name of the cave comes from a legend for 2 brothers hiding there during Ottoman occupation. ‘’Saeva’’ comes from their names, ‘’dupka’’ simply means a hole in Bulgarian.
Inside you will find stunning, massive stalagmites, stalactites and stalactones. Don’t forget to bring your jacket in, as the temperatures inside are between 7 - 10C, and the humidity 90 - 98% all year round.
Entrance fee: 10lv = 5 euro
Ostrich Farm – The Blue Ostrich
In this farm, you will hear some fun facts about the ostriches and see how they live, when taken care of humans.
Entrance fee: 2lv = 1 euro + there is a fee if you want to take pictures
OPTION 5. Sokolski Monastery – Etar – Bozhentsi
Sokolski Monastery
Sokolski Monastery is another orthodox monastery, landed on a hill of the Balkan Mountains. It is named after its founder Yosif Sokolski. Built at the beginning of 1833 as a small wooden church.
Etar
Etar is an open-air ethnographic museum, which presents the Bulgarian traditions, culture, costumes, typical National architecture and handicrafts in the making. It is built like a small village with different spots, where you can discover numerous activities from this long-established lifestyle. There are examples of a school in the past, houses etc. Etar looks very authentic and beautiful and now is officially my favourite ''museum''. Totally worth a visit.
Entrance fee: 5/3 lv = 2,50 / 1,50 euro – depending on the season
Bozhentsi
Bozhentsi is an architectural reserve in Gabrovo municipality. It is a small village, snuggled in the middle of the Balkan Mountains. According to the legend of the village, the people, among which was a young noble lady called Bozhana, were looking for a safe place to settle and shelter away from the Ottoman incursion at that time. She chose to hide there - the place slowly started to grow and was named after her.
OPTION 6. Prohodna Cave - Etropole - Etropole Monastery
Prohodna Cave aka The Eyes of God
If you want to witness the Eyes of God in real life come to Bulgaria and see them for yourself. They are located in the Iskar Gorge near the village Karlukovo, Lovech Municipality. This is one of the most famous caves in the country and its mesmerizing and powerful beauty is simply jaw-dropping.
Curious fact: When it rains, the raindrops look like tears running down the wall.
Etropole
Etropole is part of Sofia Province. It is a cute town with a beautiful History Museum. Don't skip also going to the Clock Tower, where it's impossible to see what time it is as the hour and the minute hands are missing.
Etropole Monastery
Etropole Monastery as most of the Bulgarian monasteries is located up in the mountain.
To get there, you can take a walk through the beautiful nature or simply go by car. Behind the monastery there are some cascades if you want to continue your exploration in the area.
OPTION 7. The Magura Cave - Belogradchik Rocks – Belogradchik Fortress
Click here to read about these places and Sofia itself.
To be continued…
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