Hello all travellers.
I'm travelling with a friend possibly in august or september and we were originally going to Italy. However - I've heard that Bulgaria is a good alternative and much cheaper. Any recommendations?
Rand
[There are 3 posts - the latest was added on Tue 25 May, 18:30]
Use the form at the end of this page to add your own post.
Topics
| Thorn Tree
| Home
One of my friends is from Bulgaria. Sofia is supposed to be
horrible as it is in a valley and all the smog collects.
However, the coast is supposed to be gorgeous as well as the
mountains.
One more point. I am sure you are aware that there is a war
in Kosovo. Sofia is only 50km from the yugoslav border and 8
bombs have already landed in Bulgaria, one destroying a
house in Sofia. Also, if a ground war breaks out, Bulgaria
will be used as a corridor for the troops to get into Serbia
as the Bulgarian government is desperate to have good
relationships with the West. The main airport still has in
and out civilian flights but I would not be surprised if
that changed if the bombing steps up. I am not some asshole
writing this to scare you, it is just how it is.
Bulgaria sounds like a great place to go from what my mate
says but it may be better to wait till all this crap settles
down properly in the Balkans.
Ben
An advantage of this discussion group is that you get a wide
range of views. I disagree with safariben, who draws upon
hearsay. To her credit, Hungary has given half her air
space for NATO use: I was there in April and the war makes
no difference to tourism in Hungary. Statistically, the
chance of a bomb falling near you in Bulgaria are tiny. You
can get official comment on this on four sites:-
from Australia on http://www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice
from Britain on http://193.114.50.10/travel
from Canada on http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/menu-e.asp,
under "Travel Reports"
from the USA on http://travel.state.gov, under "travel
warnings"
Some experienced American travellers find the American site
over-cautious. It is therefor useful to check all four
sites.
Sofia isn't horrible with smog in August and September.
It's a bit smokey in mid winter. But it's true that Veliko
Turnovo, Ruse, and specially Plovdiv are more beautiful, and
Varna is more fun.
Please write if I can help further.
Ben Haines, London
Hey:
I agree that people are way overcautous about being in Bulgaria. I lived there for 2 years (93-94 and 97-98). I think Bulgaria's a very safe country in terms of national agression, war. The biggest problem is dealing with dishonest hotelliers and police, especially border guards. You should be aware that If you're not an EU citizen you will have to pay an entry tax of probably around 30 USD.
The coast is beautiful and Varna's a great place to enjoy the Black Sea. Check out the Navy Museum. Also Druzhba, just to the north, is a good day trip. The beaches tend to be less crowded. Good food, good beer, and all-around cheap. Learn to read Cyrillic.
As far as the mountains go, you might try Gorna Oryachovitsa or Veliko Turnovo, both about a day's train ride from Varna. You can get info there about the surrounding Stara Planina at the tourist offices.
Sofia's ok, the Rila Monestary's nearby and a great place to spend a night if you can get a room. It's in the mountains too.
Hope it was helpful!