First time in Bulgaria
 

Will be landing in Sofia in early November for five nights. Looking for things not to miss. Also possible day trips. thanks

Take a look at my trip report; click on my name to find it.

Ditto.

Best day trip is probably Riga monastery.

Michael , I did not see that report. I saw one on Bucharest. thanks

mike - we did one of the free walking tours of the Sofia and enjoyed it very much - we gave generously at the end so it was hardly free but it was still good value. People we were travelling with did the non-free food tour from the same people and they enjoyed it too.

I'd have said that you need a couple of days to do justice to Sofia itself and then could look to day trips to fill your time - we were there for a wedding so we never got any further than Sofia itself but that was no hardship as we really loved it there.

<i> I did not see that report.</i>

It's still on my first page, and Bucharest after the Bulgaria section of that report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-may-2016.cfm

Ok thanks Michael
Annhig,
We have done those walking tours in
many other cities and loved all of them.
Thank you

Great trip report. We will be doing Romania also. Any must see or must do"s in either country you can suggest?

I did a Romanian trip report a long time ago. But it probably is still valid for tourist sights but not necessarily for restaurants, prices and hotels. It roughly covers the Carpathians, from Maramures to the northern flanks of the southern Carpathians. Again, click on my name and scroll through my trip reports to find it.

thanks

In addition to the Bulgaria report I mentioned above. i also have a fairly recent Romania TR. They are probably not showing on the first page of my profile, you'll have to click to get the continuation.

We used Brill Travel (http://www.brilltravel.com/city-brea...ay-tours-sofia). I've not gotten around to writing my trip report yet but I'm working on it.

Having people who know the city/area and the history, who can take you around and present it interestingly, with little stories and details that aren't in the guidebooks so you then want to investigate it more on your own, is well worth the cost (and in Bulgaria that isn't very much).

I didn't particularly want to visit Bulgaria but my best friend did and, now, I'd happily do it all over again. My husband, sister, best friend, and I, went all over the country for a couple of weeks. Our guide and driver were outstanding--knowledgeable, easy going, and funny. Iskra, the owner of the company, is the kindest, most thoughtful person you could ever hope to meet. She'll work with you if what is on the website isn't just what you want.

I recommend you contact Iskra. If you do, and you ever visit Bulgaria again (and you will want to) you'll be in touch with her again in a heartbeat!

If the weather is nice, a very enjoyable day trip would be to Koprivshtica. You'd be walking around the town admiring the architecture, as well as going inside houses, so having good weather is a "must" to get the best out of the day. Almost every house there is part and parcel of Bulgaria's history.

Here is a link to whet your appetite: http://bulgariatravel.org/en/object/18/Koprivshtica

Eve

Thanks you everyone.