shelemm

Hi Fodorites!

We are looking forward to a trip to Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania for three weeks. The only thing set in stone now is our plane tickets: we arrive in Athens at 5pm on Monday April 6, we have a flight from Athens to Sofia at 9pm on Sunday April 12, and we leave Sofia at 1pm on Monday, April 27. 21 nights on the ground. All other decisions are wide open. We will have a car everywhere except in Athens. I list some questions at the end, but please share any thoughts or favorite experiences.

Rough itinerary (# of nights):

(3) Athens.One day will be Acropolis, Agora, and whatever else we can fit in. Other day is totally up in the air.

(1) Delphi area. Get car early, drive to Corinth, 1/2 day in Corinth, and then drive on to spend the night near Delphi. Might stop short in Galixidi.

(2) Meteora. ½ day in Delphi, then drive to Meteora. One full day at Meteora.

(1) Sofia Airport? Drive back early to Athens area for 9pm flight to Sofia. Open to anything in Athens area including Lake Vougliameni, maybe one of those places that grill meats near Kalivia for dinner before the airport. Upon arrival in Sofia, Immediately rent a car at Terminal 2, but might have to stay in airport hotel if too tired or too late to drive anywhere.

(2) Plovdiv. Drive to Plovdiv , 1 and ¾ days in Plovdiv. One day, walk old town (Archaeological Reserve) including the Ethnographic Museum. Other day, walk Kapana, see Roman Theatre, and anything else we can fit in.

(1). Shipka area. Drive to see Thracian tombs near Shipka as well as Shipka church and monastery.

(2) Veliko Tarnovo. Heading north, full day to see the Freedom Monument, Etar, Tryavna on the way to see VT. One full day in VT, see what we can.

(3) Brasov area. Driving north into Romania, ½ day to see Arabanasi, Ivanono, Basarbovo. 2 ½ days in Brasov area. Wide open as to what to see. One castle will be enough. Will consider a ½ day hike.

(1). Sighisoara. Drive north, maybe visit Rupea, Viscri on the way to Sighi.

(2) Sibiu. See Sighi for ½ day, then drive southwest, maybe Saxony villages, fortified churches on the way to Sibiu. A full day to visit Sibiu.

(1) Sarmizegetusa. Drive south, Muzeul Astra, Sarmizegetusa Regia, visit and stay in Sarmizegetusa.

(1) Belogradchik area. Drive south to Bulgaria, see Magura Cave.

(1) Sofia. Visit Belogradchik Fortress, drive to Sofia.

Final morning, seeSofia Cathedral before going to airport.


First. I do not feel compelled to see all the ‘highlights.’ I will survive. But I am still interested in your input.

Second, I am old enough to have done plenty of slow travel where I stay in one spot for a week before moving on, and I already know this will not be that kind of experience.

I like being planned, but not rigid. I can change things up even while we are on the trip.

With that in mind, I still have questions and I do want your opinions. Especially if you have any favorite experiences to share.

GREECE

Do I need to make plans in advance to visit/tour the acropolis? Did you get a guide (human being) for anything (agora, etc). Are there audio guides?

How long did you spend at Delphi and any surrounding sites? Tips?

BULGARIA

Of course I’d like to see Rila Monastery, though I think we will see plenty of monasteries on this trip. Will require a 2-hour detour each way. Am I crazy if I skip it?

If we did try to arrive in Plovdiv around 12:30am, driving late from the airport, will that hour of arrival be problematic, even with reservations?

ROMANIA

So far am planning on being in Brasov area for Orthodox Easter Sunday and Monday. Any insights into how this might affect a tourist?

Driving from Romania back to Bulgaria, I could choose to cross into Serbia briefly. Google Maps says it’s the same travel time, but Is an extra border crossing a PITA?



Thanks for any insights. opinions, and advice!

kja

I haven't been to Bulgaria or Romania, and so can only comment on Greece. FWIW, I spent about 5 hours on site at Delphi (about 1.5 or 2 hours of that time were in its excellent museum). In the area, Hosios Loukas is magnificent, well worth an hour or so. IMO, 1 day is probably enough for Meteora -- if that means 2 nights.

I didn't think a guide was necessary for any of these cities -- personal choice, of course. I used the audio guides for museums when they were available and thought they were all informative, particularly the one for the Acropolis Museum in Athens. And I don't remember having advance reservations for any of these locations.

If you haven't already seen it, you might find some useful information in my trip report. Delphi begins with post # 151, Meteora with post # 168, and Athens with post # 181.
With Gratitude for a Glorious Solo Month in Greece

LancasterLad

Too much = too little. Make sure your hire car is in excellent condition.

​​​​​​You'll love the parts of Bulgaria you are visiting, and will probably regret not allowing more time. Plovdiv and VT are excellent destinations, the outdoor Ethnographic Museum at Etar is very enjoyable and make sure you have lunch in the Inn there. Road conditions between P and VT might be challenging as I think it attracts a lot of heavy goods traffic.

Transylvania is simply superb, Brasov and Sibiu are well worth loitering, and Sighisoara ain't bad either. Careful where you park in the towns as the parking wardens are very keen.

neckervd

2 days are the strict minimum for Athens.
Korinthos isn't that interesting. Spend either a full day for Mycenae - Nauplia - Epidauros or skip the whole Elefsis - Korinthos and back leg and and stop at Saint Luke monastery (as suggested by kja).
Galaxidi is another waste of time.
It might be easier to proceed from Meteora to Thessaloniki, to drop off the car at the last possible place (Thessaloniki, Sidirokastro, Kulata), to cross the border by train or taxi and to rent a Bulgarian car at the first possible place (Kulata border, Blagoevgrad....).
You coud then do a side trip to Rilski Manastir and drive via Samokov to Plovdiv.
Don't bypass Ruse and Bucuresti on your Arbanasi/Veliko Trnovo - Brasov trip.
Even if you drive via Iron Gate (you don't see to be interested in), I wouldn't cross into Serbia for such a short leg.

thursdaysd

I was also thinking that I would head north overland from Meteora rather than backtracking and flying. I liked northern Greece.

Rila monastery is really impressive, but unless you are especially into religious art (the walls are covered in paintings) I'm not sure it would be worth four hours driving. (I spent the night.)

I would not detour into Serbia at that point. If we were talking Hungary I would detour for Subotica, but wrong border.
You might find my Romania posts useful. Start here, links at the top of the page (there are Bulgaria posts on the same site): https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...utiful-brasov/

aguate

Orthodox Easter is clearly going to affect your stay in the Brasov area: the city and resorts around it will be packed with domestic tourists during that extended weekend.
Book accommodations for April 19th-April 20th at least a month ahead and make sure you get to Brasov by noon of April 17th; on the afternoon of the 17th/morning of the 18th traffic on the roads from the south will be nearly at standstill (a 3 hour drive from Bucharest will turn into 7-8 hours).

The one castle to see there is Peles in Sinaia.

Since you'll have a car, you should also include somehow a drive on the northern part of the Transfagarasan road (up to Balea Cascada chalet; further up it's closed at that time of year but you can take a cable car to Balea lake).

shelemm

Thanks all for your quick responses. I am positive I will regret not spending more time in quite a few of these places! I have a very long attention span, and my greatest fear about entering a museum (for example) is that I will never come out, which becomes awkward at bath time. so I have spent many a vacation focusing on slow travel. On this trip, it is true there are days when we will be going from place-to-place, but there will be other days in which the journey is essential to what we intend to see. For example, there are a couple of days in which we drive a total of 90 minutes the whole day to see three things along the way.

kja Of course, I have read your entire trip report. Required reading. I doubt I could replicate your Day 27, but now I know it is possible. And yes, one full day in Meteora sandwiched between two nights. I am still hoping you got to the Korean place I recommended in Annandale....

LancasterLad Thanks for reinforcing the idea that I need a car in excellent condiition. I will emphasize latest model! Where I live I am very vigilant about parking legally (you have to be!), so I will make sure to follow strictly the gulidelines and pay where needed.

neckervd I am now considering skipping Corinth and instead I will probably choose another 1/2 day in Athens, leaving at 1pm to drive directly to Delphi instead of getting up at the crack-of-dawn. That will give me a total of 2 and 3/4 days in Athens, above the minimum! My first thought in planning the trip was to rent a car in Athens and drive the rest of the trip without returning to Athens. It is possible to drop off a Greek car in Thessaloniki and rent a Bulgarian car there to drop off in Sophia. You pay one-way drop off charges for each car, more than two plane tickets, but nothing scandalous. However, returning and flying ultimately got us to where I wanted faster and cheaper and I really wanted to prioritize the other parts of my trip at the expense of visiting Northern Greece. Something had to give. Also, if I stop in Galixidi, it is just a place to crash. But if I don't visit Corinth, I will not even pass by there.

thursdaysd Thanks for the link to your Brasov post! It is very helpful. I definitely do not have enough time to do all the things I'd like to see in this area. Your dilemma is exactly what I am going through in my mind. I am wondering how to spend my time here, especially to avoid backtracking. Bran looks like a high priority, and of course Brasov itself. I am still considering a hike (seven ladders trail if it's not too ambitious), a Sinaia castle, Roznov.... my concern is that I have a long drive to get there with a lot of stops along the way, so stopping a night in Sinaia could save an hour's drive that day. I love the idea of seeing religious painting/frescoes in situ, but I will be visiting a number of other monasteries (albeit smaller than Rila). Sometimes the smaller, humbler sites are more emotional for me.

kja

I'm glad you found my trip report useful! Day 27 was a busy one, wasn't it? I would have loved more time for some of those museums (bath or no!), but still smile to think of the wonderful things I saw that day, and throughout that trip.

Unfortunately, I have not yet gotten to the Korean restaurant you mentioned -- I don't have a car, so reaching Annandale is tricky, to say the least. But I still have a note about it, and I would love to savor a good Korean meal again.

Skipping Corinth is a good idea. Adding Hosios Loukas is worth a thought.

thursdaysd

Also glad you found my blog helpful. However, I would not make Bran a priority. See: https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...-with-prejmer/

neckervd

Galaxidi would have made sense until 2010, last year of operation of the Egion - Galaxidi ferry.

shelemm

aguate Thanks so much for your warnings about driving north to Brasov. My plan thus far was to drive up on the 18th (aack!), taking the first half of the day to stop at places in Bulgaria. So I would be on the road from Bucharest starting about 5:30pm, though I could make that later. Is that a nightmare waiting to happen? Do you think there will be gridlock south of Bucharest? Also with all those tourists, will the tourist attractions be open on Orthodox Easter Sunday and Monday (19th, 20th)? If so, I am guessing they will be packed.... I suppose I could drive up on Easter Sunday (19th), would that avoid the traffic problem? Maybe I should consider reversing my car trip in Bulgaria and Romania.... If I head out north from Sofia to Belogradchik, Sibiu, Sighi, and then Brasov, I would be driving into Brasov on the 18th from the north. Would that avoid the traffic? If I did that, I am not sure if I will hit the same traffic south from Brasov on the 21st.....

Sounds like I should skip Corinth, except I have one more question about that; the site of the nearby Heraion at Perachora gets the highest rating from Michelin and many travelers seem to love it. Has anyone been?

neckervd

The remnants of the temple of Hera at Perachora (close to Loutraki) are all but spectacular. May be you have a look at https://www.gtp.gr/TDirectoryDetails.asp?ID=14906

aguate

Traffic should wind down toward Saturday evening, you could try to head to Brasov after 5-6PM. On Sunday traffic should be light.
Either way try to stop somewhere near a church around midnight to see the start of the Easter service, it's impressive.
There won't be any congestion south of Bucharest or through the city; the busy parts are between Breaza and Brasov, respectively between Brasov and Bran.
Peles castle is closed on Easter Sunday but opens on Easter Monday (unusually, because it's always closed on Mondays); Bran might be open both days. They will both be flooded with tourists.

Going the other way might actually be better, traffic-wise. North of Brasov it isn't so crowded; next, most people will head home on Monday afternoon (20th), so driving south on the 21st shouldn't be a problem

shelemm

aguate It probably works out better all around if I reverse my car trip, so thanks for the advice.

I am pretty sure I will skip Corinth to spend another 1/2 day in Athens, and then maybe I can even stop to see Hosios Loukas, only the slightest of detours. I suppose after I leave Meteora to get to the Athens airport for our 9pm flight I could go the long way around to the west and south, hitting some spots off the beaten path and still get to the Heraion of Pechora. We'll see.

kja Criss-crossing the globe and it's tricky to get to Annandale? 'Tis a puzzlement!

Michael

Did you check that you can take the rental car from Bulgaria to Romania?

You might be interested in my trip report that started in Bulgaria. Most of it has to do with a Danube cruise, but we were in Sofia (guided tours to Rila Monastery and Koprivshtitsa-two trips) and other locations you mention. Click on my name to find it. Or maybe the pictures might suffice to give you some ideas:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskxVhY8m

shelemm

Michael All the Bulgarian car rental companies list an extra fee for taking the car into neighboring countries, and you add the expense to your total per country. You are right to point that out. You have many awesome photos on your photostream. More like a torrent. Hmmm, maybe I should reconsider skipping Rila...

neckervd

"I suppose after I leave Meteora to get to the Athens airport for our 9pm flight I could go the long way around to the west and south, hitting some spots off the beaten path and still get to the Heraion of Pechora"
The driving time (without any lunch or foto stop) along this itinerary would be about 7 hrs, but only if you never leave the motorway between Metsovo and the airport, except for the Isthmia - Pechora sidetrip.

KarenWoo

Michael, I love your photos!

Is it difficult planning an independent trip to Bulgaria? It seems so exotic and different. I would love to see Bulgaria but right now my husband isn't interested. Hopefully he will change his mind!

Michael

We had no problems. The hotel offered different agencies for tours outside Sofia. All the large cities, such as Sofia, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo offer free (tip accepted) tours usually led by university students. We used only public transportation except for the tours from Sofia, which turned out to be private although booked as group tours and rates. You might want to take a look at my trip report; click on my name to find it.

To whet your appetite:

https://flic.kr/p/HUY7oW

shelemm

neckervd You are right, going the long way around is more aspirational than real. Too much driving.

KarenWoo In general, folks (including me!) don't want to visit places they don't know much about. For example, if I tell people I'm going to Japan, they react normally, but if I say Korea, then they are puzzled. Even in France, many tourists stick to Paris, not knowing what else is out there.