Sofia opinions?
 

I will be traveling to Istanbul and Bulgaria this summer, and have heard many mixed reviews on Sofia. I already plan on visiting all the highlights in Bulgaria...and was wondering how much time to alocate to Sofia. I do enjoy big cities, but few cities seem to get such varying reviews as Sofia. What is your opinion of the city? Is it worth visiting at all? If so, how much time does it warrant? What is it about the city that makes you like it/not like it? Thanks.

ttt

ttt?

nxpueblo!

Sofia will surprise you. It has become a fascinating city, more modern than imaginable, yet with the charm of Old Bulgaria. However, the true beauty of Bulgaria is in the countryside and smaller cities and town. Our favorite lodgings are at the Maria Louisa Hotel in the midst of "downtown" near the Nevsky Cathedral.
Be sure to take in a n evening at one of the better restaurants that feature Bulgarian folk dancing and singing. There is one up on the mountainside overlooking the city that I will recommend to you....the lively Boiana Folk Restaurant.
You will find many more English speakers these days...but also be sure to visit Veliko Turnovo, the most authentically old world city in the country...and for great beach towns, Varna and the sting of beaches both north and south of it, will have everything you would want. Enjoy.
I can recommend lodgings and eateries all over the country, and Romania, also. My most recent visit was last October.
Stu T.([email protected])

oops! that should read , "string of beaches" of course...
Stu T.

Thank you very much Tower! I am already planning visits to Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv, Varna, Nesebar, and Sozopol. Its good to hear that Sofia will also be a worthwile destination!

Have you visited Bankso in the mountains? I have heard it is a nice little town with beautiful scenery, but with limited time, is it worth a visit? Any other places in Bulgaria you would reccomend? Thanks.

Nxdpueblo-
I live in Bulgaria and would be happy to answer any specific questions you might have about the towns you're planning to visit. Bansko is a nice little town with an authentic feel and very good eateries, but it is somewhat out of your way, and if you have limited time, you may very well skip it. There is another quaint old town, though, which is more "en route" from Sofia towards the Black Sea--Koprivshtitsa, about an hour and a half to two hours southwest of Sofia. It is enchanting, with interesting architecture, and very colorful. Sofia offers a few fascinating spots, but more than anything it is good to just walk the streets. Not worth more than two days, though. Again, if you have any specific questions, I would be more than happy to answer them.

Sorry, Bansko is southeast, not southwest of Sofia.

Thanks very much. I have questions about Varna. What can you tell me about that city, is it a nice city, or more of just a resort? Thanks!

Just visited Varna for the third time this last October..it has made remarkable strides from my visits in the 80's...no, it's much more than a resort. It's Marine Gardens are world class.....the pedestrian streets are loaded with excellent eateries and hotels have popped up everywhere. The Odessos, right on the garden entrance and ped street is a comfortable hotel, very reasonable in the $75 range.
There is much to see, including Roman ruins in Varna...population well over 300,000.
Yes, the poster who mentions Koprivshtitsa is right on! It is a classic outdoor museum town...well worth a stop en route to Veliko Turnovo and Varna.
Stu T.

Thank you very much, I am now even more excited to visit Bulgaria.

Varna is my favorite city. It tends to get crowded and touristy during the summer (hotel reservations are a very good idea!), but nonetheless has numerous charming spots. You will of course start from the Cathedral (you can't miss it, it's on your way into the city), make sure you also see it at night, it's beautifully lit up. Then just continue onto the pedestrian area. On your right would be the Opera house, on your left there's a fountain, right next to it you may find the folk-style restaurant, "Chuchurite", which I highly recommend for dinner. When you get to this point, you may also ask about the Roman ruins, they are in the neighborhood, but do require a small detour. Further down along the main shopping street you will find another interesting Church, and then if you continue on and turn right at the Cherno More Hotel (a rather tall building), a few hundred feet away you will face the entrance to the Marine Garden, along with a beautiful view of the sea. It is a rather long walk from one end of the Garden to the other, but there are some really nice vistas along the way.

Hi nxpueblo, I just noticed you put a ? after my "ttt" post.

It means "to the top". Your post had sunk as noone was answering it so I sent it to the top of the posts hoping someone would see and it and reply.
:)

Tsvetana: Funny story ...stayed at the Cherno More back in the 80's...having dinner in a restaurant on the same street, we sat across from two elderly British ladies who told us they had played the black market and traded several hundred pounds for Bulgarian lev....when they tried to pay cash to the waiter, he laughed and said the levs were all counterfeit because they were in denominations that didn't exist.

By the way, we enjoyed a recent dinner at ONNO, a mod cafe on the pedestrian walkway near the Odessos Hotel. Varna is wonderful.

Stu T.

OH! Thank you very much tiff!

Another question, how about the Rila Monastery? Is it worth a visit? And is their any nice easy hikes in the area? Thanks!

Rila Monastery is an absolutely unique place (I imagine you have already seen pictures, if not, let me know and I will find you some). There are wonderful hikes in the area, but not easy, at least for me they aren't. If you are determined, though, there is a spot on top of the mountain from where you can get a bird-eye view of the colorful Rila monastery, snuggled between the steep mountain hills, and it can't compare to anything else I've seen. If I can remember correctly it was a 3-4 hour hike.

My husband and I are planning to travel to Bulgaria and Romania in 3 weeks. We discovered that you cannot take a rental car from Bulgaria into Romania. Any suggestions regarding renting a car in Sofia with drop off in Rousse (Ruse) and pick up a car across the border in Romania and the same in reverse to return to Sofia? Thanks.
Hornung

I would recommend also some of the mountain towns like Bansko and Melnik (in Southwestern Bulgaria) and the area called the Rose Valley.

You might be able to cross the Balkan Range (mountains) near the town of Kazanlqk (on the South side of the Balkan range) and get to Veliko Tqrnovo. On the way to that city you could visit some smaller but very beautiful monasteries on the North side of the Balkan Range (you will use the Shipka pass as a way to get across the mountains).
For pictures from Bansko, Melnik, Kazanlqk you can check out my blog at http://travel.chinafinds.com
And more specifically at http://site.chinafinds.com/blog/?s=Bansko