After venturing to Transylvania with Mr. Tripp Tours, our guide Rodica recommended we visit Bulgaria. Eager to explore another country, it wasn’t difficult to convince the Sojournicle team to hop on board and discover this Balkan neighbour. Our tour departed from Bucharest at 8am and returned around 7pm. Below are our recommended highlights when visiting this region of Bulgaria.
Basarbovo Village – St. Dimitrie Monastery
Carved into a cliff, St. Dimitrie Basarabovo stone Monastery is the only active monastery in Bulgaria today. Walk inside and observe religious monuments and learn about the history of this structure. Very unique!
If you spot red bracelets on tree branches, these are called Martenitsa and are traditionally worn on the 1st of March for health, happiness, strength and fertility.
Veliko Tărnovo Village – Tsaravets Fortress
Once a medieval capital, Veliko Tărnovo is a cute, mountainous village and provides the perfect backdrop to Tsaravets Fortress. In the Middle Ages, the fortress was known as the strongest Bulgarian fortification – a home to the Tsars!
Nowadays, the reconstructed fortress stands high on Tsaravets Hill for the admiration of all. We were lucky to visit just after snowfall, with very few people around.
Arbanasi Village – Bulgarian rose products & pottery
Arbanasi Village is a charming township nestled on a high plateau between Veliko Tărnovo and Gorna Oryahovitsa. There is an abundance of small boutique stores, some of which sell famed Bulgarian rose and pottery products. Wander around the village clad with medieval architecture.
Rodica recommended we dine at Restaurant Shtastliveca for lunch (her favourite). The food was great… and OMG the view over the village was incredible!
We loved getting a glimpse of Bulgaria! If you don’t speak the local language, consider taking a tour. The Bulgarian alphabet is a version of Cyrillic, so the language is likely more challenging for those more familiar with the Latin alphabet. Nevertheless, it was fun learning a few essential Bulgarian phrases with a passionate guide. Mr. Tripp tours afforded a great glimpse of Bulgaria and we would not hesitate to join them again in exploring the Balkans further 🙂
Simon says
The dusting of snow over the region make the views spectacular. Bulgaria is definitely worth a visit!