Best places to visit in Bulgaria: top cities, regions and sights

Ranked for a first or second trip. Nights are the minimum that does the place justice; add a night if you want a rest day or a day trip.

Start with Sofia. Two or three nights covers Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Roman Serdica ruins under the city centre and the Boyana Church, with Vitosha mountain on the edge of town. Use one of those days for Rila Monastery, either as an organised tour or by bus; it is a long day, so a night nearby is the alternative.

Add Plovdiv next. Two nights is enough for the Roman theatre and stadium, the Revival-era old town and the Kapana quarter, with Bachkovo Monastery as a half-day trip. Plovdiv sits on the main route between Sofia and the coast, so it slots into almost any itinerary.

Then pick one direction. Inland, Veliko Tarnovo gives you the Tsarevets fortress on its river cliffs and the village of Arbanasi, with two nights. East, the Black Sea coast gives you Varna for two nights, or Nesebar and Sozopol for three if you want old towns and beaches rather than a city.

If you have more time, the mountains are the reward. Bansko works for skiing in winter and alpine hiking in summer, the Rhodopes suit slow village-to-village driving, and Koprivshtitsa is a one-night stop for painted 19th-century houses. Ruse, on the Danube, is the natural last stop before Bucharest.

Buses connect the main towns and are usually the fastest option; trains are slow and better for scenery than for saving time. A car pays off for the mountains, the Rhodopes and monastery-hopping, but not for a Sofia–Plovdiv–Varna city route.

Book Black Sea accommodation early for July and August, when Bulgarian and foreign holidaymakers fill the coast. June and September give you warm water, lower prices and space. In the mountains, snow closes high roads in winter and some huts and trails are seasonal.

Prices are in Bulgarian lev; confirm what is in circulation before you travel (check). Cards work in cities and larger hotels, but carry cash for village guesthouses, small buses and markets. Bulgaria is in the Schengen area, so there are no border checks between Bulgaria and Romania.