-
Trigrad Cave
The Trigrad Cave , also called the Devil’s Throat Cave (Dyavolskoto Gurlo Peshtera) has extensive and speleologically significant grottoes. The mandatory, 20-minute guided tour requires three or four tourists; you can stay longer, under the caretaker’s supervision. As you descend,
-
Belogradchik Rocks
The massive Belogradchik sandstone and limestone rock formations cover an area of around 90 sq km and tower over the town. The rocks, standing up to 200m high, were sculpted over millions of years by natural compression and erosion, and their otherworldly appearance has inspired ma
-
St Anastasia Island
Bulgarias latest tourist attraction, this small volcanic island makes for a fun day of exploring. The island, which has served as a religious retreat, a prison and pirate bait (according to legend, a golden treasure is buried in its sands), is today dominated by a lighthouse and a
-
Mitko Manolev Winery
For the most atmospheric adventures in degustatsia (wine tasting), clamber up the cobblestones to this winery, also known as Shestaka (‘six-fingered’); its named after the founder, who had an extra digit (as does his modern-day descendant Mitko). This place is basically a cellar du
-
Kordopulov House
Built in 1754, this four-storey former home of a prestigious wine merchant is an impressive structure. The sitting rooms have been carefully restored, and boast 19th-century murals, stained-glass windows and exquisitely carved wooden ceilings. An enormous wine cellar (tasting avail
-
National Palace of Culture
Sofias vast, polygonal concert hall watches over an elongated park known as pl Bulgaria. At the northern end of the park is the disintegrating 1300 Years Monument , built in 1981 to celebrate the anniversary of the creation of the First Bulgarian Empire. It has been falling to piec
-
Museum of the Roses
The grandly named Research Institute for Roses, Aromatic & Medicinal Plants houses this tiny museum, the one of its kind in the world. Its 3km north of centre up ul Osvobozhdenie; take a taxi (3 lv one way), or bus 3 from Kazanlâk’s main square. The photos and displays explain
-
Church of Sveti Dimitâr
Across the river, enclosed by a high wall, is Târnovo’s oldest church, the beautifully proportioned Church of Sveti Dimitâr. Built in the so-called Târnovo style, it was named after St Dimitrios, patron saint of Thessaloniki (Greece). During its 1185 consecration, Tsars Asen and Pe
-
House Museum of Nikola Vaptsarov
This house museum was the birthplace of Nikola Vaptsarov (1909–42), a respected antifascist poet and activist. Influenced by communist ideology while a student, his populist writings caused his arrest and torture by the wartime fascist government; he wrote his most famous poem whil
-
Geo Milev House
Set around a garden, this house-museum contains manuscripts and paintings by locally born Milev (1895–1925). Despite losing an eye in WWI, Milev wrote poetry dealing with social issues, such as Septemvri, about the September 1923 agrarian revolution. His politics led Milevs work to
-
Ruins of Eumolpias
Some 203m high in the old town, a hill contains the sparse ruins of Eumolpias, a Thracian settlement in 5000 BC. The fortress and surrounding town enjoyed a strategic position, later bolstered by Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Bulgarians and Turks, who named it Nebet Tepe (Prayer
-
Beach
Much of the beach is carved up into private stretches of sand appropriated by the various hotels, but there are plenty of areas accessible to nonguests too. Parasols and sun beds cost 6 to 7 lv each. However, all the beaches tend to be small and bordered by jetties, breakwaters and
-
Lopushanski Monastery
Some 21km west of Montana, this small monastery, completed in 1853, enjoys a serene setting and holds icons painted by brothers Stanislav and Nikolai Dospevski. During the periodic rebellions against Ottoman rule, Lopushanski (also known as St John the Precursor) provided a safe ha
-
Kulata Ethnological Complex
Just down from Tyulbe Park and the Thracian tomb, you’ll find the appealing Kulata (Tower) district, site of the Kulata Ethnological Complex. A replica of a one-storey peasant’s home and wooden sheds with agricultural implements and carts are among the rustic exhibits. A courtyard
-
St Luke’s Hermitage & St Ivan’s Cave
About 3.7km northeast of Rila Monastery, on the road to Kiril Meadow, a left-hand trail leads to St Luke’s Hermitage; look for Sveti Ivan’s picture by the steps. Built in 1798, the hermitage features a large courtyard and the Church of Sveti Luka . Take the trail for about 15 minut
-
Devin Museum
A comically gruff reception awaits visitors at the little Devin Museum , which exhibits Rodopi folk arts and crafts, ancient and medieval coins, and colourful minerals from local mountains. Prominently positioned reproductions of salacious 19th-century paintings depict wicked Turks
-
Hindlian House
Once owned by merchant Stepan Hindlian, Hindlian House, built in 1835, is one of Plovdiv’s most opulent. It’s full of exquisite period furniture and walls painted with real and imaginary landscapes of Venice, Alexandria and Constantinople. These scenes, which took six months to c
-
Thracian Tomb of Kazanlâk
In hilly Tyulbe Park, a 15-minute walk northeast of Kazanlâks centre, is one of the archaeological finds of the century: a brilliantly frescoed, 4th-century-BC tomb of a Thracian ruler. Discovered in 1944 during a bomb shelter construction, its now a Unesco World Heritage site. Al
-
Ivan Vazov House
Bulgaria’s best-loved author, Ivan Vazov (1850–1921), lived at this house, now a museum , from 1895 until his death. Vazov wrote Under the Yoke, a classic of Bulgarian literature based around the 1876 April Uprising against the Turks. Several rooms have been restored to their early
-
Sveti Sofronii Vrachanski Ethnographical & Revival Complex
This interesting museum complex consists of four National Revival era buildings displaying traditional costumes, instruments, toys, domestic interiors and silk-weaving apparatus. Theres also a collection of vintage vehicles, including a sleigh and 19th-century carriages. The garden
Total
246 -travel
FirstPage PreviousPage NextPage LastPage CurrentPage:
11/13 20-travel/Page Goto:
