Bulgaria, a deeper look on the Balkans

Updated: Oct 16, 2023

The Balkan Mountains is a chain of prominences that stretches throughout the whole country of Bulgaria, from the western part on the border with Serbia, to the eastern site on the Black Sea. This chain gave also a name to the group of countries that are located in the South-Eastern Peninsula of Europe, surrounded by the Aegean Sea, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean. This region has faced in the past some historical and political controversies, so it was been able to open to tourism in these recent years.

I visited the Balkans during my University years, crossing Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Montenegro. But the one I got more attached to was Bulgaria, that I explored with Stefanie, one of the closest friend a have from France.

Sofia

Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria. I saw Sofia during the winter, which was pretty cold even some degrees below zero. София, the Cyrillic version of the Greek word meaning “wisdom”, is one of the oldest city in Europe. It is still very enjoyable to walk and very cheap for tourists.

Thanks to the long and diversified history that Bulgaria lived, Sofia is the cradle of many cultures. The most famous cathedral is Alexander Nevski Cathedral. Dedicated to Alexander Yaroslavl Nevski, Prince of Novgorod during the Kievian Rus History, it has been dedicated to the Russian soldiers that lost their lives during the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman empire.

The most ancient human group that populated Bulgaria during its history were the Thracians, settling in the lands between the Danube river and Greece. This territory was afterword conquered by Alexander the Great, for then being integrated by the Roman empire as the Thracian province. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Thracia permanence under the Byzantine part gave to them orthodox influence. The Byzantine was then fought back by the Russian, that kept Bulgaria under the Soviet influence, although the country didn’t belong to the URSS.

Every part of Bulgaria reflects all these traditions and a mix of cultures.

Plodvid

Plovdiv is the most historical place in Bulgaria. The city reflects the time in which Bulgaria belonged to the Roman Empire as the Thracian province. One of the architecture best conserved to see, located on one of the seven hills like Rome, is the Ancient Theater of Philippopolis, which still hosts many summer events and concerts, along with the Ancient Stadium of Philippopolis that hosted athletic games and Gladiator matches.

Despite having been an ancient city, Plodvid is also very young and active. The old town is a vibrant and enjoyable place to walk, and the Kapana district is a trendy and creative place, where people can eat delicious food and spend their day and nightlife.

Burgas

The next step of our in Bulgaria was moving East towards the coast, in the city of Burgas. There I experimented for the first time, the view of the Black Sea.

In the ancient Byzantine language, colours were used to indicate the cardinal points: the word black meant North, South was red and East was Yellow. The Black and Red seas come, therefore, from the position they had as compared with Turkey.

Burgas is a very great summer place, that tourists from Western Europe are starting to appreciate the affordable prices and the kindness of people. Burgas, every year is celebrated the Burgas Sand Sculptures Festival, which gathers, since 2008, the best sand sculptures from all over the world. We admired the big sculptures, astonished at how they could stay up the whole time without falling!

Not far away from Burgas, there is also the little nice island of Nessebar, a UNESCO world heritage, connected to the mainland by a pier. An important Greek colony that became a strategic point of trade during the Byzantine Empire. Finally, prepare yourselves to meet Russian tourists at the fun-loving Sunny Beach, often compared to the Ibiza of the East!

Bulgaria has entered and is an effective member of the European Union since 2007. This means that there is no border to cross from any Shenghen country, and even many other countries’ citizens can travel for 90-days without a visa. So what are you waiting for? Plan your next trip to Bulgaria!