Interesting places to visit in Bulgaria

Interesting places to visit in Bulgaria

Monasteries

Rila Monastery
Rila Monastery is the most outstanding monument of Bulgarian culture and architecture of the Revival period. It is situated at the heart of Rila Mountain at the altitude of 1147 m above sea level on the right bank of the Rila River more...

Bachkovo Monastery
Bachkovo monastery is the second in size and importance monastery in Bulgaria. It is located on the right bank of the Chepelare River, 29 kilometers away from Plovdiv. A prominent Byzantine statesman, of Georgian origin, founded it in 1083. It does not look the same as it was when established because it was destroyed by fire more than once and then restored. The only part from its original structure that has survived is the charnel- house with an interesting architectural design.

Preobrazhenie monastery
Preobrazhenski Monastery is 7 kilometers north of Veliko Tarnovo. It is situated under hardly accessible rocks on the left bank of Yantra River. During the 14th century it flourished. During the Ottoman rule it suffered numerous attacks and was rebuild in 19th century. It is one of the most remarkable monuments of the Bulgarian revival Period.

Troyan Monastery
The Holy Virgin Troyan Monastery is situated in the northern folds of the Troyan Balkan (Central Stara Planina), on the left bank of the Cherni Ossum River. It is 10 km south- east of Troyan, between the villages of Oreshak and Cherni Ossum.
The monastery is famous for its miraculous icon “Holy Virgin Troeruchitsa”.

Resorts and places

Smolyan is a town in the Rodopi mountain, just 15 km from Pamporovo ski resort. Smolyan offers a lot of historical and cultural landmarks as well as beautiful nature – lakes, rocks, forests and national parks. Smolyan is a starting position for different mountain routes in the Rodope mountain.

Smolyan Lakes are protected area with splendid landscape - mountain lakes with coniferous forest, varied marsh plant life. They are known as the “emerald eyes of the Rodope Mountains.” They used to be twenty, but now there are just 7 preserved. The whole region is like a natural park.

Chepelare is a beautiful mountain town, lying in a small valley at the heart of the Rhodopi Mountain, just 10 km from Pamporovo. The ski runs of vary in difficulty from black to green and the longest ski run in Bulgaria is in Chepelare. High-speed quad lift connects the town with the Mechi Chal peak. A few smaller drag lifts are also in favour of the skiers on the slopes. Chepelare is a small ski resort, so the average prices of the hotels and the ski services are lower compared to Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo.

Devin is famous for its favourable climate and mineral water springs. The spa resort of Devin is picturesquely situated on the two banks of Devinska River, in the Western Rodophi Mountains. It is situated only 35 km from Pamporovo ski resort. A balneo-sanatorium and an open-air mineral water pool are built to meet the needs of the healthy holiday-makers. Devin mineral water, bolted in the town, is extensively used for drinking and is ecologically pure.

Gela village is located at the foot of the most magnificent mountain peaks in the Rhodopi mountain. The village is 18 km away from Pamporovo and 30 km away from Smolyan town. Gela village was founded more than 3300 years ago and it has preserved beautiful legends. Every summer the village hosts a National Bagpipe Festival, attracting hundreds of fans of Bulgarian folk music, tourists and professionals.

Trigrad is located at 1240 m above the sea level in the Western part of the Rhodope mountain, nearby the Bulgarian-Greek border. The houses have perched on the rocky hills surrounded by impressive rock massifs.

Among the attractions in the village is a horseback riding base. Rock climbing and delta-planer flights are also available in the region.

Three of the most interesting tourism attractions in Bulgaria are located in close vicinity to the village – these are “Yagodinska” cave, “The Devil's throat” cave and the Trigrad Gorge.
The Trigrad region is one of the biggest carst regions in Bulgaria. There are over 150 caves in the region.