Bulgaria is definitely one of the coolest roadtrips we have ever done, as it has a lot to offer. Beautiful coastline with picturesque beaches, historic towns and villages, extremely delicious food, breathtaking scenery and much more. We’ll show you a few of the most fascinating places in the country, everything you need to know and how to travel best through the country.
We spent a total of 14 days in Bulgaria and covered around 3500 kilometers, because we wanted to see as much as we could in a short time. If you prefer to travel more slowly and take your time, we would recommend 3 weeks for this road trip. Of course there is much more to discover and see, but with this road trip guide we will find you the most popular places and sights.
unexpected stops and unforgettable moments
Bulgaria should definitely be on your travel bucket list. Why? Because it’s beautiful, still relatively unknown and incredibly diverse. From historic cities and quiet mountain landscapes to relaxed coastal towns and pure nature the country offers so much without feeling overcrowded.
What we loved most is how authentic everything feels. Tourism hasn’t taken over yet, prices are fair and many places still feel like hidden gems. Bulgaria is one of those destinations that surprises you at every stop and leaves you wondering why more people aren’t talking about it.
Most of you will probably arrive in Bulgaria via one of the major international airports Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas or Varna, but with Sofia being the most common entry point. For us, Sofia turned out to be a perfect place to start our road trip around Bulgaria. The airport is well connected, renting a car is easy and within a short time you’re already on the road heading towards your first destination.
Starting in Sofia gives you the flexibility to explore different regions of the country, from historic cities to mountain landscapes and the Black Sea coast. It’s a relaxed introduction to Bulgaria and an ideal base to begin your 14-day adventure.
From here we first left Sofia and headed south.
You will probably come to Bulgaria by plane and land in Sofia, this is exactly where we start our road trip. It’s best to find out in advance which terminal you will land at. There are Terminal 1 (old one) & 2 (new one), which are about 5-10 minutes away from each other by bus. A shuttle bus operates between the terminals
every 30 minutes and is for free. The majority of rental car stands are located in Terminal 2.
There are countless providers of rental cars here, which are also very cheap. We rented our rental car from Enterprise and were very satisfied. From the airport we recommend you to drive to the town of Blagoevgrad, around 100 kilometers away. Since the place is not far from the famous Rila Monastery and the 7 Rila Lakes, it is the perfect starting point for these excursions. Here we recommend Boutique Apartments Blagoevgrad.
The next morning we recommend you to get up early, grab a coffee and drive to the Rila Monastery. The journey by car takes about 40 minutes. Once you’ve arrived, park your car in one of the two parking spaces, but since it’s still early in the morning, it shouldn’t be a problem finding one.
After you have thoroughly explored the monastery, you have to drive around 3 hours to the chairlift of the 7 Rila Lakes. It’s only around 90 kilometers, but the route stretches along the mountains. When you arrive, you can park in one of the many parking spaces for around 5 leva (the leva has since been replaced by the euro) and make your way to the chairlift, which is around 5 minutes away from the parking lot. Here you will also find the ticket booth where you can buy tickets for 25 leva per person.
Be sure to bring sturdy shoes, sunscreen, water, something to eat and, if necessary, a cap. There are various circular routes here. We chose the Seven Rila Lakes circus and it took about 3-4 hours. After, you take the chairlift back down to the valley and walk to the parking lot. To your next stop it’s around 130 kilometers, which takes 2 hours, to get to the small town of Sandanski where you can spend your next night at.
The next morning you drive to Melnik, the smallest town in Bulgaria. The journey to get there takes 25 minutes. There is a slightly larger parking lot in front of the town. Melnik is known for its red wine and the picturesque Melnik Earth Pyramids. Explore the place and maybe buy a souvenir.
Now you drive around 7 kilometers to the Rozhen Monastery. The journey takes around 13 minutes by car. You can park here and take the hiking trail (Melnik Rozhen Trail) past the monastery to the right. After about 10 minutes on foot you will automatically reach great viewpoints and can marvel at the truly breathtaking Earth Pyramids. But the Rozhen monastery is also definitely worth a visit if you are there. The landscape here is picturesque and incredibly beautiful.
You then drive 170 kilometers and around 3.5 hours to Shiroka Laka, a cute little town famous for its authentic Rhodope houses on the banks of the local river. Here you can eat a delicious traditional dish and stroll through the small streets. Shiroka Laka is an enchanting place in the south of the country.
From Shiroka Laka it is only 94 kilometers and around 2 hours by car to one of the oldest cities in Europe, Plovdiv. You can also skip Shiroka Laka and drive from Melnik via Sofia to Plovdiv, which also takes around 3.5 hours. But the route through the south of Bulgaria alone is an experience.
You will probably arrive in Plovdiv in the evening. So let the evening end relaxed. The next morning you can explore the city comfortably on foot. Get yourself a delicious coffee and something good for breakfast at one of the many café’s, restaurants and bakeries. Afterwards you can look at the various sights and beautiful places in the city.
The city’s top sights include the beautiful old town, Roman stadium Philippopolis, Revival houses, ancient theater, Great Basilica and the Dervish monastery. Also highly recommended is the Kapana District, a very cool and hip district, with great restaurants and bars. You should come here just for the street art, but the food here and the drinks are also highly recommended.
A really great place to end the evening is Bunardzhik Hill, where the monument to Alyosha is located. Take a bottle of wine or some beers with you, a few good snacks and enjoy the view and often a very beautiful sunset over Plovdiv. Many young people come here in the evening and enjoy the atmosphere of the city.
Woke up in Plovdiv in the morning, treat yourself to a coffee and something good for breakfast in the city and make your way to the Shipka Memorial Church, 100 kilometers away. The journey takes around 1.5 hours. The Memorial Temple is a Bulgarian Orthodox church built between 1885 and 1902 near the town of Shipka. There is a parking lot in front of the church where you can park for free. There are also small shops here where you can buy souvenirs, among other things. Opening times vary, but are usually between 9:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Now we head to one of the most truly spectacular buildings in all of Bulgaria, the Buzludzha Monument. The journey there takes around 37 minutes by car. Public transport does not serve this place. The 70 m high monument to the Bulgarian Communist Party looks like something out of a film and is located at around 1,400 meters above sea level. From up here you have a fantastic view of the surrounding landscape.
We continue towards the Etar open-air museum. This is around 1 hour and 50 kilometers away. This place shows everyday Bulgarian life, culture and old traditional craftsmanship, as well as Bulgarian architecture from around 300 years ago. There is a paid parking space here, that costs around 5 leva (2.50€). Admission is also comparatively very cheap at 14 lev (7€) per person.
After enjoying the afternoon at the Etar open-air museum, you drive to the enchanting Veliko Tarnovo, 50 kilometers away. Once here, we recommend you visit one of the great restaurants with a terrace or balcony and enjoy good traditional Bulagrian cuisine and a great view. Let the evening end relaxed.
In the morning in Veliko Tarnovo you can enjoy a wonderful breakfast, so that you are strengthened for the day. Afterwards, just stroll through the charming city center and look at a few sights. Of course, one of the highlights of the city is the Tsarevets Fortress, which you should definitely pay a visit to.
Of course there is much more to see and experience. One of our highlights was the hike up to the mountain, where there is the well-known love swing. From here you have a great view of the city and the fortress. Also a great place to take pictures. From the fortress the hike takes around 45 minutes, depending on your pace. It can be very steep in places, but it’s not too difficult to get up there.
Back in the city, we of course recommend a good spot for a beautiful sunset, which you can see from almost anywhere. A restaurant where we enjoyed the evening and can highly recommend, is called Shtastliveca. But we would also recommend that you reserve a table here in advance.
The next day you have to drive a little longer, because you are going to the beautiful Sozopol on the Black Sea. The journey by car takes about 3 hours, but it’s worth it because Sozopol impresses with its beautiful old town and beautiful beaches. Sozopol lies on several small rocky peninsulas in Burgas Province.
You can easily spend many hours here. We recommend visiting one of the good restaurants by the water. We can warmly recommend the Mercury restaurant with great hosts and good food. Afterwards a relaxed drink on the beach and then we continue to the fourth largest city in Bulgaria, Burgas. It is only a 30 minute drive from Sozopol to Burgas along the beautiful Black Sea.
Once you have arrived in Burgas, we can recommend the Hotel Bulgaria. Afterwards you can stroll through the center to the adjacent park and beach. There are many shops, restaurants and café’s on the way there. We first took a drink to the beautiful beach in Burgas and enjoyed the good air of the Black Sea. On the way back you can have a meal in one of the restaurants and end the evening.
The morning after starts with a walk through the city. There are some sights to see. The beautiful sunrise in Burgas is also highly recommended. There is a nice pier here where you can enjoy it. Then we had some breakfast and continued towards Nesebar. An absolute tip is a quick stop at the salt lake, also known as the Pink Lake. You can also go swimming here and it is said to be healing.
The journey from Burgas to Nessebar by car takes around 30 minutes. There are also many buses and excursion tours that go from Burgas to Nesebar. The city, which has been included in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage, looks like an old pirate town. Barrels are decorated with lots of wood and the cobbled old town is a really cute and beautiful place.
The region is also particularly popular because of its beautiful, large sandy beaches on the Black Sea. In Nesebar you can spend the day relaxing and eating, drinking, sightseeing and swimming. After your day here, you drive to the city of Varna, around 100 kilometers away. It is the third largest city in Bulgaria and is also located on the Black Sea. Varna is an absolutely great city with great diversity.
When you arrive in Varna, we recommend that you first go to the huge Seaside Park. A beautiful, well-kept park with good café’s and restaurants. It is located between the city and the sea. You can take a great walk along the long promenade and here you will also find great restaurants and bars right on the beach. There are also hot sulfur water springs where you can take a nice bath.
The next morning you can stroll through the city and marvel at the many beautiful buildings, cute alleys, great café’s and sights, such as the famous Mother of God Cathedral with its golden domes. Varna is well located. The city is also a good starting point to explore the beautiful Black Sea coast region.
This day is a packed day, with many beautiful places in Bulgaria. From Varna you drive to Ruse, about 2 hours away. A cute town on the Danube, right on the border with Romania. The city is very manageable, with large squares and café’s. You can easily spend a morning here.
Just 10 kilometers from Ruse is the interesting Basarbovo Monastery, which was built into the rock. We weren’t inside but for a little money you can take a look at this magical place. There is free parking in front of the monastery.
From Basarbovo Monastery, it is around 2 hours by car to the magical Krushuna Falls. Parking is free and entry only costs a few euros. The hike to the waterfalls takes around 20 minutes and here you can enjoy and marvel at Bulgaria’s nature. Here too, there are cute restaurants and café’s in the middle of nature. A really great place that you shouldn’t miss.
The last place we explore today is the absolutely unreal-looking Devetashka Cave. Parking is also free here and entry costs around 2 euros. Several thousand bats still live in the cave today and well-known films were also filmed here. An absolute highlight on our road trip through Bulgaria. Afterwards we drove past many sunflower fields to Pleven, where we stayed at the Park Hotel Kaylaka.
Let’s start the day in the cute town of Lovech. With its picturesque wooden bridge crossing the Osam River, Lovech is a sleepy little town, with a small market square, but cute café’s. This is the perfect place to spend a morning and enjoy a cappuccino in the Bulgarian sun.
From Lovech we will drive to Koprivshtitsa, 2 hours away. On the way there we pass the Arch of Freedom monument, which is located on Beklemeto Pass and is around 1,500 meters above sea level. Here you can take a short hike up or buy some great homemade honey at one of the stalls on the side of the road.
When you arrive in Koprivshtitsa, you can park in designated parking areas in the city for little money. The city is known for its houses from the Bulgarian Revival period. A great place to spend a few hours.
The highlight comes at the end, as you drive to the Prohodna Cave, which is about 2 hours away and is also known as the “Eyes of God”. Admission is free and so is parking. In front of the cave there are a few souvenir, food and drink stalls. Many people flock to this wonderful place and also many climbers who go climbing in the cave. An absolute highlight. We then drove to a hotel in Montana. The hotel was called Complex Jitomir and we can highly recommend it.
On day twelve we get up early, grab a coffee and drive from Montana to Belogradchik, about an hour away, where there is the famous fortress and the absolutely picturesque rocks. This place is really worth seeing and magical. We recommend you be there at sunrise and marvel at the colors and spectacular landscape.
The Belogradchik Fortress opens its forts at 09:00 and closes at 18:00. Entry costs around 6 leva (3€) and parking costs another around 3 leva (1.50€). An absolute experience to climb onto the rocks and take in the unreal surroundings. But Belogradchik is also a charming place where you can relax and stroll through the streets.
There are many tours from Sofia to Belogradchik that you can book. You can also get there by public transport or taxi. But this place should not be missed on your Bulgaria road trip. After this adventure we head back to the capital Sofia. We drove straight from here to the airport to return the rental car. From here you can easily take the metro or bus to city center.
The last two days are perfect for the beautiful capital of Bulgaria. When you arrive in the city in the evening and check in at your accommodation, you can indulge in the variety of culinary offerings, have a drink in one of the countless bars and end the evening.
The next morning you can explore the entire city. It is very well connected by tram, metro and bus and you can get from place to place for little money. Many sights, hip, trendy cafes, great street art, lively activitys and beautiful green spaces await you in the third highest capital in Europe.
Even in the evening you can enjoy the colorful nightlife and, especially in summer, many events. Sofia is a great city that you should visit at least once in your life. The next day you can take the metro back to the airport in a relaxed manner. However, you should pay attention to which terminal your plane is flying from, as the metro only goes to Terminal 2 and the old Terminal 1 is around 7 minutes away. The bus transfer is free.
Of course there are many other places in Bulgaria that are beautiful and that you should visit. We still visited a few of them. Especially a few beautiful beaches on the Black Sea coast. Here are a few of them.
