Bulgaria is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. The state has existed for more than 13 centuries and is located in the northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. A little less than 9 million people live in the country. The area of Bulgaria is 110.9 thousand square kilometers. The landscape is varied: fertile fields and mountain ranges, forests and the Danube River, the Black Sea coast…
The country has many attractions, ancient buildings and beautiful cities.
Sofia
This city in Bulgaria is the largest and is the capital of the state. 1.196 million people live here. Located in the west of the country. It is known that people lived in this territory as early as the 3rd millennium BC. The architectural heritage of Sofia is huge, there are about 250 historical monuments in the city. However, many architectural monuments have been lost. Most of the buildings date back to the period from 1878, when the country was freed from the Ottoman yoke.
Around the old part of the city preservedfortress walls, they served Sofia for 12 centuries. There are traces of the ancient settlement of Serdika dating back to the 2nd century. The capital of Bulgaria is famous for the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Rotunda of the Church of St. George and the Boyana Church, the Bania Vashi Mosque and Turkish baths.
Plovdiv
The second most populated city in Bulgaria. 340.6 thousand people live here. It is located in the south of the country, on the left and right banks of the Maritsa River. The city is about 3 thousand years old. It is the state's largest road and rail junction.
In Plovdiv you can see the ancient fortifications. It is also the unofficial capital of contemporary Bulgarian art. The city has many galleries and art exhibitions.
Varna
314,539 people live in the city of Varna (Bulgaria). The settlement is located on the Black Sea coast. This is a very ancient city, in which the Greek fortress of Odessos existed back in the 7th century BC. The settlement received its modern name only in the 9th century. Once it was a busy center of trade. Today it is a Mecca for foreign tourists, where you can soak up the clean coastline and see the ancient buildings. These are the Royal Palace in Balchik, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin and the Aladzha Monastery. And in the museum you can see artifacts, the oldest of which date back to the 4th millennium BC.
Varna is surrounded by the most popular resort towns in Bulgaria: in the north - the Riviera, in the south - St. Constantine and Helena. People come to the city even in winter, because heremany balneotherapy rooms.
Burgas
This city is the fourth largest in Bulgaria, with a population of 210,316. It is the largest settlement in the southeast of the country. The city itself is located on 4 terraces 2-3 meters high. Previously, Burgas was called Kulata, which is mentioned by the Byzantine poet Manuil Fil. The modern name translates as "fortress". In the 19th century, Burgas was completely burned down.
This city of Bulgaria is located on the coast of the Burgas Bay and today it is very attractive for tourists. It is here that you can hear the songs of the peoples of the Balkans, see folk dances. An annual flower exhibition is held in Burgas.
Ruse
This is a small town in Bulgaria with only 162,000 inhabitants. However, here is the largest port on the Danube. The city has a road and rail crossing with Romania, this road is followed by transport to Ukraine, Moldova and Russia.
It was here that Kutuzov defeated the Turkish army in 1811. There are many interesting places in the city, the old part is generally turned into a pedestrian zone. There are the ruins of the fortress of Sexaginta Prista (I century AD), the building of the Pantheon with a gilded dome. The city is the musical capital of Bulgaria, it hosts music days in March, a folklore festival and a forum.
Attractive settlement for climbers: in the suburbs there are limestone cliffs with beautiful gorges.
Stara Zagora
The city is located between the rocks, in the Starozogorskaya hollow, surrounded byparks Chadar Mogila, Ayazmo, Bedechka and Borova Gora. It is home to 135,889 people. In ancient times there were iron mines here. There are fertile lands and a temperate continental climate with an average annual temperature of +13 degrees. The most unique plants grow in the city and the region - from magnolias to cypress. Notorious mineral baths are located 16 kilometers away.
Pleven
The city is located on the Vit River and is best known for the liberation wars of 1877-1878. There are about 200 memorial sites dedicated to these events in the village.
Pleven is surrounded by beautiful parks: Grivitsa, Kaylyka and others. The city has a population of 105,045.
Sliven
Located in the Upper Thracian lowland. The city is home to 100.7 thousand people. The settlement is divided into three parts by three rivers: Selishnaya, Asnovskaya and Novoselskaya.
Sliven was founded in the 7th century. There are many forests and mountain ranges, and in the central part there is an elm that is already 600 years old. The most beautiful natural park is Blue Stones, where you can see waterfalls, lakes and unique rock formations. Mineral baths are located 12 kilometers from the settlement, the water temperature in the springs is always at the level of +44 °C. And 38 kilometers away is Aglika Polyana, where haiduks used to gather.
Dobrich
Small town in Bulgaria, the population here is about 90 thousand. The settlement is known for the fact that the Romans once lived here. The city itself was formed only in the XV century,was originally a market settlement.
Arriving in Dobrich, you should definitely visit the House-Museum of the writer-humanist Jovkov Yovkov. In the same museum you can see about three thousand paintings by Stoilov. In the central part there is a city park, where trees were planted in 1862.
Shumen
Located in the north-east of the country, stretched on two banks of the river Bokludzhi. 89 thousand people live here. The remains of the Bronze Age were found on the territory of the settlement.
The city is famous for its functioning mosque, which is the second largest on the Balkan Peninsula. There are also many Orthodox churches here. Also noteworthy is the Clock Tower (built in 1741) and a drinking spring.
At 15 kilometers from the city is an archaeological reserve called "Madara". The main attraction is a rocky relief, on which a rider is visible, in whose hands a rod and a stick, and under the hooves of a horse one can see the silhouette of a dog, a lion and a snake.
What other cities are in Bulgaria?
Naturally, Bulgaria is primarily the Black Sea coast, which attracts millions of tourists.
One of the most famous cities on the seashore - Pomorie. There are affordable prices for holidays. The city itself is very cozy, has an old part, ancient buildings. Many festivals are held in Pomorie, excellent wines and cognacs are produced. This city is ideal for a quiet family vacation.
The city of Nessebar in Bulgaria is a resort town on a rocky peninsula. It is located 37 kilometers from Burgas. Conditionally divided into old and new parts, where resort complexes are located. This is a small city with a population of 10 thousand people, where the ruins of the fortress wall and the church dating back to the 9th century, and Byzantine baths have been preserved.
And of course, the most expensive resort in Bulgaria is Sunny Beach. There are not only a huge number of hotels, but also permanent discos, expensive shops and restaurants. The resort town was awarded the Blue Flag for ecological cleanliness.
