I will be travelling to Bulgaria for the first time this August. Bulgaria is not a destination I would have thought much about previously but I am excited to explore a new place. This is a business trip but we should have some free time on our hands and would like to make the most of it. We will be spending a couple of days in the Perelik region and a couple of days in Sofia.

Any recommendations for bars, restaurants and must-see's would be very appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I'm no Bulgaria expert, just happen to have spent 2 days there. Sofia exceeds my expectation as a "second-tier" city (in the sense that it's not a big metropolis). The area around the Sheraton Sofia Hotel is very nice to walk around, with the Parliament, the Art Museum, the churches and various landmark buildings nearby. This area is marked by the coloured (yellowish?) stones of the road.

I had coffee and cake at "Cafe Bulgari" in this area, very nice indeed. I like Sofia for its quaintness and I think it's worth spending one day relaxing there.

We were there in 2001 and, while the Sheraton beats all for location, the Hilton is more modern and has far better service. The Sheraton was dark and dismal and the help would hardly speak to you. On the other hand, the Hilton employees went far out of their way to make us feel welcome. The driver of the van who took us for free to the train station actually walked us to our seats as he thought we would have problems with language. No one anywhere we have gone has been so courteous and caring. The Hilton is the favorite of the former prime minister. You can walk to the huge city park from there and cabs are cheap to downtown. There is an excellent museum up on the hill past the Hilton from town. Great views from the huge windows. There is also a museum next door which had geological displays. Be sure to see the ancient church in the middle of the main thoroughfare downtown. We also took a day trip to the mountains to see a monastery. We spent 4 days in Sofia and it was about right. Beware of the gypsy kids who will torment you and pick your pocket. More gypsies there than any other city we have been to, esp downtown.

I am not a Bulgaria expert but my experience is that there are very few on this board. Try doing a search. I remember we have had a few threads before.
Don't sweat the hotel in Sofia. Sofia is a wonderful city and the Bulgarians are generally friendly and helpful. Limited English is spoken.
Food is amazing: a combination of Greek, Turkish and overall Mediterranean food and flavors. If you like eggplant, peppers, fresh ingredients and lamb you are in luck.
Must have rakia (a grappa like drink) with shopska salata (tomatoes and bulgarian feta cheese (much nicer and creamier than the Greek version).
Wine is actually not bad, Melnik is the better area for wine but wine comes from many regions.
Bulgaria is famous for its yogurt.
I think 2-3 days in Sofia should be enough. One or two days outside to Rila Monastery, there is skiing close to Sofia if you go in winter and Veliko Turnovo (the old capital with medieval city layout).
Moving around Bulgaria may be difficult on your own unless you really like to venture out. (my family speaks/understands bulgarian so we rented a car and ventured out). Plan on taking a tour. I think it is worth it.
If you want the beach, the whole area between Burgas and Golden Sands is packed with resorts and towns around the black sea. Be careful. Many all-inclusive places with tons of people, a lot of young 18-25 crowd looking for a lot of food and cheap drinks make the area less fun.
Varna is a very gracious city, great pedestrian area, tons of restaurants around the waterfront. We stayed at the Musala Palace Hotel. Unbelievable service. Google it. I think the coffee menu had 20 different coffees and the breakfast was an elegant feast. Worth a try. Same hotel in Paris would easily cost 4-5 times the price.
I would buy some rakia, great lace products (look for hand made), rose water (Bulgaria is famous for the roses) and some great flea markets that sell second world war and Soviet memorabilia.

I appreciate all of the advice and I am looking forward to my week in Bulgaria. We will be spending three nights in the town of Smolyna (sp?) in the Rhodope mountains, and three nights in Sofia. I am very excited to experience a new country and culture. Glad you all enjoyed your time there.

I know Sofia fairly well and really would advise to stay at either the Sheraton or the Radisson. And NOT at the Hilton. Hilton is really in bad location, whereas the other two are perfectly located. Maybe in 2001 service was not good, but for sure now it is in both places. I always get nice rooms, view of parliament at Radisson, or nice upgrade to suite at Sheraton.

In Bulgaria, shaking ones head up and down means no and of course back and forth means yes.

it is not quite shaking your head up and down but more a movement from down to up position.
the yes movement is like a figure 8 from side to side.
very interesting.
no one has been able to tell me where it comes from.

Quite true. I remember a very confusing exchange when asking for directions in Albania (which has a similar tradition). The man who I was asking was clearly aware of the cultural difference, so began to compensate for the benefit of this hapless tourist. And so did I. It got to the point where neither of us was quite sure whether the other was saying yes or no. I ended up with a spaghetti bolognese and a beer, rather than the directions I wanted

For Bulgaria, my top tip would be to learn the Cyrillic alphabet before you go. It won't take long, as many of the letters are easily identifiable - but the ability to read signposts is underrated until you lose it. And your map, with road names in Latin script, will be useless if you can't read the road signs.

Thanks to everyone for their tips and advice. I just returned from my week in Bulgaria and wanted to share some of the highlights and observations. I truly enjoyed this country, especially the people and the food. I did not have much time to explore the more culturally significant sites but I did get to wander some of the old streets in Sofia as well as explore the lovely town of Smolyan. My expenses were to be covered by the client and they organized all transportation and accommodations.

SOF airport felt very new and bright and was easily negotiated. On the taxi in after landing there were numerous Soviet era aircraft visible, most of which looked like they hadn�t been flown in the past 20 years. It almost felt like a museum. Upon departure I was invited to the Business Lounge, of which I think there are two. I was travelling with LH but I think anyone in possession of a J or F BP can use the lounges. I did have a conversation with a fellow traveler who was taken to Terminal 1. Do not make this mistake as the penalty was steep in both time and taxi fare.

I spent three nights in Smolyan at the Hotel Kiparis. It was nice and the rooms were on the large side. There were several hotels in the town but the client swore that this was the best. Smolyan sits in the heart of the Rhodopi Mountains and is a very picturesque town. The surrounding peaks climb to 2100 meters and the forests are mainly pines. The architecture reminded me of Northern Italy. My favorite restaurant was Caf� Venus. The superb cuisine was highlighted by Shopska Salad (cucumbers, tomatoes and local feta cheese) �Milk� Salad (think tzatziki, only thicker) patatnik (potato pancake) and Tarator soup (a cool cucumber and yogurt soup). The Bulgarian wines (a chardonnay/sauvignon blanc blend in this case) were delicious and refreshing. I also had a terrific pizza here for lunch one day. There were several bars/pubs in this town. I did not enjoy the national drink of Rakia but I did enjoy the lagers with Zagorka and Kamenitza being my favorites.

We stayed at the Hotel Crystal Palace in Sofia and once again the client said that it was the best in Sofia. I have nothing to compare it to, but it was very nice. Great staff and amenities and located in a great location close to the National Cathedral and �Doctor� Park. The surrounding neighborhood was quaint with restaurants, bars and old stone streets. Again, the cuisine was delicious and I would highly recommend two of the restaurants where we dined; Restaurant Chepishev in the Boyan neighborhood and �Under the Linden Trees� near downtown. Chepishev has a commanding view of the entire city and they had their own take on the dishes I listed above. Service was impeccable as we dined on the outdoor terrace. They also feature the largest whisky collection in all of Bulgaria. The Linden Tree restaurant was in a beautiful old hunting lodge. The food here was also great but the highlight was the traditional Bulgarian folk music. I saw several instruments that I have never seen before. The Club/Bar scene in Sofia is very active. We visited several piano bars as well as the ultra chic �Planet� club. I am not much for Trance or Techno music but it seemed to be everywhere. They are also stuck on the music of the late 80�s and early 90�s. Maybe that has to do with the Wall coming down and the end of the communist era?

While Sofia is beautiful and feels much more manageable than say Prague, it still has a ways to go. It felt a little dirty and many buildings and parks were in disrepair. But that is easily addressed, and as the economy continues to grow so will the beauty of this city and its people. The vibe here reminded me of the transition in Ireland/Dublin during the late 90�s as their economy took off. It feels like things are happening fast! I can�t wait to go back.

Sounds great. Bulgaria is on my short list of countries I'd like to visit next.

Thanks for posting the trip report!

gmitchs: I'll second that thanks for the post. I'm thinking of recommending Bulgaria/Sofia to an orchestra/chorus for their European "tour" for '09.
Wasn't there some hostility recently with fires/riots at the American Embassy-- or am I confusing this incident with Romania?

You might be thinking of Belgrade, Serbia!

Resurrecting the most recent thread I could find on Bulgaria/Balkans because I'll be landing in Sofia in late September / early October and will be in the area for 12 days. In addition to Bulgaria I've planned to visit any combination of Macedonia, Albania and Romania depending on time. I notice there are tons of museums and churches but would probably like to limit those to the must-sees. I'm open to other unique sights and activities. Is there any good street food to be had in these places? Would any restaurants belong in a Michelin Guide Balkans?

Right now I'm just thinking of doing Sofia - Skopje - Tirana. I'm guessing the weather in October probably isn't the best for the beach towns.

Can anyone suggest a rough itinerary? Resources for this area seem to be hard to come by, especially for Albania and Macedonia. I've done a search but the posts are a few years old.

Inyourpocket.com have up-to-date downloadable PDF guides to lots of place in the region, including Sofia, Skopje and Tirana. If you are thinking of doing Macedonia and Albania, then don't miss Lake Ohrid (http://www.ohrid.org.mk). People I know in the region rave about it, though not been there myself.