Exploring Bulgaria.

Not thinking about Bulgaria as a travel destination, you may be ignoring one of Europe’s best-kept secrets. Consider mountains like those in the Alps with fewer tourists, medieval towns that appear meticulously prepared for a history documentary, and beaches along the Black Sea that feel both wild and friendly. The best part? You can see all of this without breaking the bank.

Most tourists probably would start in Sofia, its capital; yet to call it that has evoked images of countless grey paperwork. Sofia is actually a weird mix of trendy cafes, ancient churches and Soviet-era concrete buildings. St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is wonderful, and yes, it makes you feel as if you always want to whisper nice and quiet in your whisper even if you arrived only for the selfies — its golden domes shining in the sun. Thankfully, the city is also small; it takes only twenty minutes for you to stroll from the latest coffee shop to the flea market filled with Soviet souvenirs in under twenty minutes.

But Bulgaria’s countryside is a wonder, if there is enjoyment to be had in getting away from the city. The Rila Monastery sounds like it was lifted straight from a fairy tale, and it is worth the trip to see how monks can build something so intricate without what tools we have right now. Hiking in the Balkan or Pirin Mountains is a completely different matter; the air is so pure you’d hope to shine. And the cable cars, the obvious paths are life-saving if you are like me, someone who can barely get a few steps up a hill without gasping out of his lungs for air.
Then there’s the Black Sea coast, which has coastal towns like Nessebar that mix cobbled streets and ancient ruins with sunbathing and tasty seafood. And if you can get it on the dance floor and a glass of wine, Sunny Beach is your place to go, and its nightlife is in the stratosphere. That said, if you're looking for something a little quieter, there are smaller, shorter resorts and quiet coves just up the road, where you find the peace you didn't know had been lacking, until you were at a pebble beach and heard the waves blow by.

One delightful surprise is Bulgarian cuisine. The shopska salad, fresh and filled with feta, is Bulgaria’s solution to happiness in pastry form. Banitsa, a cheesy pastry, is a favorite for breakfast. If you prefer wine or rakia, the local fare will happily surprise you with its smoothness. I used to understate rakia, but I discovered the hard way that it's deceptively friendly. Bulgaria, of course, isn’t perfect. There are rough roads, some confusion in the signage. Sometimes you’ll find the locals staring at you as if you’ve just posed a rather odd historical question. But it is part of the charm.
Bulgaria is a place that rewards curiosity and humour. It is unpolished, pretty and full of surprises. So if you’re tired of cliché-drenched tourist traps, reach out for a backpack, keep an open mind, and consider perhaps Bulgaria. It is more than a spot on a map; it is a place you’ll likely leave wanting, “How didn’t I get here earlier?”