Travel Stories

• skiing

• activities

6 min read • Jan 7, 2020

Bulgaria’s Bansko offers great value for money and reliable snow cover from December to April. Here's what you need to know about skiing in Bansko.

• wildlife and nature

• activities

5 min read • Dec 4, 2019

Hike in Bulgaria to witness astonishing geological variety: blue-hued caves, 3000m peaks and sandstone pyramids straight out of a Salvador Dalí painting.

• sports

• activities

3 min read • Dec 4, 2019

Beautiful Bulgaria is bulging with adventure, be it beavering through bountiful mountains or diving below the blue waters of the Black Sea.

• history

• art and culture

4 min read • Oct 13, 2019

A vibrant arts scene, heartwarming food, fascinating history and a chilled-out vibe - here's Lonely Planet's guide to the best things to do in Sofia.

• food

• food and drink

5 min read • Feb 19, 2019

Bulgaria’s capital usually brings to mind associations with hearty Balkan cuisine that is best washed down with an invigorating glass of rakia (local…

• art

• art and culture

4 min read • Jun 1, 2018

After enjoying Sofia’s eclectic cultural scene, laid-back atmosphere and many restaurants and clubs, many travellers head straight to Bulgaria’s Black Sea…

• food

• food and drink

5 min read • Apr 25, 2018

Lonely Planet Local Yoana Hristova has had her share of roaming around the world, but she has returned to her home in Sofia only to fall in love with the…

• food

• food and drink

5 min read • Nov 7, 2016

If wine needs a story, then the story of Balkan wine is a dog-eared, multi-volume series. The southeastern European peninsula may not immediately spring…

• art

• art and culture

4 min read • Oct 14, 2016

Time-travel from medieval battles to chic cocktail bars in one of Bulgaria’s oldest cities. As the country’s former capital, Veliko Târnovo has history…

• food

• food and drink

6 min read • Jun 28, 2016

For some travellers, Bulgaria brings to mind only the cheap-and-cheerful beach and ski resort boom of recent decades. They couldn’t be more wrong: the…

• art

• art and culture

4 min read • Jun 8, 2016

One of Europe’s youngest capitals, Sofia also happens to be among its oldest settlements, stretching back several millennia from ancient Thracian and…

• art

• art and culture

6 min read • Mar 10, 2016

In Shipka Pass, it’s hard to shake the sensation that you’re being watched. Atop a 1441m peak in the raw, mountainous scenery of central Bulgaria, a…

• food

• food and drink

5 min read • Dec 15, 2014

Forget France, ignore Italy and give Spain the shrug: for oenophiles in search of a veritable vino, Bulgaria can’t be beaten. One of the oldest winemaking…

• beaches

• activities

4 min read • Dec 15, 2014

Skimpy swimwear: check. Sunblock, good book, readiness to swill umbrella-spiked cocktails: check. Ridiculous sums of money to enjoy a spectacular European…

• road trips

• destination practicalities

3 min read • Oct 14, 2014

One of the Balkans' larger countries, Bulgaria makes an excellent place for road tripping. Despite now being an EU member, enough of Bulgaria’s wildness …

• art

• art and culture

5 min read • Oct 13, 2014

Who needs a DeLorean when you’ve got Bulgaria? Billed as the oldest country in Europe, this Balkan beauty is a living time machine, littered with…

• art

• art and culture

5 min read • Oct 13, 2014

There’s a lot to love about Plovdiv: just ask the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Turks, all of whom fought to claim it as their own. Originally…

• festivals and events

• art and culture

4 min read • Oct 10, 2014

In a city older than Rome, where colourful period houses jostle next to craft markets, galleries and edgy nightlife, there's never a bad time to visit…