Must-see attractions in Bulgaria

The highlight at this Unesco-protected Thracian settlement is a nearly perfectly preserved three-chamber burial tomb from about 300 BC. The high quality…

Exhibits at this vast museum, the best of its kind in Bulgaria, include 6000-year-old bangles, necklaces and earrings said to be the oldest worked gold…

The inescapable symbol of Veliko Târnovo, this reconstructed fortress dominates the skyline and is one of Bulgaria’s most beloved monuments. The former…

About 30km south of Plovdiv stands the magnificent Bachkovo Monastery, founded in 1083. Most of the complex dates from the 17th century onwards, with the…

One of the symbols not just of Sofia but of Bulgaria itself, this massive, awe-inspiring church was built between 1882 and 1912 in memory of the 200,000…

If ambling down cobbled lanes with a stick of halva in hand sounds like an agreeable foray into Bulgaria's past, a day in Etâr will delight. Nearly 50…

A history of destruction and revolution, as dramatic as its cliff-backed location, entices visitors to Dryanovo Monastery. Originally founded in the early…

Plovdiv’s magnificent 2nd-century AD amphitheatre, built during the reign of Emperor Trajan, was uncovered during a freak landslide in 1972. It once held…

At the far western end of the seafront, this palace was completed in 1926 by King Ferdinand of Romania for his English wife, Queen Marie, when Balchik was…

Visible within a 30km radius, this tremendous Soviet-era monument was opened in 1981 to commemorate the First Bulgarian Empire’s 1300th anniversary…

Thrashing beneath lofty limestone cliffs, the Negovanka River has sculpted deep creeks and pretty waterfalls in this captivating nature reserve, 22km west…

A sky-blue church, posing against forested valleys, is the centrepiece of this 1833 monastery. What began as a humble wooden church outside Sokola Cave …

The Archaeological Museum houses an impressive array of locally excavated Roman and Slavic artefacts, housed on two floors and helpfully signposted in…

Somewhere between an open-air museum and a shoppers' paradise, this handicrafts complex exhibits marvellous examples of traditional Bulgarian woodcarving,…

Sveta Sofia is one of the capital's oldest churches, and gave the city its name. A subterranean museum houses an ancient necropolis, with 56 tombs and the…

As well as faithfully representing 19th-century design styles within its walls, Daskalov House contains the fascinating Museum of Woodcarving and Icon…

The rust-red ruin of a late Roman church creates an enigmatic silhouette in the fragrant meadowlands outside Perushtitsa, 20km southwest of Plovdiv. The…

The massive Belogradchik sandstone and limestone rock formations cover an area of around 90 sq km and tower over the town. The rocks, standing up to 200m…

Almost blending in with the surrounding rocks, the Kaleto Fortress was originally built by the Romans and later expanded by the Byzantines, Bulgarians and…

Tiny 13th-century Boyana Church is included on Unesco’s World Heritage list and its 90 murals are among the very finest examples of Bulgarian medieval…