eyewitness travel bulgaria

BULGARIA BULGARIA EYEWITNESS TRAVEL THE GUIDES THAT SHOW YOU WHAT OTHERS ONLY TELL YOU THE GUIDES THAT SHOW YOU WHAT OTHERS ONLY TELL YOU BULGARIA EYEWITNESS TRAVEL EYEWITNESS TRAVEL                                                                      EYEWITNESS TRAVELEYEWITNESS TRAVEL Never has a travel guide been so easy to use – just turn to the area of your choice £13.99 Voted Best Guide Book by Guardian and Observer readers “No other guide whets your appetite quite like this one” The Independent “A pleasurable read with ravishing photography plus maps and plans of supreme quality” The Observer PRINTEd IN ChINA Discover more at traveldk.com PACKED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS, ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS • THE FLAVOURS OF BULGARIA, LOCAL PRODUCE AND CLASSIC DISHES • CUTAWAYS AND FLOORPLANS OF ALL THE MAJOR SIGHTS • HUGE SELECTION OF HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS • SIGHTS, BEACHES AND FESTIVALS LISTED TOWN BY TOWN • SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES, SCENIC ROUTES AND THEMATIC TOURS AREA COLOUR CODES SofIA pages 58–97 SouThERN buLgARIA pages 98–143 CENTRAL buLgARIA pages 144–175 NoRThERN buLgARIA pages 176–193 bLACk SEA CoAST pages 194–213 travellers’ needs WhERE To STAY pages 216–229 WhERE To EAT pages 230–245 ShoPPINg & ENTERTAINMENT pages 246–249 ouTdooR ACTIVITIES pages 250–253 survival guide PRACTICAL INfoRMATIoN pages 256–265 TRAVEL INfoRMATIoN pages 266–273 gENERAL INdEX pages 274–283 Systematic information on more than 600 towns, sights, restaurants, hotels and shops Visit traveldk.com to plan your trip, book online and receive exclusive offers. MOUNTAINS • BEACHES HOTELS • NIGHTLIFE MONASTERIES • WINE SKIING • FESTIVALS • MAPS ARCHITECTURE • MUSEUMS KEY TO MAIN SYMBOLS SYMBOLS FOR HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS Most rooms with bath or shower Credit cards not accepted Suitable for families Television in most rooms Air conditioning Swimming pool for customers Lift in hotel Outside tables Good wine list Vegetarian food available Bar Live entertainment SYMBOLS FOR MAPS AND FLOORPLANS Men’s toilets Women’s toilets Tourist information Bus terminus Cable car Metro station Ferry boarding point Viewpoint Police station Parking Hospital with casualty unit Post office Church Synagogue Mosque Important mosque Renowned wine growing region Excellent hiking Major wildlife reserve Impressive castle/ fortress Must-see museum, gallery Significant archaeological site Area of natural beauty/interest Building or area of historical interest Major skiing resort Famous spa resort Historic building, street, square Museum, gallery Church, cathedral, chapel, baptistry Castle, fortress Thracian tomb, ancient site Tourist information Restaurant No photography allowed Taxi service International airport Accommodation available Domestic airport Bus or coach service Sea ferry service Boat, river ferry Tram service Minibus service Metro station Train station Population Market day Festivals Open Closed Admission charge Seaside resort Wheelchair access (phone to check details) Guided tours available Church services Café Shop H I S A R K A P I Y A S Q A R H . P e e v 40'*" 1MPWEJW 4UBSB;BHPSB 4MJWFO 4IVNFO %PCSJDI 7BSOB 3VTF 1MFWFO #VSHBT #BOTLP 7FMJLP5ßSOPWP 7JEJO 2 / - ! . ) ! 4 5 2 + % 9 ' 2 % % # % 3 % 2 " ) ! -!#%$/.)! # M B D L 4 F B Bulgaria Area by Area CENTRAL BULGARIA SOUTHERN BULGARIA NORTHERN BULGARIA See pp176–93 SOFIA See pp58–97 40'*" 1MPWEJW 4UBSB;BHPSB 4MJWFO 4IVNFO %PCSJDI 7BSOB 3VTF 1MFWFO #VSHBT #BOTLP 7FMJLP5ßSOPWP 7JEJO 2 / - ! . ) ! 4 5 2 + % 9 ' 2 % % # % 3 % 2 " ) ! -!#%$/.)! # M B D L 4 F B NORTHERN BULGARIA BLACK SEA COAST CENTRAL BULGARIA See pp144–75 SOUTHERN BULGARIA See pp98–143 BLACK SEA COAST See pp194–213 0 kilometres 0 miles 50 50 aw-b-HalfTitle-ill.eps EYEWITNESS TRAVEL BULGARIA [...]... second-largest in Bulgaria after Rila Monastery, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site described individually They are listed in order, following the numbering on the Exploring map Each entry has details of the main sights A town map shows the location of all the sights described in the text introducing bulgaria discovering bulgaria 10–11 putting bulgaria on the map 12–13 a portrait of bulgaria 14–33 bulgaria through... the aptly-named Valley ist industry The Bulgarian Black Sea of Roses in central Bulgaria coast was a big draw for Eastern Recent decades have seen Bulgaria European holidaymakers from the buffeted by social and economic 1960s onwards, and the tourist induschange Under the Communist try has gone from strength to strength regime, the Bulgarian people became with Bulgaria s discovery by the rest accustomed... Judgment The southern edge of central Bulgaria is marked by the Valley of the Roses (see p166) It is lined with historic towns associated with Bulgaria s rose-oil industry, celebrated at the annual Festival of Roses NORTHERN BULGARIA • Extraordinary geological features • Dramatic Rusenski Lom • Compelling historic sites Rolling plateaus and plains make up much of northern Bulgaria The western part of the... Priest at a Bulgarian Orthodox Church service Like other Orthodox Slav nations, they use the Cyrillic alphabet – although there are plenty of young Bulgarians who use Latin script for text messages or emails Just over 12 per cent of the population are Muslim descendants of Turks who settled here in the late Middle Ages, or ethnic Bulgarians who converted to Islam under the Ottoman occupation Bulgaria s... variety of restaurants here than anywhere else in Bulgaria, and a great choice of lively cafés and bars SOUTHERN BULGARIA • Cobbled streets of Plovdiv • Stunning natural wonders of the Rhodope Mountains • Unmissable Rila Monastery Any exploration of southern Bulgaria usually starts in Plovdiv (see pp134–9), where Roman, Ottoman and restored 19th-century Bulgarian monuments are crowded together in a tight... well-qualified, went abroad in search of better jobs These are people Bulgaria can ill afford to lose; its birth rate is among the lowest in Europe, and the population will decline further unless current demographic trends are reversed Present-day Bulgaria The last few years have witnessed dramatic changes in Bulgaria s political and economic fortunes Bulgaria s accession to the European Union in Visitors at a... of the Rhodopes are the Rila Mountains, where Bulgaria s highest peaks tower above glacial lakes and alpine meadows The region’s hub is the unmissable Rila Monastery (see pp108–11), a centre of the arts and scholarship in the 19th century, and an enduring symbol of the struggle to keep Bulgarian culture alive during the long period of Ottoman rule CENTRAL BULGARIA • Medieval Veliko Tûrnovo • Pretty rural... and cliff-hugging 19th-century houses, was Bulgaria s capital in the Middle Ages, and it is still the symbolic heartland of Bulgarian culture Many of the great monastic foundations nestle in nearby valleys Among them is Troyan Monastery, which is filled with vibrant frescoes and icons The surrounding hills are dotted with towns and villages where traditional Bulgarian architecture and folk art have... faith a small number of bulgarians found refuge in the rhodope Mountains, where they established villages that remained free of Turkish influence Their untainted medieval bulgarian language, music, costumes and customs served as a model for the National revival movement of the 19th century Two great monasteries, rila and bachkovo, were also established in the rhodopes The monks kept bulgarian heritage alive... D U C I N G bulgar i a Putting Bulgaria on the Map Located in the southeastern corner of Europe, Bulgaria covers an area of 110,550 sq km (42,685 sq miles) It is bordered by Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Romania, with the Black Sea on its eastern side, and the Danube as much of its northern border The rugged Stara Planina, or Balkan range, runs across central Bulgaria from west to east, with . BULGARIA BULGARIA EYEWITNESS TRAVEL THE GUIDES THAT SHOW YOU WHAT OTHERS ONLY TELL YOU THE GUIDES THAT SHOW YOU WHAT OTHERS ONLY TELL YOU BULGARIA EYEWITNESS TRAVEL EYEWITNESS TRAVEL                                                                      EYEWITNESS. B NORTHERN BULGARIA BLACK SEA COAST CENTRAL BULGARIA See pp144–75 SOUTHERN BULGARIA See pp98–143 BLACK SEA COAST See pp194–213 0 kilometres 0 miles 50 50 aw-b-HalfTitle-ill.eps EYEWITNESS TRAVEL BULGARIA