Bulgaria Travel Planning 2021 is the summary of my one-month road trip throughout Bulgaria during the summer of 2021 (June). The pace of traveling was slow, in accordance with the flexibility I had to go and stay wherever I wanted with my car. Here you can find my last Balkans Trip – the Balkan Countries Planning from 2017 – Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo and Balkan Countries Travel Planning 2018: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia.

Bulgaria Travel Planning 2021 – General Planning:

Travel Planning for the road trip through Bulgaria was very random and almost not-existent. Because Bulgaria borders with Romania, it was the only country where I could go without a COVID test or vaccine in the summer of 2021. I hadn’t seen Bulgaria until that moment (even though I live in the neighboring country, in Romania), so I considered it was a good moment to visit it considering the post-pandemic restrictions still present in other parts of the world.

I used a Lonely Planet Guide for the southeastern part of Europe and a Lonely Planet Guide for Bulgaria and Romania. I had names of places where I wanted to go and a vague idea of the order of the places I wanted to see. As I was going with my own car, I didn’t bother too much with planning. I was flexible to go, stop, and stay wherever I wanted during a time frame of one month.

Bulgaria Travel Planning 2021 – Fixed Plans:

– a few camping grounds at the border to Romania, that I contacted on email to make sure they are open

– I downloaded several apps for camping grounds and offline navigation (Maps.me, park4night, campercontact)

Bulgaria Travel Planning 2021 – Intentions, but nothing fixed:

When I left to Bulgaria, all I knew was that I wanted to go to some places but I hadn’t fixed dates for them:

– stay in Bulgaria for one month: that’s how much I approximated I needed to explore the whole country without rush

– hike the highest peaks in Bulgaria: Musala and Vihren, maybe also go to Seven Rila Lakes

– go to the seaside for one or two weeks

– go to Sofia and its mountainous surroundings

– discover some remote, authentic villages

Bulgaria Travel Planning 2021 – Final Result:

This is the final result of my trip through Bulgaria, where I eventually stayed for one month and a half. Enjoy your reading and let me know your opinion about Bulgaria. Which is your favorite place in Bulgaria? Why?

• a couple of hours of driving from Bușteni (Romania) to Rusenski Lom National Park (Bulgaria), via Russe border crossing
• explored Russe for a full day
• explored the rock churches and fortresses in Rusenski Lom National Park for a full day
• road trip from Koshov village to Silistra via Russe
• road trip from Silistra to Shumen, via Sveshtari (the UNESCO Thracian Tombs)
• road trip from Shumen to the Black Sea seaside, with a stop at Madara
• explored Balchik and a few seaside monasteries
• relaxed in a resort at the Golden Sands for a few rainy days
• explored Varna and its surroundings for two days
• road trip from Varna to Sveti Vlas at the Black Sea
• relaxed in Sveti Vlas for a few rainy days
• explored old Nessebar for a full day
• road trip from Sveti Vlas to Kiten village by the seaside, via Sozopol
• explored Burgas for a full day
• relaxing beach day in Sarafovo + explored Aquae Calidae (ancient Thermopolis)
• road trip from Sarafovo to Plovdiv, via Sliven & Blue Rocks Nature Park
• explored Plovdiv and its surroundings for two full days
• road trip from Plovdiv to Bansko

• half-day hike to the top of Vihren Peak (2914m) in Pirin National Park
• road trip from Vihren Hut to Melnik
• explored Melnik and the old neighborhood in Blagoevgrad
• explored Rila Monastery at the foot of Rila Mountains

• hiking trip at Seven Rila Lakes (by cable car + on foot)
• short hike in Vitosha National Park near Sofia
• explored Sofia for two full days
• relaxed in Kladnitsa village near Sofia for two days
• road trip from Sofia to Koprivshtitsa
• road trip from Koprivshtitsa to Hisarya with a stop in Karlovo
• road trip from Hisarya to Kazanlac with a stop in Stara Zagora
• road trip from Kazanlac to Gabrovo via Buzludzha Monument, the Valley of the Thracian Kings, Shipka Pass, and Etar
• road trip from Gabrovo to Veliko Tarnovo with stop at Tryavna and Bozhentsi villages
• explored Veliko Tarnovo and its surroundings for three days
• road trip from Veliko Tarnovo to Zheravna village
• road trip from Zheravna village to Lovek
• road trip from Lovek to Belogradchick, via Vratsa and Montana
• explored Belogradchik sandstone rocks and fortress
• day trip from Belogradchick to Vidin for a full day
• road trip from Belogradchick to Bozhichen village, via Montana and Plevna
• crossed the border to Romania via Russe bridge over the Danube and arrived back home in Bușteni (Romania)

This is the summary of my one-month-and-a-half trip throughout Bulgaria. Enjoy your reading and let me know your opinion about Bulgaria. Which is your favorite place in Bulgaria? Why? Where would you go?