postponed but not forgotten: the bulgarian road trip that waited for me

My Bulgarian odyssey finally happened - five years and five itineraries later! Originally planned back in 2019, to travel in May 2020, COVID forced me to swap Bulgaria for banana bread baking. For the last half-decade, I have attempted to make this voyage every year, but it has not panned out for one reason or another....Until now!

It was a road trip worth waiting for!

Bulgaria is a Balkan beauty, filled with stunning topography! Its diverse landscapes mean you can chase waterfalls, explore caves, clamber up rock formations, gaze at pink lakes, float in salt flats and catch rays at the beach. From the capital to the Black Sea, this country's natural beauty shines.

But, for every natural gem in Bulgaria, there is at least one crumbling, unoccupied building. In fact, almost half of the country's dwellings are abandoned and dilapidated. We passed through countless ghost villages where empty houses, decaying against their mountainous background, had been left for nature to reclaim. Bulgaria’s forgotten structures are remnants of their Soviet past and evoke a post-apocalyptic feel similar to Chernobyl.

The road trip kicked off in Sofia, the nation's capital. Two friends and I arrived late in the evening, rented our car and drove straight to our hotel, the Sofia Balkan Palace, which is part of the President's Palace complex. We had booked a Deluxe King Suite for the three of us, which was immense and came with a bottle of champagne. Although the hotel and suite both appeared opulent and luxurious, everything was just a little off - it all smelled of cigarette smoke, the bar wasn’t open until 1am despite the signage, we were awoken by power tools at 8am in room next door and there wasn't any bedding provided for our pull-out couch.

Sofia was a nice city to meander around for a few hours before hitting the road. It was a fairly modern, youthful city with a mix of architectural styles, from Soviet-era buildings to contemporary structures. It had wide, pedestrian-friendly streets, charming boutiques and a growing food scene. 

It had numerous parks and green spaces.

Within these parks, we saw a lot of above-ground extractor pipes that reminded me of the warp pipes in Super Mario Bros.

We decided it would be wise to fuel up before we set off on the first leg of our road trip, so we enjoyed a hearty brunch at Izzy’s Cafe, located in a car park surrounded by cool graffiti.

Three hours later, we arrived at Belogradchik, in the foothills of the Balkan Mountains, where we got to see the famous rock formations and the 2,000-year-old fortress nestled within them. The fortress is open 9am-9pm. We paid 8 BGN each for entrance and parking.

The Belogradchik Rocks are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We hiked around and marveled at them for about an hour, pointing out the formations that resembled faces, animals and objects.

For dinner that evening, we found a nice Serbian place with a rooftop, overlooking the Rocks, called Pri Ivan. We opened and closed the restaurant before hitting the hay at the very dated Hotel Skalite.

The next morning, we were on the road by 9am, driving east, for 3.5 hours. Our first stop was Devetàshka cave, home to nearly 30,000 bats. It cost 3 leva each to enter. We were the only people there. I suggest bringing an extra layer as it's cool inside the cave.

20 minutes later we arrived at the majestic Krushuna Waterfalls. We paid a 5 leva entrance fee each and followed the 800m red route. The leisurely path took us only about 30 minutes to complete. It winds you up alongside the cascading, tiered falls, surrounded by lush vegetation.

Since we were already there, we decided to take the blue route as well, which I do not recommend. You won't be missing anything, apart from an uphill 1.9 km hike, by skipping it.

Next, we drove towards our hotel for the night, stopping first to see the roadside Hotnitsa Waterfall. The murky brown water did not look anything like the picturesque blue-green pool shown online. Feeling deceived, we were only there for about five minutes.

25 minutes later we arrived at the charming city of Veliko Tarnovo.

We parked and checked into the most incredible boutique hotel - Bey House Royal Hotel. It had a unique blend of historical charm, luxurious furnishings and exceptional service. Each of its four rooms were kitted out with antique artifacts, plush towels, Malin+Goetz toiletries, Smeg kettles, Dyson hair dryers and iPad lighting/temperature controls. Every detail had been considered, and all amenities were top-notch. Included in the cost of the room was breakfast, dinner and 24/7 access to the Turkish bath facilities.

Dinner was served on the terrace and was accompanied by live music. The meal was delicious, and the wine/drinks were superb.

After a great night's sleep, on 300 thread count linens, we then drove two and a half hours to see Atanasovsko Lake. Note that Google takes you to the wrong part of the lake. When we arrived, the locals redirected us, but we still couldn't really figure out how to view this pink lake, so we wandered around a bit, saw the salt flats and then got back on the road.

40 minutes later, we arrived at the Castle of Ravadinovo. We paid 30 BGN each to view this unusual complex. Construction began on this modern castle in 1996, and it took two decades to complete. It is unique, extravagant, mystical and exotic.

The castle was only about 10 minutes from our hotel for the final two nights. We stayed in Sozopol, the ancient gem of the Black Sea, at Olive Villas Beach Hotel, which had just opened for 'the season' the day before we arrived, so they were still working out some kinks.

We spent our final days sunning ourselves. We enjoyed El Tubo Playa's beach club the most. The service and music were great, and it was surprisingly inexpensive.

One of the evenings in Sozopol we checked out the historic Old Town, which had an artistic vibe and countless cats. We had dinner at the waterside seafood restaurant known as Panorama St Ivan, which had also just opened for the season the day before.

Our final stop on the road trip was Burgas Airport. We were treated to a lovely view of Atanasovsko Lake upon take-off. It turns out it really is pink!

Sometimes, the best journeys are the ones that don’t happen on schedule. Postponing this road trip gave me the chance to appreciate it even more when it finally happened. I'm glad I refused to give up on this road trip.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

• Car Hire: To hire a car in Bulgaria, you'll need a valid driver's license. If the license is from a non-EU country, you'll also need an International Driving Permit (IDP). It's a foolish scheme to extort more money. Sixt rental car charged us €36 per driver because we didn't have IDPs. You can get one in advance for £5.50 in the UK or for $20 at AAA in the US.

• Roads: We had no issues driving in Bulgaria. We never had any traffic, and the highways were in good condition. We did experience lots of potholes on the smaller roads though. Use Google for navigation as it warns you about speed cameras and road police.

• Smoking: Tobacco use remains high in Bulgaria. Many of the hotels we stayed in stunk.

• Fuel: All the gas stations we came across operated on a full-service model, meaning they pumped the petrol for us.

• Roses: Bulgaria is renowned as 'the Land of Roses'. It is famous for its extensive rose cultivation and is the leading global producer of rose oil. The harvest period is May/June.

• Currency: When Bulgaria joined the European Union on 1st January 2007, it committed to replacing its currency with the euro. The aim is to switch its lev currency to the euro by 1st January 2026.