Bulgaria surprised us with its mix of charming old towns, dramatic mountains, ancient ruins, and nice Black Sea beaches.
Here’s our complete itinerary with our favorite places to eat, sleep, hike, and explore along the way.

We landed at Sofia airport, picked up our rental car (we got the best price with Autounion) and drove to Plovdiv.

2 days in Plovdiv

• Take a free tour with Plovdiv free tour: they organise standard city tours, graffiti tours and social architecture tours. Tours meet in front of the Plovdiv City Hall every day at 11AM & 2PM
• Eat delicious food at Shevitsa Bulgarian food & wine or Antico
• Discover the Roman ruins: the forum of Philippopolis, the ancient theater and the stunning mosaics of the Episcopal Basilica of Philippopolis 
• Watch sunset from Nebet Tepe and then go eat at Rahat Tepe
• Watch the singing fountains in the evening in the Tsar Simeon’s Garden
• Have cocktails in the area of Kapana, for instance at The trap

From Plovdiv to Veliko Tarnovo

• Kazanlak: visit the Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak and eat at restaurant Magnolia
• Take the road up to the Buzludzha monument, a UFO-like communist congress center
• Pass by the monument of Freedom on Shipka pass
• Stroll around the regional Ethnographic Open-Air Museum “Etar”

2 days in Veliko Tarnovo

• Walk along the pretty General Gurko street, and get the best view by staying at Tarnovo studios
• Eat on the beautiful terrace of Hotel Gurko or with locals at Mehana Tihiyat kut
• Grab a coffee or a light lunch at Boyar Coffee
• Get lost on the trails of the Tsarevets Fortress
• Have a cocktail at theTequila Bar Funky Monkey or Lino bar
• Cross over to the monument to the Assen Dynasty and drink a homemade lemonade at The Gallery

From Veliko Tarnovo to Ruse

• Drive to Arnabasi, visit the Konstantsaliev house, and have lunch at Arbat
• Make a quick stop at the peaceful and impressive Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration of God
• Climb up to the stunning Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo and admires the view over Rusenski Lom Nature Park

Ruse

We mainly came here to eat and sleep… on the Danube: on the Boat Sofia hotel. The very center also looks pretty.

From Ruse to Varna

• Drive through rural Bulgaria to visit the incredibly-well conserved Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari (no pictures are allowed, but it makes the surprise even more breathtaking). There were so few tourists we even had a private guide.
• Climb up to the impressive Founders of the Bulgarian State Monument near Shumen (where you can eat a delicious pancake at Shumenski Kamski if you’re hungry!)
• Discover one of the symbols of Bulgarian: the Madara rider

2 days in Varna

• Visit the Roman therms right in the city center
• Walk around downtown to see the Opera, the Clock Tower and the Dormition of the Mother of God Cathedral
• Take a boat tour from Varna port or spend a day at the beach (free sunbeds at Makalali beach bar)
• Eat in Chuchurite or get brunch at No-mad
• Enjoy a cocktail at Sundogs or by the beach at Cubo

Nessebar & Sozopol

• Hunt for the old churches in the old town of Nessebar and have lunch somewhere with a pretty  
• Grab dinner at Mehana Sozopol  in the old town of Sozopol
• Spend the night with the best seaview at Bezkraina Sineva guest house
• Get a morning pancake at Работилница на Веселите Палачинки – Созопол

Shiroka Laka

Long drive (+-4h15) from the coast to the mountains.

• Walk around the beautiful traditional town of Shiroka Laka
• Eat Rhodopean food and stay at Hotel Kalina
• Drive to Smolyan to hike the canyon of the waterfalls (around 6kms and 450m of elevation gain)

From Shiroka Laka to Bansko

• Drive through the narrowTrigard Gorge until the Devil’s throat cave, with its underground waterfall and fascinating legends
• Have a nice lunch next to the Dospat reservoir in a small snack with a view Бистро Пъци

Bansko

• Hike in the Pirin mountains. We started from Vihren hut and did a trek to the Banderitsa and Ribno lakes. It’s not an easy hike but the views are tremendous
• Stroll around the charming town from Ulica Gotse Delchev to the Nikola Vaptsarov Square
• Have a coffee at Cafe Eliz
• Stay and eat at the Banskovilla Zlateva house
• Get drinks at Pirin 75

2 days in Sofia

• Drive to Vitosha national park, have lunch at Restaurant Vodenitzata, take the Tulip lift to the upper station for views on Sofia and the surrounding mountains
• Stay at the Introvert Marie Luisa hotel, with its very spacious rooms
• Walk around the city centre: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Ivan Vazov National Theatre, the National Assembly of Bulgaria, the Church of St. George, and the Monument of Saint Sofia – Patron of the City
• Eat traditional Bulgarian food at Izbata Tavern
• Have a drink at The Spritz Bar or join a fun pub crawl.

All recommendations are mine, no ads.

Trip done in August 2026.