Bulgaria holidays

Bulgaria is the Balkans' most-underrated European destination — Sofia's Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the Roman remains beneath the modern city, the UNESCO Rila Monastery in the mountains (the most-important Orthodox monastery in the country, painted with vibrant frescoes), the Black Sea coast at Sunny Beach and the more-refined Sozopol (an ancient Greek-Bulgarian fishing town with cobbled streets), the Rose Valley around Kazanlak (the world's largest rose-oil-producing region, with the rose festival each early June), the medieval capital Veliko Tarnovo (with the Tsarevets fortress dominating the hill), the wine country of Melnik (the smallest town in Bulgaria with the country's most-distinctive sandstone-pyramid landscape), and the Pirin and Rila mountains for skiing in winter and hiking in summer.

A 7-10 day Bulgaria trip: Sofia (2-3 nights — Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Saint Sofia Church, the underground Serdica archaeology, the Banya Bashi Mosque, the Vitosha Boulevard cafe scene, the Boyana Church UNESCO frescoes on the city outskirts) → Rila Monastery UNESCO site (1 night — the mountain valley setting, the painted refectory) → Plovdiv (2-3 nights — UNESCO Old Town with its restored Bulgarian Revival period houses, the Roman amphitheatre that hosts summer concerts, the Kapana creative quarter, day-trip to the Bachkovo Monastery) → Veliko Tarnovo (2 nights — Tsarevets fortress at sunset, the Samovodska Charshia craft street, the Arbanasi village just above the town) → optional Black Sea finish at Sozopol or Nessebar (2-3 nights — UNESCO old-town Nessebar, beach time at Sozopol or the Burgas coast).