City: Bulgaria
Top Things to do in Bulgaria
Top Hotels in Bulgaria
What to do and see in Bulgaria, Bulgaria: The Best Nature & Parks
Coordinates: 42°45′N 25°30′E / 42.750°N 25.500°E / 42.750; 25.500
Restaurants in Bulgaria
1. Rila National Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 253 reviews
Reviewed By yankohr - Sofia, Bulgaria
Very beautiful nature, a lot of things to do like Rila Seven lakes, Rila Monastery, Stobski Pyramides, Borovets Ski Courort and a lot of others. Food in this region is very delicious, people are very nice guestly. But you can see such nature and pure air very rare.
2. Method Snow School
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 117 reviews
The only British run ski and snowboard school in Bansko, Ski and snowboard hire opposite the gondola. Highest qualified international instructors. Ski and snowboard lesson for all levels. Instructor courses, freestyle coaching. Owner former GB olympic team coach and instructor trainer.
Reviewed By liam169 - Nottingham, United Kingdom
Been going to bansko for 9 years and used method for the 1st time this year. The booking went smoothly and when we got there everything was ready for us. Excellent service every day and very helpful My girlfriend had a private lesson and this was the best she every had. She developed massively both in skill and confidence. Only minor downside was the opening time was 8am. Luckily the gondola queue was never too big but open 15min early would mean getting to the gondola for opening Highly recommended snow school will be booking with method again next season Thanks method see you next year
3. Vitosha Mountain
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,208 reviews
Reviewed By Sharpehunter - Island of Malta, Malta
When you arrive in Sofia your attention is immediately drawn to the Mount Vitosha range which stands tall in the backdrop. Beautiful snow-capped mountains fringed by lush green mixed woodland and forest draws you in immediately. Easily accessible by car, buses and trams, you can even jump the various chairlifts to get higher up the range. My favourite starting point for any hike in Vitosha is Boyana Church. From here there is a myriad of routes to choose of varying difficulty all clearly marked. Take your pick from The Golden Bridges, Boyana Lake and Boyana Waterfall, or just choose a path that looks good, hit the trail and go with the flow. Advisable to wear good walking shoes, the terrain is very diverse and changeable and varies from easy-going paths to steep rocky (and slippy) climbs. Always take plenty of water, make sure you have some food. There are lots of mountain huts that serve great traditional Bulgarian food, beers, wines and soft drinks, but you have to get to them first. Fabulous days out, I still haven't done the actual Black Peak yet, but it's on the agenda.
4. Vihren
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 148 reviews
Reviewed By ceebeebee2017 - Derbyshire, United Kingdom
It is really difficult as a Brit to find out how to safely climb the mountain, the 2nd highest peak in Bulgaria, but where there's a will, you must find a way! You can drive up Pirin Rd out of Bansko, past the National Park centre where I saw a wild tortoise- yes, wild! Drive up and up and up the windy road, following the Vihren hut signs. When you drive through an enormous bus parking, go through it, sweeping round to the far left and continue up again, eventually past Banderista hut on your left. It is worth stopping here for 15mins- walk up the steps on the uphill side of the hut and visit the second oldest tree in Bulgaria- amazing! Then continue, after 10 mins reaching uneven track and Vihren hut, your starting point. There is not much parking there, maybe 20-25 vehicles, but you can turn round to park wherever you can find just below it. The hut here is lovely, with opportunity for refreshments throughout the day. The journey took 35 mins from Bansko. Then, follow the yellow signs to Vihren, following the blue and yellow symbols painted on rocks every few minutes. The way they are painted gives the direction of travel, and little cairns often mark changes in direction- clues I figured en route. Vihren means 'windy mountain' and even though it was 30 degrees in June, we needed an extra layer at the top. Also, at this time of year, the weather can be unpredictable so go prepared for rain and never attempt if thunderstorms are predicted incase you are hit by lightening. Check Accuweather Virhen website the day before. The route up took us just over 4 hrs from the hut; we are 60 yrs of age and I walk VERY slowly uphill, and yes, I drank my litre bladder dry on the way. The terrain is stepped most of the way over natural stones alongside a stream, crossing Boulder falls at times, and through scrub on narrow paths. If in doubt of the correct route, walk no further than 15 mins without seeing the coloured symbols ( some of them are a bit faded). We found there are a few well walked pathways leading up but if they are in the general direction, they are all painted with this symbol to help guide you. The main pathway is slightly wider. There are some larger, steeper slabs of rocks to haul yourself up, but nothing requiring wire ropes and nothing technical or higher than a very large Boulder. I read online accounts beforehand which say this peak is easy and suitable for children. I have lots of mountain walking experience, and I think children need to be 8 or above and confident on rocky, steeper terrain. The views are wonderful as you walk uphill. About 30 mins from the top, the convex slope becomes exposed and extremely rocky, so pick your path wisely and preferably follow a painted symbol path. This is a hard final slog. At the top, there is a tall cairn encased in metal. An amazing view of the Pirin and Rila mountains. By the way, a 1:50,000 Pirin mountains map can be bought from the tiny fronted bookshop about 5 doors up from the central Tourist Information. We followed the red route on the map clockwise from the hut, by far the easiest route. So retrace your steps back down to the hut unless you are a very experienced walker/ scrambler/ mountaineer, mad following it clockwise off the summit towards the Premkata col, requires climbing downhill using wired ropes and down large rocks with vertical drops if you slip! We were warned at the top against doing this by a very experienced Bulgarian, who said he viewed it as more dangerous than Koncheto ridge, which is at least horizontal. He advised only doing this stretch in an upwards direction, so you are pulling yourself up the wires. In the past I have found wearing half fingered mountain biking gloves gives good grip for this and protects hands against any protruding wires. Hope this helps you to confidently give this beautiful mountain a go! It's well worth the effort.
5. Strandzha National Park
6. Pamporovo Ski Resort
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 206 reviews
Reviewed By Daveydave696969 - London, United Kingdom
We had 4 gloriously sunny days of skiing this week in Pamps, it was my second visit having learned there myself and subsequently moving on to Morzine. Look this isn't the best ski resort in the world, the only green they have is very long - effectively split into two sections - the first is a lot busier than the second. **Big tip** if the lift queues are too long the first 4 person chair lift down from Students on the green is quieter than the 3 person one right at the bottom. The kids loved it, they learned to ski with a personal ski instructor that cost me around 40 pounds an hour (amazing value IMO) and i'm sure they will out ski me next year, they tried their first blue on the fourth day. Whilst they learned I mostly went on the big long blues (12/12a) reds and I did the wall (2) once which was a bucket list thing for me - I'm not a lover of heights lol The food is great in most places up the mountain however the lifts do close at 4:30 so we eat in Spider House in the evening or at our apartment at the Grand Monastery, thats about it for Apres Ski really. All in all very good value for money, there is a variety of runs however it's not massive.
7. Borovets Ski Resort
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,487 reviews
Reviewed By davidbP9097CZ - Newport, United Kingdom
Just spent the week in Borovets, we were blessed with the weather, it snowed heavily overnight on several occasions and we had a mix of sunny blue skies and moody clouds during the day, all of which was a great backdrop for skiing. Facilities seem to have been upgraded since last time we came three years ago, new six person chairlift, new hotel complexes and extended Alpin ski school. Being a relative novice at skiing I can’t comment on the comparative benefits of Borovets over any other resort but I found all the slopes great fun and as challenging as you want to make them with the option of green through to black and the ability to mix and match on the way down. At least three snow ploughs were out every night making the slopes pristine for the following day and snow cannons are also strategically placed in case a top up is needed. Great value for money resort, we would recommend.
8. Orlova Chuka Cave
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 55 reviews
Reviewed By 840gabrielh - Bellaire, United States
The Orlova Chuka cave is located on the Northern shore of the Cherni Lom river, about 45 km South of Ruse, and therefore, South of the Danube river. It lies about 3 km from the town of Pepelina, the closest settlement to the caves. The caves are about 13 km long, 3 km of which can be visited. The rest is still under exploration and not accessible by the public. Orlova Chuka was discovered accidentally by a local shepherd in 1941 and was opened to visitors in 1952. It has multiple compartments, many with specific names, such as the Concert Hall, the Large Gallery, the Big Screes, the Cosmic Hall, etc. Interesting rock formations are also on display: the DInosaur, the Turtle, the Owl among others. In addition to the geological interest and the amazing views, the cave also houses 14 different bat species and it is pa rt of the Rusenski Lom Nature Park, one of 11 nature parks designated by the Bulgarian governments and protected by the Ministry of Environment and Water. The cave is open to visitors between April and October, seven days a week, between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. The token entrance fee includes the guide, since the cave can only be visited on a guided tour.
9. Pobiti Kamani
10. Sea Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,073 reviews
Reviewed By Merijn050 - Groningen, The Netherlands
Im the sea garden you can have a lovely walk, eat some icecream and enjoy some good views. The pedestrian area in Varna makes the whole family happy!
TAGS
