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Saturday, July 20, 2013

Bulgaria Is One of Europe's Cheapest Tourist Destinations



During the two years that my wife and I lived in Sofia, Bulgaria, we found the country to be extremely affordable. Good food at the restaurants was available at reasonable prices, taxis were cheap, and entries to museums were very inexpensive. We traveled extensively around the country, finding lodgings in comfortable hotels at minimal cost. Of course, we were living the lives of expatriates and average salary levels for working Bulgarians are extremely low. But for tourists, Bulgaria continues to offer so much at a very low cost.

And that was the funny thing - there were hardly any tourists. Okay, there were hordes of vacationers from Russia, Ukraine, and even England on the sandy Black Sea shores, and the ski resorts in the mountains filled up with visitors during the winter months, but in the countryside, in the picturesque villages and the informative ethnographic museums, there were hardly any tourists from outside the country.

As confirmed this week by an article in Business Insider, Bulgaria is one of Europe's cheapest tourist destinations. "Bulgaria has a long list of attractions that remain seldom visited by foreign tourists, so get there now while the prices are low and the crowds are scarce," the article stated.

The Seven Lakes in the Rila Mountains

Joining Bulgaria on the list of the 8 cheapest destinations in Europe were, not necessarily in any particular order, Albania, Lithuania, Romania, Portugal, Slovakia, Poland, and Croatia.

Troyan Monastery

For the Bulgarian listing, the website stated that on a visit to Bulgaria, a traveler would need to set an approximate daily travel budget of just over $33. This budget was defined as "the lowest one can spend while eating modestly, staying in budget accommodation and rarely splurging on luxuries."

Visiting Sofia cheaply


The tourists who do come to visit Bulgaria rarely make it to Sofia, the capital and largest city of the country. Sofia is located at the foot of Mt. Vitosha, which gives residents the possibility to ski just minutes away from home. There is plenty to do in Sofia, including fascinating museums and art galleries, a plethora of tasty and innovative restaurants, nightlife activities, and wonderful green parks.

I previously wrote an article entitled "Exploring Sofia, Bulgaria for Less than $25". Posted on the very helpful eTramping.com website, the article gave detailed information about what to see in Sofia, where to eat, where to drink, where to sleep, and how to get around.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia

"Bulgaria should be featured as a travel destination for whoever wants to experience the best that Eastern Europe has to offer, at very affordable prices," I wrote in the article's conclusion.

South Beach, Varna style


So what are you waiting for? Visit Bulgaria now while it's very, very inexpensive!

Continue to explore Bulgaria with visits to:

* 10 Places You Must Visit in Bulgaria
* Plovdiv
* Varna
* Sofia
* Veliko Tarnovo
* The Rila Monastery 

Koprivshtitsa


9 comments:

  1. Wow, what a beautiful place!
    Great article. :)

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  2. oooh! You went to The Seven Lakes? Jealous. I stayed in Bansko for a while and didn't manage to convince my partner to take the hike with me, so I missed out. :(

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  3. Looks absolutely beautiful! Do many people speak English?

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    1. During the two years we lived in Sofia, we attempted to learn Bulgaria but managed just fine in English. The older generation speaks primarily Russian as foreign language, but the younger children speak English and other western European languages.

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  4. Bulgaria is a beautiful country. Wild and pristine nature, a rich cultural heritage dating back to times before the ancient Greeks and which is still alive today! Ellis does a great job to bring this relatively unknown country within the reach of so many people through his blog and novels. Thanks!
    Julien JMB Active

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  5. Bulgaria is beautiful and there is so much more to see than Sunny Beach.

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