When you join one of our trips, we want you to have peace of mind.
Learn more about:
Traveling with Atlas Obscura amid COVID-19 How We’re Adapting Our Trips Destination Requirements (via Embassy Pages)Join Atlas Obscura for a unique and memorable introduction to one of Europe’s oldest countries: Bulgaria. Across nine days and eight nights we’ll dive into Europe’s most southeasterly corner, as we explore ancient civilizations and marvel at otherworldly relics of a communist utopia that never came to be. Immerse yourself in the rich and often tragic history of a country that stands on the frontier between Europe and the Middle East—a country that has seen the rise and fall of three historic Bulgarian Kingdoms. We’ll be accompanied throughout by two local experts, who between them have experience of running many such trips, combined with a deep knowledge and passion for the subject matter. And when we’re not learning about Bulgaria’s complex history—or admiring the underrated architectural masterpieces constructed during its communist period—our small group of intrepid explorers will be taking in jaw-dropping natural landscapes, wandering the streets and markets of picturesque old towns, and feasting on hearty local cuisine.
We’ll begin the day with an immersive walking tour of the Bulgarian capital, from Roman ruins and fourth-century churches to impressive works of modern architecture. We’ll admire imposing monuments to the Soviet Army, and learn about Sofia’s numerous communist-era heritage sites and the precarious status they find themselves in today. After lunch we’ll visit the Museum of Socialist Art to explore some of the statues and monuments salvaged from scrapyards around the country. The museum houses Bulgaria’s last Lenins, along with an extensive collection of political artwork and paintings. Walking back to the city center (weather permitting), we’ll stroll through Sofia’s "Borisova Gradina" park, taking in sights including the Russian Embassy and Hotel Moskva, the Astronomical Observatory, and the Fraternal Barrow: a Socialist-realist memorial complex that watches solemnly over the park. Finally, we’ll head to a unique communism-themed restaurant for dinner and drinks.
Rila Hotel or similar, Sofia
Breakfast, Dinner
Our day starts at the Banner of Peace memorial complex, where we’ll ring the ornamental bells that hang from this uniquely Brutalist monument. The bells were each donated by different nations, and we’ll spot a few from places that no longer exist, including the USSR, Yugoslavia, and the GDR (East Germany). Driving into the foothills of the Balkan Mountains, we’ll stop at the town of Koprivshtitsa to learn about a local revolutionary hero and to sample a local culinary specialty. In the afternoon, at the highest elevation on our trip, we’ll find the Arch of Liberty, a massive monument situated at an altitude of 1,520 meters (4,986 feet) in the Beklemeto Pass. Later we’ll reach Troyan, a town famed for its fine wines and brandy. After settling in at our luxurious hotel here, we’ll meet a Bulgarian sommelier for a curated wine tasting session.
Hotel Chateau Montagne or similar, Troyan
Breakfast, Dinner
Stopping at a couple of interesting monuments along the way, we’ll drive to Bulgaria’s medieval capital: Veliko Târnovo. Veliko Târnovo is easily one of the most beautiful cities anywhere in the Balkans. Here, we’ll learn about the resilience of the Bulgarian Orthodox faith as we explore the Preobrazhenski Monastery. The monastery, established in the 11th century, is still standing in spite of both religious persecution and dramatic landslides. After a tasty lunch you’ll have some free time to explore the Old Town area with its flea markets, craft workshops, and the historic Tsarevets Fortress. We’ll meet back up for dinner with a breathtaking view over the river valley. Afterward, we can retire to our hotel, which sits in a tree-lined park overlooking the Old Town.
Park Hotel Raya Garden or similar, Veliko Târnovo
Breakfast, Dinner
After breakfast, we’ll drive to Shumen and visit the Monument to the Founders of the Bulgarian State. Prepare to be blown away by the sheer size and intensity of this unique, cubist memorial complex, which sits on a plateau overlooking the city. For lunch we’ll drop in at their local cultural center for a traditional Armenian feast. (You’ll find that this region is home to a sizable Armenian community.) Afterwards, aiming for the Black Sea, we’ll head east to Varna and visit the imposing Monument to the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship. After checking into our hotel for the night, we take a walk down to the beach and finish the day with cocktails and a seafood dinner at the waterfront.
Plaza Hotel or similar, Varna
Breakfast, Dinner
This morning is yours to sleep in, wander, or relax. Feel free to explore the city, see the Roman baths, visit the museum and see the oldest gold jewelry in the world, or simply unwind on the beach. You’ll also be provided with a map, detailing some of Varna’s architectural highlights. We’ll reconvene for a Turkish lunch; Bulgaria has a long and complicated relationship with neighboring Turkey, something that manifests not just in culture and politics but also in food. After lunch, we’ll hit the road again, traveling south along the Black Sea coast. We’ll stop at the Burgas Aviation Museum for a hands-on investigation with some of the retired craft of the Bulgarian Air Force. Arriving in the sleepy port city of Burgas, we’ll investigate a number of unusual communist-era memorial sites—before finding our cozy hotel, freshening up, then heading out for a group dinner.
Hotel Bulair or similar, Burgas
Breakfast, Dinner
Saturday is our busiest day, featuring some of the largest memorial sites you’ll see this week. Our first stop will be the Monument to the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship, which shares the same name as the one in Varna. This one exists as a concrete obelisk situated on a hilltop near the city of Yambol. Heading west, we’ll stop again at the impressive "Defenders of Stara Zagora" memorial complex, which commemorates the sacrifice of the Russian and Bulgarian soldiers who fought here during one of the bloodiest battles of the 1877-78 Russo-Turkish War. Lunch today is a rustic meal at a rural watering hole, an old-style mehana complete with folk instruments, taxidermy, and framed portraits of communist leaders. Ascending the mountain in the afternoon, we’ll visit the Buzludzha Memorial House: a remarkable concrete structure designed in the shape of a flying saucer, once a lavish memorial museum subsequently abandoned for decades. We’ll discuss the complex history of the monument, the reasons for its current decline, as well as learn about the evolution of the current preservation plan. At the end of a day packed with striking sights, we’ll arrive in Plovdiv, where we’ll settle into our comfortable hotel for dinner and a well-earned drink.
Plovdiv City Center Hotel or similar, Plovdiv
Breakfast, Dinner
Plovdiv is one of the oldest cities in Europe, with a history dating back 5,000 years. Exploring the city, we’ll see everything from Roman ruins to contemporary street art. Upon departing, we’ll stop to investigate the Fraternal Barrow memorial complex: a huge Brutalist structure that commemorates the local soldiers lost in Bulgaria’s wars for independence. Though the monument has been largely abandoned since the fall of the communist regime, you might even recognize it from its features in a couple of recent movies. Continuing to Perushtitsa, on the edge of the Rhodope Mountains that separate Bulgaria from Greece, we’ll see the Monument to the Three Generations: a beautiful stone crypt overlooking the plains. Traveling deeper into the mountain range we’ll visit Batak, the site of a terrible massacre in 1876. We’ll walk up to the monument overlooking the town, as well as visit the church that contains the preserved bones of massacre victims, as we learn about this difficult chapter in the history of Bulgaria. After that we’ll return to Sofia, stopping at one more site along the way, to share a final farewell dinner in the capital.
Rila Hotel or similar, Sofia
Breakfast, Dinner
The listed price of the trip is per person based on double occupancy.
You’re in good company. Solo travelers typically make up about half of our small groups. With curiosity at the center of our experiences, there’s a natural camaraderie that develops over the course of a trip. We have two options for you:
Shared Room (subject to the latest Covid-19 guidelines): You'll be matched with another solo traveler of the same gender.
Private Room: Have your own room, subject to availability, for a supplemental cost of $440. After booking your trip, please request a private room when you fill out your traveler information form and we’ll send a separate invoice for the cost.
This trip will not be particularly physically demanding. Some walking will be required, and often over uneven ground, but rarely for more than a short distance at a time. Be prepared for between three to five miles of moderate walking over the course of a day. The longest walks will be in Sofia, on the first day, as we intend to explore much of the capital on foot. Be sure to bring proper walking boots or other outdoor footwear, and be aware that this tour also involves a good amount of driving time, so dress for comfort.
For flights in and out of Sofia Airport (SOF), we suggest you arrive anytime by 4 p.m. on Day 1 and depart anytime on Day 9.
The itinerary crafted for this trip will bypass the country’s more famous tourist attractions. Instead, we’ll be investing our time, curiosity, and dollars into regions and communities that typically don’t enjoy so much love from foreigners. Bulgaria’s socialist-era architecture and memorials will be a particular focus for us, and the photos and conversations we share after the trip will help to raise the profile of these heritage sites worldwide. Within Bulgaria itself, the fact that foreign groups are seen visiting such places helps to encourage the cultural re-evaluation needed to save many of these sites from ruin. Case in point, one of the largest sites we visit, the Buzludzha Memorial House, has recently been awarded a preservation planning grant by the Getty Foundation in LA—a result of the monument’s growing international recognition.
We can cater to vegans quite well in Bulgaria, though it absolutely helps to know in advance. Salads are a major part of local cuisine, and practically every place we go to will serve fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted peppers, eggplant, etc. Most restaurants will have baked vegetable dishes too, vegetables stuffed with other vegetables then roasted, or vegan-friendly combos baked in clay pots. A couple of restaurants we visit even feature comprehensive lists of vegan options—the place in Veliko Turnovo has an excellent range of vegan pizzas, while vegan guests in the past always speak highly of the Turkish restaurant in Varna. Turkish cuisine features very little dairy, and there will be a huge range of hummus, chickpea salads, taboule, vegetable soups, and so on. From time to time—and particularly with lunches, which tend to be chosen more for convenience of location—the vegan options might be limited. The worst case scenario might be the occasional lunch of french fries, bread and salad. But on the whole, the evening meals will be quite satisfying, and there will be a few very vegan-friendly banquets along the way.