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Bulgaria
Photo: Mark Ahsmann, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Bulgarian Shopluk is a region in the western mountains of Bulgaria.
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Sofia (София) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria, with about 2 million citizens (including suburbs). It is a dynamic European capital, distinguished by its unique combination of European and communist-style architecture as well as many beautiful Orthodox churches, including the grand Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the medieval frescos of Boyana Church (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Borovets is a ski and mountain resort in Central Western Bulgaria, on the slopes of the Rila mountain range close to the town of Samokov. It's one of Bulgaria's most popular ski resorts and one of the starting points for hiking to Musala, the highest peak in Rila, Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula.
Dupnitsa (Bulgarian: Дупница) is a town in Central Western Bulgaria, under the slopes of Rila, the highest mountain in the country. It's one of the starting points for the mountain, the Rila Monastery, and the nearby spa resort Sapareva Banya.
Kyustendil (Bulgarian: Кюстендил) is a city in Central Western Bulgaria, under the slopes of the Osogovo Mountain which straddles the border with North Macedonia. With a population of about 37,000 (2021), the city is the hiking and ski tourism gateway to the mountain and, less prominently, a spa resort.
Pernik (Bulgarian: Перник) is an industrial city in Central Western Bulgaria, close to the capital Sofia. It's of interest to travellers mainly for the underground Museum of Mining and the annual International Festival of Masquerade Games, a showcase of mummer-like folk traditions from Bulgaria and abroad.
Pravets (Bulgarian: Правец, also romanized Pravetz) is a small town (pop. 4,000 in 2022) in East-Central Bulgaria, nested in a scenic valley just north of the Balkan Mountains, between Botevgrad and Etropole, 60 km (37 mi) north-east of the capital Sofia.
Rila (Bulgarian: Рила) is a town in Shopluk of Bulgaria, in the foothills of the southwestern Rila Mountains, on the banks of the Rilska River. It is the closest settlement to Rila Monastery (Рилски манастир), the center of both the religious and cultural spirit of the Bulgarian nation.
Samokov (Bulgarian: Самоков, pronounced SAH-mo-kov) is a town in Central Western Bulgaria, under the slopes of the Rila mountain, 40 km (25 mi) south-east of the capital Sofia. It's the gateway to the mountain & ski resorts of Borovets and Malyovitsa nearby, and a minor tourist destination of its own.
If you enjoy bird watching or just enjoy taking in the surroundings of a beautiful and peaceful natural environment, you should make a visit to the Dragoman marsh and Chepun hill. It is only a short drive west from Sofia. The Dragoman marsh is the only limestone marsh in the whole country and together with Chepun hill it forms a habitat of high conservation value. Due to its location, the marsh serves as an important stop-over along the Balkans' bird migratory route "Via Aristotelis".
Because of its closeness to Sofia the mountain Vitosha has its northern ridge almost entirely absorbed by the city, sheltering some of the poshest districts of the capital and having a cabin lift that leads almost to the peak at mount Cherni Vruh. The area includes some beautiful traditional villages that are unbelievably serene just minutes away from the hectic life in the capital.
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