7 Best Places to Visit in Bulgaria

Bulgaria mixes Orthodox monasteries and Roman ruins with Black Sea beaches and the Balkan Mountains, and it's still one of Europe's better-value destinations for the sights on offer. These seven destinations cover the country's best-known historic towns, coast, and mountains.

1. Rila Monastery

Rila Monastery, founded in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 19th after a fire, is the largest and most important Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It sits in the Rila Mountains about two hours south of Sofia, its courtyard ringed by striped arches and covered in vivid frescoes. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

2. Plovdiv Old Town

Plovdiv is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, with a well-preserved Roman amphitheater still used for concerts today. Its Old Town climbs one of Plovdiv's hills through cobblestone lanes lined with 19th-century Bulgarian Revival houses. Plovdiv was a European Capital of Culture in 2019.

3. Sofia

Bulgaria's capital is centered on the gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, built in the early 20th century. The city sits at the foot of Vitosha Mountain, close enough that a cable car reaches hiking and ski trails within an hour of downtown.

4. Veliko Tarnovo

Veliko Tarnovo was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, and the ruins of Tsarevets Fortress still sit on a hill looped by the Yantra River, visible from most of the modern town. Houses climb the steep hillsides below the fortress, and a sound-and-light show plays over the ruins on selected evenings.

5. Nessebar

Nessebar is an ancient town on a small peninsula on the Black Sea coast, settled more than 3,000 years ago and layered with Thracian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine history. Its old town is packed with medieval stone churches and wooden-balconied houses, and it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

6. Varna

Varna is Bulgaria's largest Black Sea city, with a long public beach, a seafront Sea Garden park, and Roman baths dating to the 2nd century AD that are among the largest Roman ruins in the Balkans. It's the country's main coastal hub, with easy access to nearby beach towns.

7. Bansko

Bansko sits at the foot of the Pirin Mountains and is Bulgaria's best-known ski resort, but its old town of stone houses and wooden-shuttered windows predates the ski lifts by centuries. Pirin National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, starts right at the edge of town, with hiking trails through glacial lakes in summer.

Staying connected while you travel

Bulgaria's mobile networks (A1, Vivacom, Yettel) cover the cities and coast reliably, with weaker signal in the higher parts of the Pirin and Rila mountains. An eSIM lets you land with data already active instead of hunting for airport Wi-Fi — compare current Bulgaria eSIM plans below.

Running a promo code for Bulgaria right now:

ETravelSim

25% off all eTravelSim eSIMs — September offer

-25%

Applies to every eSIM plan at checkout. Announced in eTravelSim's September newsletter.

Public promo Ends Sep 30, 2026

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Telekonek

15% off your first order — WELCOME15

-15%

Stay connected in 200+ countries the moment you land — skip the roaming bills and SIM swaps on your very first trip.

Public promo Ends Oct 21, 2026

WELCOME15 Get this deal

Airalo

15% off your first Airalo eSIM with NEWTOAIRALO15

-15%

New customers only, first order; the discount is capped at $3 per Airalo's terms.

Public promo Ends Dec 31, 2026

NEWTOAIRALO15 Get this deal

For more on how eSIMs work before your trip, see our beginner's guide to eSIMs. You can also browse the full list of Bulgaria eSIM plans sorted by price.