Bulgaria

Introduction PART ONE GENERAL INFORMATION Chapter 1 Background Information Geography, Climate, Natural history and conservation, Archaeology, History, Government and politics, Economy, People, Language, Religion, Education, Culture Chapter 2 Practical Information When to visit, Suggested itineraries, Tourist information, Maps, Tour operators, Activity and special-interest holidays, Red tape, Embassies, Getting there and away, Health, Safety, Women travellers, LGBT travellers, Travelling with a disability, Toilets, What to take, Money, Budgeting, Getting around, Accommodation, Eating and drinking, Shopping, Museums, churches and historic sites, Arts and entertainment, Sport, Photography, Media and communications, Cultural etiquette, Travelling positively PART TWO THE GUIDE Chapter 3 Sofia History, Getting there and away, Getting around, Tourist information, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, Entertainment and nightlife, Shopping, Other practicalities, What to see and do, Around Sofia Chapter 4 The Southwest In the Rila Mountains, Blagoevgrad, Bansko, The far south, Kyustendil Chapter 5 The Northwest Iskur Gorge, Vratsa, Vratsa to Vidin, Vidin Chapter 6 Central Stara Planina and the Danube Plain Towards Stara Planina, Pleven, Lovech, Troyan, Around Troyan, Gabrovo, Around Gabrovo, Veliko Turnovo, Around Veliko, Turnovo, East towards Veliki Preslav, Veliki Preslav, Shumen, Around Shumen, The Ludogorie, On the Danube Chapter 7 The Valley of the Roses and Sredna Gora Sredna Gora, East towards Kazanluk, Kazanluk, Stara Zagora, Nova Zagora, Sliven, Yambol, Around Yambol Chapter 8 Plovdiv, the Rhodopes and the Thracian Plain The old road from Sofia to Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Into the Rhodope Mountains, Pamporovo, Momchilovtsi, Smolyan, North and west of Smolyan, South from Smolyan, Smolyan to Kurdzhali, Kurdzhali, East of Kurdzhali, Haskovo to Svilengrad Chapter 9 Strandzha, the Black Sea Coast and Dobrudzha In the Strandzha Mountains, The southern coast, Sozopol, Burgas

Annie Kay first visited Bulgaria in 1974 and continues to be a regular visitor. For over 20 years she has been the organiser of the special-interest tours of the British-Bulgarian Society, with themes such as birdwatching, butterflies and moths, wildflowers, folklore and festivals, wine and food, monasteries, music and architectural heritage. As a result, she takes you to wonderful and little-known places not even mentioned in other guides. In 2013 she received an award from the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture for her contribution to popularizing Bulgarian culture in Britain She has written many newspaper and magazine articles about Bulgaria and a series of small photo-guides. For 16 years she wrote about Bulgarian wine for the best-selling Mitchell Beazley Pocket Guide to Wine. Her favourite places are still Sofia and Koprivshtitsa.