Calling AdiS!

[bensbride]

Hi! I''m planning a honeymoon in Sofia and was wondering if you are able to help me out. First off, my aunt teaches at an international school in Sofia, and she''s offering to give us one of the plane tickets as a wedding gift. She is just getting adjusted to the area, and hasn''t been able to help me much with ideas of what to do or where to visit. Any help would be amazing!

Thanks!

 

[AdiS]

Hey bensbride! Sorry, I didn''t see this thread earlier!
Well, there''s definitely a lot to see in Sofia, but it depends on what exactly you''re interested in. Sofia is mostly architecture and museums. Other cities are famous for archaeological finds, ancient fortresses and so on. There are also equally developed ski and sea resorts here, village tourism (some of the villages are not far away from Sofia) where you can feel the authentic atmosphere of life in the villages from 100 years ago and so much more. Really depends on what you''d like to see and the season of course. Are you planning to stay only in Sofia or you are also travelling a bit around the country? It''s not that big you know, you could get from the east to the west border in 6-7 hours of driving!

If you tell me when you''re planning to do your trip and what you''d prefer to do/see here, I can make you a list of places you could visit and things you could do.

 

[AdiS]

Ok, I saw in your other thread that you’re outdoors type of couple, so here’s what’s in the menu

:

(my personal)#1. Rila mountain - southwestern Bulgaria, the highest mountain on the Balkans, many beautiful glacial lakes and hot springs (also the famous Rila monastery is located there – about 117 km from the capital)

That''s Lake Marichino in Rila (Author: Denka Georgieva)

 

[AdiS]

Rila again (I''ll go easy on the pictures because I tend to get carried away!)
Author: Alex Zvezdev

 

[AdiS]

#2. Rhodope mountains - southern Bulgaria, beautiful nature and many archaeological sites, medieval castles and villages with traditional Bulgarian architecture from 18th and 19th century
#3. Vitosha nature park – right on the outskirts of Sofia, great for hiking
#4. Seaside - to the north if you’re lucky, you just might find a completely deserted beach without a single soul in 2-3km radius and the pricy luxurious resorts, night life, clubs and all are on the southern coast.

There are also many caves, waterfalls, natural reserves, stone phenomena, etc. Let me know if you want to hear more about any of them.

I can make you a separate list of archaeological sites, museums or theathres in Sofia, etc.
Hmm, maybe I should've become a tour guide, I'm really enjoying myself!

ETA: I skipped the ski resorts, since you said you're not too keen on giving skiing another shot! lol

 

[bensbride]

Wow! Thank you soooo much! This has been super helpful. All the places you''ve pictured are GORGEOUS!

We probably will be in Sofia for at least a couple days. My aunt lives there and I''m sure she''ll want to show us around a bit. By then she should be settled and able to help us out a bit with the planning. We are also big nature lovers, so the Rila Mountain looks like a place we''d truly love to visit!

We haven''t decided exactly when to go visit...probably fall 2009 or spring 2010 sometime...leaning more toward spring.

Again, thanks SO MUCH for your help! I really appreciate it a TON!

 

[bensbride]

Oh, I forgot to say that we''d love to travel around the country or bordering countries a bit! We''re pretty much up to anything and would love to see as much as possible. I''m hoping we can go four about two weeks, but we''ll have to see if that will work with vacation time and such.

Thanks again!

 

[AdiS]

You’re welcome! As I said, this is fun!
Spring sounds great for a honeymoon here. I’m sure your aunt will have acclimatized by then and she could give you a tour around Sofia. I just thought of few places that you might wanna see while in the capital (at least I consider them the “must-go” places).
First off, there’s the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world. It was built in 1912.

 

[AdiS]

Then there’s the National theatre, founded in 1904.
You might also want to visit The National Historical Museum, as well as the The National Assembly of Bulgaria and the buildings close by. You’ll probably be able to do all of that in a day or day and a half, since most of these are in the city centre. And while you’re at it, maybe take a walk along Vitosha Boulevard - the main commercial street, with many boutiques, restaurants and bars. That’s where the heart of Sofia lies, IMO. In that particular area life is equally intensed and bustling 24/7. Personally, I find it fascinating that you could go there at 3-4 am and you’d find hundreds of people there, walking around or sitting at cafeterias. Convenient, if you have trouble sleeping at night, which happens to me and DH sometimes.

There are many more places to visit in Sofia, such as The National Art Gallery (located in the former royal palace of Bulgaria), The Church of St George (built by the Romans in the 4th century AD, it stands in the remains of the ancient town of Serdica, now surrounded by modern buildings), etc., but I’m sure your aunt can be your tour guide by then.

Maybe a week or 10 days will be enough for you to see Sofia and travel around Bulgaria to see some of the most interesting places. (Oh, just wanted to add that if you're headed to the seaside for some sightseeing, don't miss Nesebar-the town has more than three millenia of history!)

As for the bordering countries, there are Turkey and Greece. Personally, I'd go for Greece if I were you. Turkey is much too noisy, dirty and crowded for my taste, but that's just me. I've been to Greece a couple of times and I like it there.