Bulgaria [Revised] 0756670136, 9780756670139

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EYEWITNESS TRAVEL

BULGARIA

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL

BULGARIA Main contributors: Jonathan Bousfield, Matt Willis

Produced by Hachette Livre Polska Sp. z o.o. MAIN CONTRIBUTORS Jonathan Bousfield, Matt Willis SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Paweł Pasternak GRAPHIC DESIGNER Paweł Kamiński SENIOR EDITOR Agnieszka Trzebska-Cwalina EDITOR Anetta Radziszewska PHOTOGRAPHERS

Dorota and Mariusz Jarymowicz, Mirek Osip, Piotr Ostrowski ILLUSTRATORS

Michał Burkiewicz, Dorota Jarymowicz, Paweł Marczak, Joanna Sitarek CARTOGRAPHER

Magda Polak Dorling Kindersley Limited LIST MANAGERS Vivien Antwi, Christine Stroyan MANAGING ART EDITOR Jane Ewart SENIOR EDITOR Hugh Thompson DESIGNER Kate Leonard EDITOR Lucilla Watson FACTCHECKER Petya Milkova DTP Natasha Lu, Jamie McNeill PRODUCTION Linda Dare

Reproduced in Singapore by Colourscan Printed and bound by L. Rex Printing Company Limited, China First American Edition, 2008 11 12 13 14 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Published in the United States by DK Publishing, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 Reprinted with revisions 2011 Copyright © 2008, 2011 Dorling Kindersley Limited, London A Penguin Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. WITHOUT LIMITING THE RIGHTS UNDER COPYRIGHT RESERVED ABOVE, NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED, STORED IN OR INTRODUCED INTO A RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, OR TRANSMITTED, IN ANY FORM, OR BY ANY MEANS (ELECTRONIC, MECHANICAL, PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING OR OTHERWISE), WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF BOTH THE COPYRIGHT OWNER AND THE ABOVE PUBLISHER OF THIS BOOK.

Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. A CATALOG RECORD FOR THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

ISSN 1542-1554 ISBN: 978-0-7566-7013-9 FLOORS ARE REFERRED TO THROUGHOUT IN ACCORDANCE WITH UK USAGE; IE THE “FIRST FLOOR” IS THE FLOOR ABOVE GROUND LEVEL.

Limestone cliffs near Kamen Briag, on the Black Sea coast

CONTENTS HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE 6

INTRODUCING BULGARIA DISCOVERING BULGARIA 10 PUTTING BULGARIA ON THE MAP 12 A PORTRAIT OF BULGARIA 14 BULGARIA THROUGH THE YEAR 34

Front cover main image: Rila Monastery, Bulgaria

The information in this DK Eyewitness Travel Guide is checked regularly.

Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of going to press. Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices, gallery hanging arrangements and travel information are liable to change. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this book will be a suitable source of travel information. We value the views and suggestions of our readers very highly. Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, UK or email: [email protected]. View over the Old Town, Plovdiv

Church of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel at Arbanasi

NORTHERN BULGARIA 176 BLACK SEA COAST 194

TRAVELERS’ NEEDS WHERE TO STAY 216 WHERE TO EAT 230

THE HISTORY OF BULGARIA 38

BULGARIA AREA BY AREA BULGARIA AT A GLANCE 56 SOFIA 58

SHOPPING IN BULGARIA 246 ENTERTAINMENT IN BULGARIA 248

Raikova Kûshta, a 19th-century house-museum in Tryavna

INDEX 274 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 284 PHRASE BOOK 286

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES 250

SURVIVAL GUIDE PRACTICAL INFORMATION 256 TRAVEL INFORMATION 266 Houses on the cliffside at Veliko Tûrnovo, on the Yantra River

Sculpture of a lion at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Sofia

ENTERTAINMENT & SHOPPING IN SOFIA 90 SOFIA STREET FINDER 92 SOUTHERN BULGARIA 98 CENTRAL BULGARIA 144

Aleksandûr Nevski Memorial Church in Sofia, the city’s finest building

H O W

6

T O

U S E

T H I S

G U I D E

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE his travel guide helps you to get the most from your visit to Bulgaria, providing detailed practical information as well as expert r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s . Intr oducing Bulgaria maps the whole country and sets it in its historical and cultural context. The first section, on Sofia, gives an overview of the capital’s main attractions. Bulgaria’s regions are charted in

the Area by Area section, which covers all the important towns, cities and places around the country, with photographs, maps and illustrations. Details of hotels, restaurants, shops and markets, entertainment and sports are found in Travellers’ Needs, while the Survival Guide contains advice on everything from medical services and public transport to personal safety.

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SIGHTS AT A GLANCE

Changing of the Guard at the Presidency



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are numbered and plotted on a map. Sights in the city centre are also shown on the Sofia Street Finder on pages 92–7.

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