Hi kevaron,

A read through THIS THREAD (4 pages) may give you some ideas - judicious use of the 'Search' function at the top of this page will bring up a number of threads about Istanbul trips.

Baldur

Hi Baldur,

Thanks for the reply, but trust me I have looked through tons of posts, but apart from hearing about the dolphins in Varna, and generic tourist stuff, there was little about the real Bulgaria. This is what I am after. What is available on most web sites is very general and mostly geared towards the bucket and spade type holiday. Again if you have any other ideas this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Kevaron

There are lots of places to go, cities, such as Plovdiv, Dobrich, Varna, Stara Zagora, Ruse, Sofia or the inland mountain areas - the main problem that you are likely to discover is public transport, especially the trains to some areas. I planned a trip to Bansko from Varna in March, which would have taken around 15 hours each way, if I recall correctly.

Your definition of 'attractions' is probably totally different from mine - I have a village house in the 'real' Bulgaria, where I spend many weeks each year and have regular contact with many friends in Bulgaria - the attractions for me are the stork, which often sits on the electricity pole next to my house, the goats & cattle that graze in the park opposite, the fields of sunflowers, being invited to the village krachma (tavern) by friends or to their homes for meals, being taught the language & traditions by villagers, sitting on my balcony at sunset, etc., etc.

The only buckets and spades that I see (as well as hoes & scythes) are usually being carried past the house by villagers who are en route to their fields.

Baldur