The city of Varna is about thousand years old. It was first inhabited by an ancient Thracian tribe, Corbisi, which had a small fishermen settlement there. In the 6th century BC a Greek polis, named Odessos, emerged there. Up to the 1st century BC it was an independent polis, which minted its own coins with the image of its god. In the 9th century it was already called Varna. The town was included in the territory of Bulgaria in the beginning of the 13th century during the reign of King Kaloyan. The city of Varna is the third largest ...

Bourgas is a successor of the small Roman town of Deultum (later named Develt), founded by Emperor Vespasian as a military colony for veterans. Besides Deultum, the present-day city expands over the area of three other ancient settlements. In the Middle Ages a small fortress called Pirgos was erected in the place and was most probably used as a watchtower. It was only in 17th century that a town named Ahelo-Bourgas grew in the present-day area of the city. Bourgas is the fourth largest city in Bulgaria, situated in the south-eastern ...

The town of Bansko is situated in the most beautiful and majestic part of Pirin mountain. To the south of Bansko is the National Park of Pirin, rich in lakes, mineral springs, water falls, caves, centuries old trees and historically distinctive sites. The area of Bansko has been consecutively populated by different peoples: Thracians, Romans, Byzantines, Slavs. Remains of ancient fortresses 4 km to the southwest of Bansko, Thracian tumuli in the vicinity of Staroto Gradishte, remains of late medieval churches St. George, St. Elias, ...

Veliko Tarnovo has been often and rightly compared with Rome due to its unique location on three hills – Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Sveta Gora and crossed by the picturesque Yantra River. The town is situated in Central Northern Bulgaria – 240 km from Sofia, 230 km from Varna, 100 km from Rousse. This strategic location makes it to a meeting point of several important roads. Veliko Tarnovo is the old capital of Bulgaria. From 1185 to 1395 it used to be the political, administrative and cultural centre and the most important fortress ...

The town of Gabrovo is famous throughout Bulgaria for the mentality of its natives. Their frugality and wittiness has been recorded in hundreds of humorous stories and jokes, collected in the book "Gabrovski Shegi" ("Gabrovo's jokes") that has been translated in over 20 languages and reissued over 40 times. The symbol of the town is a black cat with a bobtail – people in Gabrovo are told to cut their cats the tail short, so that the bedroom does not cool down, while it is going in and out. It is usually black because they through it ...

Pomorie is one of the biggest spa centers on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast specializing in mud cure of the locomotory system, gynecological, heart and liver diseases. The town of Pomorie is located on a small rocky peninsula 3500 m in the sea, 18 km to the south of Sunny Beach, 20 km to the north of Bourgas. It was formed as a settlement in the 4. century BCE next to a salt lake, the Pomoriisko lake, called by the ancient Thracians the Holy Lake because of its curative effect. The lake came into being after a disastrous earthquake in ...

Due to its strategic location on the right shore of the Danube river Rousse has always been the Bulgarian door to Europe. Still in ancient times it was one of the main bases of the Roman navy on the lower reaches of Danube, called Sexaginta Prista (port of 60 ships). This Roman port was completely destroyed in 6.-7.century. The first medieval settlement was built in the 10.century, 30 km to the south of the old Roman fortress. It was named Roussi, probably related to the word "rouss" meaning as much as blond. In the time when ...

Sozopol is the oldest town on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast – the first settlement in the area can be traced back in the II millennium BCE and the first settlers were the Thracians. At the beginning of the 7.century BCE the Thracian settlement was colonized by the Greek, who called the town Apolonia in the name of their Sun-God. From the 4.century the town became known under the name Sozopol, i.e. a town of saving. In the Sozopol Bay have been found plenty of stone anchors from the II-I millennium BCE and other implements providing ...

Plums and schnapps – these are the first things one would think of when you mention Troyan. Annual festivities are held there in autumn to celebrate the "Plums' and Schnapps' Holiday". Troyan is famous not only as the town of plums and schnapps but also for its skillful potters and woodcarvings. Pottery has long traditions in Troyan; starting from the early 19. century it has developed to a main industry and lots of people made their living of it and some still make it. So if you go to Troyan, you should definitely buy yourself a ...

Human settlements in the area of Trayvna can be traced back to Thracian times. To a regional centre the town of Trayvna developed in the early 18.century. Trayvna is situated in Central Bulgaria, in the Balkan Mountain, in close proximity of the old Bulgarian capital Veliko Tarnovo. The closeness to the capital was the decisive factor for the fast cultural and industrial development of the town. The land in the area was not fertile and therefore not favorable for farming and agriculture. However people compensated it by cultivating ...

Balchik is situated in one of the most picturesque gulfs on the Northern Black Sea Coast, 50 km to the north of Varna, 17 km to the south of Kavarna. In the 5.century BCE it was a Greek colony named Crunoy (spring) because of the large number of springs to the west of the town. Later it was renamed Dionysus polis as a marble statue of the Greek God Dionysus was found in the vicinity of the town. Today's name Balchik is supposed to have been derived from Balik – the name of one of the town's rulers. In 1913 the area around Balchik was ...

Sofia has a history that goes back thousands of years. Through the centuries many peoples have inhabited it and added to its rich and diverse history. The Thracian Serdi tribe settled here in the 7th century BC and gave the first recorded name of Sofia – Serdica. The Byzantines called it Triaditsa and the Slavs – Sredets. The modern city of Sofia was named in the 14th century after the basilica St. Sofia, which in Greek means wisdom. In the 3rd century AD, the Romans built strong walls around Serdica – the capital of their province ...

Nessebar is one of the oldest towns in Europe, well known with its exotic monuments the Antiquity, its fascinating architecture of the Middle Ages and the National Revival period. The town is situated on a small rocky peninsula in the North part of the Bourgas bay. The old quarter of the town, situated on Nessebar peninsula and linked to the mainland by a narrow neck of land; declared an architectural and archaeological reserve. North and south of the peninsula there stretch beach strips covered with the finest sand along the Black ...

The town of Byala is situated on the Black Sea coast and its unique combination of climate and location favors both seasonal and all the year round residence. Byala is a town of favorable geographic and natural location, with health and children-care establishments, stores, restaurants and cafes, bank offices and a post-office. Regular bus and communication services are provided there. The E-87 international route passes through the town connecting Varna and Bourgas. The Port of Byala is the only seaport between Varna and Nessebar, ...