The good news though it’s that Bulgaria is much more than a popular destination in Europe for a cheap beach vacation, "hen and stag parties". Below you have some ideas of other stuff you can do in Bulgaria besides spending time at a beach resort:
1) Learn to ski
Believe it or not, one of the most popular things to do on holiday in Bulgaria is learning to ski, and if you're planning a ski vacation you'll find that Bulgaria is amazingly cheap when compared to French and Swiss ski resorts. In fact, skiing is so affordable in Bulgaria that you won’t have to worry about forking out all your savings on a family ski vacation.
If you’ve never skied and are planning to visit Bulgaria this winter you'll definitely want to give skiing a try! Honestly, you’ll be passing out a fantastic opportunity to learn to ski since ski schools in Bulgaria are some of the best and cheapest in Europe.
There are about a dozen or so ski resorts in Bulgaria though Borovets, Pamporovo and Bansko are the most popular ones in the country.
2) Take a ride of the Black Sea
A visit to Bulgaria wouldn’t be quite complete without taking a ride on the famous Black Sea. There are a few ways you can go about exploring the Black Sea. You could hire a luxury yacht for as much as 5000 Euros ($6500) for a day, or a small cruiser for as little as 450 Euros ($600) for the day.
Alternatively, you could go cruising which actually turns out to be a good option since on a cruise of the Black Sea you get an opportunity for half-day excursions to places like Istanbul, (Turkey), Constanta (Romania), and Odessa (Ukraine).
During a Black Sea cruise you can also choose to take a trip along the Danube River, which actually acts as the border between Bulgaria and Romania, and explore the interior of the region. P&O Cruises, Azamara Cruises and Holland America Line are some cruise companies you can check out if you’re interested in a Black Sea cruise.
3) Watch the birdies
If you enjoy spotting birds, you’ll be able to do plenty of bird watching while on vacation in Bulgaria not far from the capital city Sofia. The city is not far from a natural wetland called Dragoman marsh, which is a prime spot for birding and boasts a watch tower and marked trails for visitors to walk along.
The cool thing about a trip to Dragon marsh is that it’s free to get in and the marsh is open between April and September. By the way, one of the best times to do bird watching in Bulgaria is during the migration seasons of late spring and early autumn.
4) Treat yourself to a spa
Bulgaria’s spa resorts are well renowned throughout Europe and treating yourself to a spa session is one of the most relaxing things to do on holiday in Bulgaria. There are lots of spa resorts all across Bulgaria where you can get massages, mud treatments and soaks in hot springs and mineral pools.
The spa resort towns of Velingrad (south of Pazardzhik), Hisar, Sandanski (near the border with Greece) and Pomorie (on the Black Sea coast) are the most popular ones in Bulgaria. Having said this, if you visit the small villages of Shipkovo and Eleshnitsafor you can enjoy a soak in a hot mineral spring for as little as a couple of euros a day.
5) Go Extreme
If you’re looking to pack as much fun as possible during your holiday in Bulgaria, you’ll be glad to know that Bulgaria is a great place for adrenaline-junkies and sport enthusiasts.
Paragliding, whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, sky diving, horse riding, wakeboarding, hang-gliding, off-roading and go-karting are some of the things to do on holiday in Bulgaria. The main providers in Bulgaria offering these types of pursuits are “Extreme Bulgaria”, “Adventure Sport Holidays” and “Shambhala Center”.
6) Visit a cave
Bulgaria is home to over 4,000 caves, though only a few hundreds of them are opened to the public for tours. These include:
1)Magura cave (near the town of Vidin),
2)Yagodina cave (near the village of Yagodina),
3)Dqvolsko Gurlo (not far from the village of Trigrad),
4)Devetashka Cave (near the village of village of Devetaki),
5)Ledenika (near the town of Vratsa),
6)Sueva Doupka (near the village of Brestnitsa)
All of these caves above are pretty impressive to see, though Ledenika cave boasts the biggest rock formations, while Dqvolsko Gurlo boasts a spectacular waterfall. Sueva Doupka cave is also worth passing by because of the live concerts there.
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