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Bulgaria is a picturesque small country in the Balkans, bordering Romania, Serbia, Republic of Macedonia, Greece and Turkey. The country's area is 110 912 km2. It is amazing that on such a small surface, it features notable diversity with the landscape. One third of the country is mountainous and the mild and sunny Black Sea coast constitutes its eastern part. It is, therefore, not surprising that the country offers attractions all year round. In the winter you can enjoy the country's popular ski resorts, such as Samokov, Borovets, Bansko and Pamporovo.
In the summer you may visit one of the numerous Black Sea beach-resorts: Sunny Beach, Golden Sands, Nessebur, Sozopol, Albena, Sveti Vlas or Saints Constantine and Helena. The average sea water temperature between June and September is 23°C. In August it reaches 29°C. Tourist towns along the coastline offer aquaparks, pubs, bars and restaurants. There are numerous luxurious hotels with many attractions on offer, such as animation programs, live music shows or folklore evenings.
Bulgarian beaches are very clean and are perfect for water sports such as sailing, windsurfing, parachuting and many others.
Bulgaria is famous for its folk music. A Bulgarian song was one of the music pieces played to astronauts aboard the NASA space shuttle Columbia in 1998.
Another interesting fact is that on 14 February is a day of a traditional Bulgarian celbration - the feast of St. Trifon Zarezan, the patron of vine growing and wine producing, which has been officially celebrated since 1962.
Take a trip to Bulgaria with the national carrier - Bulgaria Air, which will take you there in a matter of hours. >a href="http://www.air.bg/" target="new">http://www.air.bg/. Also some low-cost airlines, such as Wizz Air http://wizzair.com offer regular flights to Bulgaria.
When you arrive, rent a car with EconomyCarRentals.Com and enjoy your stay!
Useful information about the country is available at www.bulgariatravel.org
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The traditional holidays, rooted deep in folklore, are more prevalent in rural Bulgaria than in the cities and tend to relate to the harvest and health.
One of the most attractive rituals is the 'Koukeri' - men disguised in animal skins and furs, wearing grotesque painted masks, do the rounds of the villages banging loud bells to ward off evil spirits and ensure a good crop.
Other famous Bulgarian dance is 'Nestinari', which dance on burning embers to mark the beginning of summer on the feast of Saints Constantine and Elena. Even sophisticated city folk will get up at a wedding to join in the 'Horo' - a dance in a circle to folk music.
With its more than 1300 years history the Bulgarians has inherited many archaeological monuments from the Thracian, Proto-Bulgarian and Bulgarian culture: The two unique monuments of Thracian art - the tombs near Kazanluk and Sveshtari
Boyana Church - marking the beginnings of portrait painting in European art
the majestic Rila Monastery - largest in the Balkans
the ancient museum town of Nessebur - situated on a rocky peninsula, linked with mainland by a narrow isthmus
Ivanovo Rock Monasteries - a natural museum of mediaeval Bulgarian painting and many others.
Bulgarian cuisine is one of the tastiest in Europe. Food is still cooked with fresh, naturally grown ingredients. It combines the wonderfully rich Ottoman influence with a peasant cooking style that uses flavor-packed vegetables and herbs. Bulgaria excels in 'sirene' (a white salty cheese) and yogurt. The yogurt is very good and distinctive that it's exported world wide simply as 'Bulgarian Yogurt'
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