Why You Need To Go To Bulgaria

I had zero expectations for Bulgaria. I’d never met a Bulgarian, I’d never met anyone who’d been to Bulgaria and I’d never read or seen anything about the place. Bulgaria travel blogs aren’t exactly flooding the net either. Not that I went looking for any. I was going into Bulgaria completely blank, and that was actually nice for a change. I did have high hopes, however. After a forgettable experience in Turkey, I needed a place to make me smile again, and while the bus ride over the border was of the I-want-to-punch-someone-in-the-face variety, somewhat of a fitting farewell gift from the Turkish, I still had hopes that Bulgaria would be different. It was. I freakin’ love Bulgaria. As I think back over my three weeks in the country, I struggle to remember any negative experiences at all. My only regret is that I couldn’t stay longer and explore. What’s so great about it? I’ll tell you.

It’s cheap!

It’s one of the cheapest countries I’ve ever been to, and since the country has abandoned its plan to adopt the euro it’s likely things will stay that way. Average salaries range between $300-$600/month and things in the country are priced accordingly. That means $2 for a cab ride, $3 for a restaurant meal and $5 for a movie ticket. My hostel in Plovdiv was beautiful; we had real beds instead of bunks, ultra-fast wifi, and a daily breakfast of salami, ham, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, cheese, fruit, toast, jam, muesli, tea and coffee (most hostels just give you bread and jam). All up it cost me around 45 euro for five nights. Gin and tonics at the bars rarely cost more than $3. Getting connected with a sim card with internet cost me around $5. I managed to get great Airbnbs, bang in the city centre in both Plovdiv and Sofia, for around $20-$30 a night. If you’re looking for an affordable place to travel in Europe, it doesn’t get much better than Bulgaria.

The internet is lightning quick

According to Bloomberg, Bulgaria has the 8th fastest internet in the world – faster than the US, and definitely faster than New Zealand. For someone who works online this certainly had me smiling every morning. If you’re travelling in Bulgaria and decide to take a lazy day of Youtubing, take comfort in knowing you won’t be punching your phone waiting for videos to load (in HD, too!).

Bulgarians are awesome

On my first night in Plovdiv I met up with a Couchsurfer and we headed out for some traditional Bulgarian food before hitting up Fabric – a grungy little bar in Plovdiv’s centre. A few of her friends were there and invited us to sit with them, and we spent the night sipping cheap black russians and chatting the night away. They all spoke great English, welcomed me enthusiastically to their country and were super laid-back and friendly – exactly my kind of people. As it turned out, this hospitality would continue for the remainder of my visit. Making friends was effortless in Plovdiv, and while I planned to only stay a couple of days I ended up staying in town for two weeks. During my stay I was invited out every single night – to a dinner, a jazz bar, a club, a party – everyone doing their best to ensure Plovdiv left a smile on my face (it did). On my final night in Plovdiv I decided to do it easy, so I headed to one of my favourite bars for one last drink, alone. Yet during the walk home I bumped into two friends who refused to let me head home early for the night. Until the final hour, I was in good company in Plovdiv. After Plovdiv I only had three short days in Sofia, the capital, but even there it was more of the same. Just friendly, awesome people, everywhere I went. I love Bulgaria.

It’s a little off the grid

I probably wouldn’t have either, had I not been trying to run away from Turkey just next door. But as I’ve learned, places like this are always the most fun to explore – few hustlers, low prices, and a genuine look into the country without a sparkling tourist façade. The free walking tours in Sofia and Plovdiv only collected around 6-8 people per day (in bigger cities, you can get up to 30 or 40+) and even the free Sofia food tour, where we ate for free in some of Sofia’s hippest joints, only had about 12. The foreigners you do meet will generally be Erasmus students or people just passing through. If you’re looking for somewhere in Europe that isn’t crawling with tourists a la Paris and London, Bulgaria could be the perfect choice.