Map of our trip:
31 July to 7 August 2025:
We began our visit in Plovdiv for the Folk Music and Dance Seminar Plovidv, though we also did some touring around, especially of the old city.
7-10 August 2025:
After the seminar, we took the bus to Koprivshtitsa, where we rented a house near the site of the outdoor folk festival, hheld every five years.
10 August 2025:
The afternoon of the last day of the festival we visited the Thracian cult center at Starosel and the outdoor art village at Staro Zhelezare.
11 August 2025:
From Koprishtitsa we drove through the Rose Valley and the Valley of the Thracian Kings, visiting th Kazanlak timbs and the Goliama Kosmatka tomb. We drove through the Shipka Pass to the open-air craft museum at Etara. We spent the night at a farm-stay bed&breakfast in Sobotkovzi Village, including a typical Bulgarian dinner and breakfast made from locally-grown ingredients.
12 August 2025:
We drove to Veliko Tarnovo, the former capical of Bulgaria, and the old Citadel Zarevez. We visited Arbanasi village to see the 17th century frescoes, and then continued to the Ivanovo Rock Monastery to see the 14th century frescoes in the rock chapel. We spent the night in Ruse, on the Danube River.
13 August 2025:
From Ruse we drove east to the Sboryanovo Archeological Reserve to visit the Sveshtari Thracian royal tomb. We continued to Madara to see the Madara Horseman relief, and then on to Varna, on the Black Sea coast, and its famous archeological museum.
14 August 2025:
From Varna we drove south along the Black Sea Coast to visit the old part of Nesebar to see the frescoes in its ancient churches, then inlad to Stara Zagora to see the museum of Neolithic dwellings, the history museum, and the old mosque which is now a museum of different religions.
15 August 2025:
We visited a local church to see the FEast of the Virgin Mary and then drove across the Thracian Plain towards the Rhodope Mountains and then took a narrow-guage railroad.
16 August 2025:
We visisted some house-museums in Bansko and then drove to Dobarsko to see the Dobarsko babi ("grannies"0, who keep alive the old folk traditions, songs, and dances, and danced and enjoyed lunch with them before visisting some local churches. From there we drove south to visit the famous Rila Monastery, and then north to Sofia for the night.
17 August 2025:
From Sofia we drove north through the Izgur Gorge to Venetsa Cave, a limestone cave with lovely formations, and then on to the Belogradchuk Rock Fortress. We spent the night in Belogradchik.
Northwest Bulgaria: Izgur Gorge, Venetsa Cave, and Belogradchik Rock Fortress
18-19 August 2025:
We drove back to Sofia, where we visited the Boyana Church, the National History Museum, and the Sofia Synagogue. We spent the night in Sofia and then toured the central part of the city before heading to the airport for our flight home.
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Last modified 3 October 2025
Plovdiv
Folk Seminar Plovdiv
Koprivshtitsa Festival
Starosel
Staro Zhelezare
Kazanlak
Shipka
Etara
Sobotkovzi
Veliko Tarnovo
Arbanasi
Ivanovo
Ruse
Sveshtari
Madara
Nesebar
Stara Zagora
Railroad to Bansko
Bansko
Dobarsko
Rila Monastery
Sofia