Cultural Tourism

As a country with thousands of years of history and heritage left of ancient civilizations, Bulgaria has a lot to offer to its guests, which have interests in the area of history, culture, ethnography, religion, architecture and arts. Unique archaeological discoveries are scattered all over the country – ancient settlement mounds of the Neolithic age, Thracian sanctuaries and tombs, remains of Roman cities, Byzantine and Medieval fortresses, architectural reserves, ethnographic complexes, churches and monasteries, tekkes and many others.

Despite the fact that it occupies only 2% of the territory of Europe, about 40,000 historical monuments have been registered in our country (7 of them are included in the UNESCO List of Global Cultural Heritage), 36 cultural reserves, 160 monasteries, about 330 museums and galleries. This includes prehistoric finds, Thracian tombs, sites of the Greek Age, Roman fortresses, historical monuments of the time of the First and the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, as well as architectural landmarks of the Age of Revival.

Emblematic for Bulgaria are the monuments, included in the UNESCO List: the Kazanlak Tomb (4th – 3rd century BC), the Thracian Tomb by the village of Sveshtari near Razgrad (3rd century BC), the Madara Horseman (8th century), the Boyana Church (10th – 11th century), the Ivanovo Rock Churches near Ruse (10th – 14th century), the Rila Monastery (10th century), the Old Town in Nesebar.

The Karanovska settlement mound was the foundation on which the Karanovska chronical system was established. It serves as a model of synchronization of the European prehistoric cultures. Of great interest is the Valley of the Thracian Kings, in which more than 15 tombs have been discovered. Perperikon is also located in the territory of our country. It is considered to be the temple of God Dionysus containing a prophecy room, which is of equal importance to the one of Apollo in Delphi. It is believed that this was the capital of the Odryssian Kingdom. The largest Thracian royal complex with a mausoleum temple in Southeast Europe was discovered in the region of the village of Starosel. The oldest gold in the world was discovered in the Varna necropolis. Many Thracian golden treasures have also been found – the Panagyurishte, Valchitran, Rogozen, etc. treasures. There are multiple remains of the Thracian, Hellenistic and Roman culture. Entire Roman city complexes have been found – Augustra Trayana, Trimontium, Nikopolis ad Istrum, Pautalia, Akre, Mesemvria, Apolonia, Serdika, etc.

Many monasteries are also preserved in the country. They have protected Bulgarian faith and culture. Some of them are the Rila Monastery, Bachkovo Monastery, Troyan Monastery, Zemen Monastery, Rozhen Monastery, Kilifarevski Monastery, Sokolski Monastery, etc. In the country there are also many churches, unique with their models of the Bulgarian iconographic, woodcarving and painting schools. They store multiple valuable manuscripts. The relics of St. John the Baptist were found on the island of St. John.

The Revival spirit and culture of Bulgaria can be found in many Bulgarian cities, towns and villages – Kotel, Koprivshtitsa, Karlovo, Kalofer, Sopot, Elena, Tryavna, Bansko, Melnik. the Old Plovdiv, Gela, Shiroka Laka, Momchilovtsi, Orehovo, Smilyan, Arda, Dolen, Leshten, Kovachevitsa, Pletena, Bozhentsi, Ribaritsa, Zheravna, Oreshak, Medven, Skandalo, Arbanasi, Balgari, Kosti, Brashlyan, Mladezhko, etc. There are multiple options by which tourists can get to know the Bulgarian crafts, such as woodcarving, embroidery, pottery, knitting, etc. Such options are offered in the architectural and ethnographic open-air museum Etara near Gabrovo, the ethnographic complexes The Old Dobrich and Chiflika near Albena, Bansko, the ethnographic complex Kulata - Kazanlak, the ethnographic areal complex Zlatograd, Varosha – Blagoevgrad, the ethnographic complex Brashlyan – Malko Tarnovo, etc.

In the country there are also many options for acquaintance with the traditional economic activities in our lands – manufacturing of rose oil, wine, etc.

Bulgaria has exceptionally diverse folklore calendar. It includes a lot of traditions and customs, by which tourists can reach Bulgarian lifestyle and culture - Surva (St. Vasil’s Day), St. Jordan’s Day – Epiphany, St. John’s Day, St. Anton’s Day, Trifon Zarezan, Martuvane (giving martenitsas), the first Sunday before Lent, Mummer’s Day, St. Todor’s Day, the Annunciation Day, Easter, St. George’s Day, the Day of Virgin Mary, St. Dimitar’s Day, All Souls Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas. Many Bulgarian villages have preserved ancient traditions and customs, which have been practiced to the present day. Such are St. Lazar’s Day, Palm Sunday, Mummers, Carol-singers, Fire-dancers and many others. Exceptionally attractive are also the folklore festivals and gatherings – the International Mummer Festival “Starchevata” (Razlog), the International Festival of Masquerade Games “Surva” (Pernik), the Ethnicities Gathering (municipality of Beloslav), the International Folklore Festival (Veliko Tarnovo), the National Folklore Festival “Rozhen”, the International Bagpipe Festival in the village of Gela and many others.

More than 200 museums function in the country - the one of a kind Museum of Yogurt in the village of Studen Izvor (Tran region), the Museum of Rose in Kazanlak, the Museum of Transport in Ruse, the Museum of Fretwork in Tryavna, the Museum of Humor in Gabrovo, the Museum of Medicine History in Varna, the Museum of Mosaic in Devnya, the Museum of Salt in the town of Pomorie, the Museum of Polytechnics in Sofia City, the National Museum of Anthropology in Sofia, the Museum of Aviation in Plovdiv, the Museum of Wine in Pleven, the National History Museum, the museum “Earth and People” and many others.

The country calendar is abundant in cultural events. Some of them are Sofia Film Fest, the festival “Love is Folly” – Varna, the festival “Varna Summer”, the “Music Days in March” in Ruse, the “Sofia Music Weeks”, “Apolonia”, “Spirit of Burgas”, Kavarna Rock Fest and many others.