Bulgaria Flights:
Flights to Bulgaria
The Balkan country of Bulgaria has emerged over the past decade or so in to a popular tourist destination, offering something a little different to the more common destinations in neighbouring Greece and Turkey.
Bulgaria has four international airports, though the majority of flights from South Africa will land in the country’s capital city, Sofia (airport code: SOF). If you then wish to travel to either Varna or Burgas, on the Black Sea coast, you can catch an internal flight. Airlines offering flights to Bulgaria from South Africa include one stop flights from Johannesburg with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, Swiss via Zurich, South African Airways and Lufthansa via Munich, Air France via Paris and British Airways via London. You can also choose a flight with two connections and options include Egyptair and Virgin Atlantic.
Book a Flight To Bulgaria:
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The Tourist Attractions of Bulgaria:
Perhaps surprising to some visitors is the great variety of attractions on offer in Bulgaria, so much so that the country would make an excellent destination for a touring holiday. There are a number of attractive cities and towns, contrasting beautiful countryside, as well as the popular Black Sea coast with its resorts, and a number of high quality ski resorts too.
Sofia
The capital city of Bulgaria, Sofia, is situated in the west of the country. This is a cultural gem and an excellent choice for a city break holiday.
Sofia is an ancient city and features hundreds of historical landmarks and buildings, many impressive churches and other religious buildings. Alexander Nevski Cathedral is one of the city’s most impressive structures. This is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox churches in the world. At the other end of the scale is the Church of Sv. Georgi, which is amongst the oldest Christian churches in the Balkans, and dates back to the 4th century. The Boyana Church is one of Bulgaria’s UNESCO listed World Heritage Sites. This is a 14th century church whose main feature is the well preserved murals.
Walking around Sofia you’ll also be treated to old ruins in addition to some spectacular modern buildings too – the National Palace of Culture, for example, is a huge multi-functional building for conventions, exhibitions and more.
A large range of museums include the National Archaeological Museum, the National Museum of History and the National Art Gallery. But all of these attractions just touch on the surface of what visitors can see and do in Sofia.
The Black Sea
The beautiful Black Sea coastline makes this a popular summertime destination. Varna is Bulgaria’s principal tourist resort here. The beach is the main focus of most stays, though there’s also a range of other attractions here too – The Sea Garden contains Varna Aquarium and the Varna Dolphinarium, which are popular tourist attractions, in addition to the Museum of Natural History, a zoo, gardens and more. The Varna Archaeological Museum features some interesting exhibits.
Ski Resorts of Bulgaria
Bulgaria is fast becoming a popular skiing destination, especially with British tourists who are seeking an alternative to the busy and more expensive slopes of Western Europe. There are a number of ski resorts here – Borovetz, Vitosha, Bansko and Pamporovo. Bansko is the most developed of the Bulgarian ski resorts, and considered to be one of the best in Europe, though Pamporovo is also gaining in popularity and size.
Scenery
Bulgaria is also full of natural scenery, and another of its emerging tourism markets is in the summertime activities of hiking and mountain biking. Pirin National Park is a World Heritage park and incorporates the Pirin Mountains. Beautiful mountain scenery, lakes, forests, wildlife and more can be seen here.
When Should You Visit?:
With its diversity of attractions, when you should visit Bulgaria really depends on your main reason for coming. Obviously the ski resorts are only open during the winter (from December), whereas the Black Sea coastal resorts are more popular during the summer. Places like Sofia can be visited at any time of the year. Sofia’s summer average highs peak in July and August with temperatures reaching 78C. January is the coolest month with a high of 2C and a low of -4C.