Bulgaria (Interrail Countries)

The Republic of Bulgaria is a country in South-eastern Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the east, Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west and Romania to the north, mostly along the Danube. Bulgaria is crossed by historically important routes from the northern and eastern Europe to the Mediterranean basin and from western and central Europe to the Middle East. Founded in 681 and therefore one of the oldest countries in Europe.

Country characteristics

Scenery
The country is remarkable for its variety of scenery, its rugged mountains and modern Black Sea resorts attracting a wide variety of visitors. The southwest of the country is mountainous with two alpine ranges (Rila and Pirin). Further east are the lower but more extensive Rhodope Mountains. Rila mountain includes the highest peak of the Balkan Peninsula: peak Musala at 2925 meters. The long range of the Balkan mountains runs west-east through the middle of the country, north of the famous Rose Valley.

Tourist places
Travelling in Bulgaria you can visit tourist places such as:

• the historical capitals of Bulgaria: Veliko Tarnovo and Pliska;
• the cities with Rennaissance architecture: Koprivshtitza, Trjavna, Gabrovo, Plovdiv;
• the famous monasteries “Rila” and “Bachkovo”.

The capital of the country is Sofia, which lies in a mountainous basin in the west, near the geographic centre of the entire Balkan region.

Holiday resorts
If you want to have your holiday in Bulgaria, you can stay in the mountain resorts Borovetz, Pamporovo and Bansko or on the Black Sea coasts - Varna, Burgas, Sozopol, Nessebar, Sunny Beach or Golden Sands.

Climate
The Bulgarian climate is temperate, with cold, damp winters and hot, dry summers.

Source http://www.interrailnet.com/