Some PRAISE for Bulgaria!

gwynj Bulgaria Expert

Member since 30 June 2020

gwynjBulgaria Expert01 November 2024 13:32:30

2418

I mentioned these in passing in other posts, but they're very positive articles worth highlighting separately.

The 21 most underrated travel destinations in Europe for 2025

This is a Time Out article (which gets mentioned in the Daily Mail) with Plovdiv (a former European Capital of Culture) as #6.

We live in a lovely part of Plovdiv next to Youth Hill and the Regatta Lake/River Maritsa. It's a delightful small city, and we're so pleased we found it! (A fortuitous accident, as we'd never heard of it, and only came because our immigration attorney has his office here.)

Bulgaria鈥檚 Buzzy Capital Is Europe鈥檚 Best Place To Retire, Per New Study

This is a Moneypenny survey on the best cities to retire in UK and Europe (which gets mentioned in Forbes).

We prefer Plovdiv to Sofia, but Sofia certainly has many attractions and we enjoy visiting (apart from the capital city traffic). The big pluses identified here (low cost of living and plenty of green spaces) are just as true of Plovdiv, if not more so (and perhaps this applies to other cities such as Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo and Stara Zagora too). Indeed, a similar apartment to ours, which is downtown- and parks-adjacent, would likely be twice the price in Sofia.

Bansko: Bulgaria's unlikely new digital nomad hub

You can find articles on Digital Nomads in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna with coworking spaces in each. But one of the most popular options here is Bansko, a tiny town/city in comparison, but with the draw of being Bulgaria's largest ski/mountain resort, right next to the spectacular Pirin National Park.

This article is a year old, but still interesting. The Bansko Nomad Fest is mentioned too.

Bansko is a fantastic little town with a charming centre and beautiful mountains and nature all around it. If we hadn't been spoiled by Plovdiv, we'd almost certainly be living in Bansko. As it is, we have a holiday studio here, and love visiting.

VillageLife Active member

Member since 20 July 2024

VillageLifeActive member02 November 2024 12:35:05

Love this!!. Some times as expats it's easy to focus on the negatives and forget why we are here!.

JimJ ViP

Member since 07 December 2015

JimJViP02 November 2024 18:50:44

1017

Love this!!. Some times as expats it's easy to focus on the negatives and forget why we are here!. - @VillageLife

The common thread with every British "expat" I've met here in the last 20 years is that it's the cheapest place to live in the EU - I don't think anyone's forgotten that...

TonyFF Serial expat

Member since 04 October 2023

TonyFFSerial expat13 November 2024 14:37:34

245

@gwynj

I can verify that Bulgaria is a wonderful place to live.

I have been visiting the country for 30 + years and I have been living聽 here since June '24.

I highly recommend it!

It is quite possible that聽 one day聽 Bulgaria becomes another Czechia.

It was ridiculously cheap to visit and to live there in the 90s!!!!

( BTW Prague is one of my favorite cities in the world)

It is no longer the case. Same with Hungary.

Bulgaria is not too well discovered but change is coming.........

I love Bulgaria!

gwynj Bulgaria Expert

Member since 30 June 2020

gwynjBulgaria Expert08 January 2025 10:45:32

2418

January 2025

New York Times - 52 Places to Go in 2025

50 Bulgaria

"Currency and border hurdles are falling away in this overlooked country...

Travel to Bulgaria is becoming easier than ever, as visitors arriving from most European Union countries will no longer have to pass a border check, and soon this Eastern European country about the size of Virginia is expected to adopt the euro. Once you arrive, a smart jumping-off spot would be Sofia, the capital city, an ancient cultural crossroads and home to the Triangle of Religious Tolerance, an area where Catholic cathedrals, Jewish temples, Muslim mosques and Orthodox churches sit together. Later, hike through Rila National Park, a high-altitude wonderland, and visit the mystical Rila Monastery. Save a day or three for Plovdiv, the country鈥檚 charming second city, with its buzzy nightlife. Alternatively, climb the dramatic, cliff-side streets of the town of Veliko Tarnovo or relax at a Black Sea beach resort. Just be sure to sample the many underrated Bulgarian wines along the way."