Bulgaria

Bulgaria has been crossed by Thracians, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans, and each left something behind. Sofia, the capital, shows this better than anywhere. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, with its gold and green domes, is the landmark, but there are also the remains of Roman Serdica beneath the city centre, the tiny brick Rotunda of St George and a mosque, synagogue and churches within a few minutes of each other. Vitosha mountain rises right behind the city, so a hike or a cable car ride is easy to fit in.

Beyond Sofia, Bulgaria offers the painted Rila Monastery in the mountains to the south, the old town of Plovdiv with its Roman theatre, and a long Black Sea coast. In our programme, Sofia features as a city break, with private walks and photo shoots, and as one of the stops on the Balkans Explorer private van tour.

Food and drink

Shopska salad of tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and grated white cheese is on every table. Banitsa, a flaky cheese pastry, is the classic breakfast. Bulgarian yoghurt is famous for good reason and turns up in cold tarator soup in summer. The country has a long winemaking tradition, with Mavrud and Melnik reds worth trying, and rakia is offered as a welcome almost everywhere.

How to travel

A Sofia city break with a private walking tour is a good short trip, and a day out to Rila Monastery can be arranged on request. For a wider picture of the Balkans, the private van tour connects Bulgaria with Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Croatia, with a driver handling the long distances between them.