Bulgaria will start issuing Schengen to Russians. Why do locals miss Russians and what are they ready to offer tourists?

“The tape.“: a tourist from the Russian Federation called a vacation in Bulgaria a paradise for savages and informals

From April 1, Bucharest and Sofia will partially enter the Schengen area and will begin issuing short-term visas that will allow them to stay in the territory of all Schengen member states. Bulgaria’s beaches have always literally burst with Russian tourists enjoying mud treatment, golden fine sand and cheap delicious food. What travelers can do in the Balkan country now, whether the issuance of Schengen visas will spur Russians and why Russian tourists are missed there — figured out.

What does the new visa rule mean?

On March 31, 2024, Bulgaria and Romania, which have been members of the European Union since 2007, partially joined the Schengen area. Border control with these countries of Southeastern Europe will cease to operate. In addition, they will start issuing Schengen visas.

If earlier it was possible to get to both countries with a Cypriot national visa, now it will not work. At the same time, you can go to Cyprus either with a previously issued Bulgarian national visa, or with a new Bulgarian Schengen visa.

And those national short-term visas that Sofia and Bucharest issued before March 31 will not allow tourists to travel to other countries of the Schengen area.

In addition, domestic travelers wishing to travel to Bulgaria and Romania will have to submit biometrics, and stay in these countries will be counted as stay in the Schengen area, that is, up to 90 days during a 180-day period

Russian tourists can apply for a Bulgarian visa through the visa application center in Moscow, and not earlier than three months before the date of the visit.

The versatile capital

Most Russians considered Bulgaria as an inexpensive beach destination, where you can swim in the Black Sea, live in a sanatorium or boarding house and get acquainted with delicious local cuisine. This country has always seemed close — geographically and mentally, besides, Bulgarian and Russian are very similar. Travelers from Russia are welcomed here with open arms, and among the representatives of the older generation, you can even meet those who still speak Russian.

Despite the fact that Bulgaria is famous for its resort holidays, you can start exploring it from the capital Sofia in order to immediately immerse yourself in the rich history and culture of the country. Balkan and Orthodox traditions are combined here, and traces of the Ottoman and communist past can also be seen.

Sofia has a difficult fate, at first it was the favorite city of Emperor Constantine the Great, who called it his “Rome” and dreamed of setting up the capital of the Roman Empire here, then it repeatedly experienced the invasions of barbarian tribes, was devastated by the Huns, revived and conquered by the Ottomans.

That is why a tourist can visit different eras in the city in one day: see the walls of an ancient fortress, walk next to a Byzantine church, visit a mosque from the time of Ottoman rule and look at buildings in the style of Soviet constructivism.

Sofia’s main street is Vitosha Boulevard

There are many restaurants, shops, souvenir shops, and in the evenings street musicians begin to play. Russians often compare it to the Moscow Arbat, and locals affectionately call it “Vitoshka”. A huge advantage of the boulevard is that, if you are lucky with clear weather, you can enjoy a view of the Vitosha mountain of the same name — due to this, guests of the city do not feel trapped in the stone jungle.

Having had enough of the idle Bulgarian life, tourists go to explore the cultural part of the city. Fortunately, there will be no problems with this in Sofia. Immediately from Vitosha Boulevard, pedestrians enter the ancient city of Serdika — an ancient fortress, of which, alas, only ruins remain in our time.

But you can explore the ruins of Serdika for free. In addition, the authorities have restored one of the oldest churches in the capital here. At the same time, the main religious attraction of Sofia is very close — it is the church of St. Alexander Nevsky, built in the early twentieth century in honor of the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke. It is he who, accommodating up to five thousand visitors, flaunts on all postcard photographs of the capital.

What other religious attractions to see in Sofia?

In the very heart of the city is the Rotunda of St. George — the oldest building in the capital, which acts as a church today. In addition, there is one of the largest in Europe — the St. Sophia Synagogue, as well as the Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Week and the Catholic Cathedral of St. Joseph.

For lovers of antiques and dusty trinkets in Sofia, there is also a place close to your heart — the popular Bitaka flea market, where you can buy almost everything: old appliances, furniture, coins, awards from different eras, jewelry and even musical instruments. Items related to the country’s socialist past are especially popular with tourists: badges, flags, portraits of leaders and military uniforms. It is rumored that sometimes you can even stumble upon old used sex toys here.

But if you want luxury, it’s better to look at the local Central Department Store — by the way, it is located in one of three buildings built in the Soviet Empire style. Officially, the architectural ensemble is called Largo. Its other buildings are occupied by the Presidential Residence, the Balkans Hotel and the Ministry of Education.

Locals usually take a break from the hustle and bustle in the Borisova Gradina Park, named after the Bulgarian tsar. There is a lake with boats, a national stadium, a tennis court and the observatory of Sofia University. And if you want to completely disconnect from the city noise, then, of course, you need to go to the sea.

Maritime Bulgaria

The visiting card of Bulgaria is the Golden Sands beaches, famous for their gentle entrance into the water. The most crowded of them is the Central Beach, the most calm is Kavatsite Beach, mud lakes are located nearby on the Northern Beach in Burgas, and vacationers can wash off the healing mud directly into the sea.

In Pomorie, the beaches are characterized by a gentle entrance and gray-brown sand, it is believed that such sand with a high content of magnetite warms up well and promotes a quick tan.

It is worth telling about Pomorie separately, it is a cozy Bulgarian city with its own flavor, as well as a popular balneological resort. The local mud, which is extracted from the bottom of lakes in the vicinity of Pomorie, is considered unique in its properties and is actively used in the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, skin, nervous and reproductive systems, this resort is called an analogue of the Dead Sea.

The composition of local therapeutic mud includes iron, hydrogen sulfide, magnesium, calcium, sodium, silicium and other substances that have a beneficial effect on the body. In the city, along with mud treatment, they also practice treatment with seawater extract, or meadow — yellow thick oil-like liquid with a bitter-salty taste, which is used both for wellness and in various cosmetic procedures.

And due to the fact that the long isthmus goes deep into the sea, beaches are everywhere in this city. Some of the most popular are with black volcanic sand, like in Santorini.

Where else in Bulgaria are there thermal springs

Hisaria is also considered to be the oldest city-hospital, where Thracians, Romans, and Slavs have been treated since ancient times. The stone wall that surrounded this city has still been preserved. There are 22 springs with different temperatures and chemical elements on the territory of the resort.

What else to see

Also, one of the most beautiful cities in the Balkans, Plovdiv, is considered a mandatory item of the program, which, according to various estimates, is from six to eight thousand years old, that is, it is older than Athens and Rome. Since ancient times, the remains of the city stadium, basilica, thermal baths have been preserved there, and the famous monument to the Soviet soldier “Alyosha” is located on one of the hills of the city.

The city of Asenovgrad is called Little Jerusalem because of the large number of temples and churches. It is also known as the “city of brides”. There is a whole street of shops and ateliers offering to buy outfits and accessories for the future ceremony. By the way, in Bulgarian, the bride is a “bun”, sometimes marriage proposals are made right on this Bakery street.

Where to go for pilgrims

Considering that Bulgaria is an Orthodox country, it receives thousands of pilgrims every year, including Russian ones. One of the most famous places of pilgrimage was the Rila Monastery of the 10th century, located 117 kilometers from Sofia. It is believed that it was founded by John Rylsky, one of the most revered patron saints of the Bulgarian people.

The monastery houses the relics of John of Rila and the miraculous icon of the Virgin Hodegetria (Guide Book) with thirty-two quadrangular partitions with the relics of saints.

High in the mountains

In addition to sea holidays, the ski resorts of Bulgaria are popular with tourists, the majestic mountain ranges occupy a third of the territory of the Balkan country and fascinate with their pristine beauty. One of the most popular destinations is the city of Bansko, located at the very foot of the Pirin Mountains.

Less than ten thousand people live in it, but during the tourist season, the resort increases significantly due to vacationers. Most of the Bulgarian citizens are on the local slopes, but you can also meet Russian skiers and tourists from other European countries. There are a total of 70 kilometers of trails, and the length of ski lifts exceeds 22 kilometers.

Bansko is interesting because it has perfectly preserved the architecture of the Bulgarian Renaissance, there are about 120 museum houses with wall paintings and wood carvings. In the center of the town is the Church of the Holy Trinity, consecrated in 1835

And not far from the city, in the village of Ognyanovo, there are 24 thermal springs with medicinal properties, the average water temperature in them is about 40 degrees Celsius.

Legends related to Bulgaria

In the Bulgarian Rhodope Mountains, in the Devil’s Throat cave, there is allegedly an entrance to the kingdom of Hades, where Orpheus descended for his beloved Eurydice and begged Hades to release her from the world of the dead. Hades agreed on one condition — Orpheus should not look back until he comes out. At first everything went according to plan, but at some point Orpheus stopped hearing Eurydice’s footsteps because of the noise of the waterfall and looked back. As a result, the beloved remained forever in the kingdom of Hades.

The inconsolable Orpheus went to Perpericon, a rocky city where the temple of Dionysus, the god of wine and fun, is located. Orpheus lived in this city for some time, and his grave is also located there.

What to eat

The national cuisine of Bulgaria is similar to Greek and Turkish, it has a lot of salads, fresh and stewed vegetables, meat, soups, cheeses and natural yogurt. Bulgarian cuisine is uncomplicated, moderately spicy and at the same time satisfying. The second dishes are made from meat, poultry and pork.

The national Bulgarian dish is chorba soup

Tourists in Bulgaria are advised to try the following dishes:

• rich chorba soup;
• traditional puff pastry pies made of thin, yeast-free dough stuffed with the famous Bulgarian cheese, meat or fruit;
• Tarator is a cold soup resembling okroshka;
• pila with bilki — chicken with herbs;
• barbecue;
• kawarmu — meat baked with onions and spices;
• gyuvech (stewed meat with potatoes, eggplant and other vegetables);
• sarmi (cabbage rolls);
• kebabs;
• plakiya (fish baked with lots of onions);
• kufte and kebapche — grilled cutlets;
• Apple pie is an apple pie made of shortbread dough, which is served with tea or wine.

And Bulgaria is also famous for its natural products, the famous “Bulgarian wand” is especially appreciated, which can only live in this climate. It makes a special type of yogurt — jelly milk. Every month, the Japanese come to sell it in their homeland. This product is considered so useful that Bulgarian doctors prescribe it as a medicine. It is believed that Bulgarians are a nation of centenarians precisely because of this yogurt.

Features of Bulgarians

Bulgarians nod if they disagree and deny something, and shake their heads when they agree with something. At the same time, when they show the way and say “right”, it means “straight”.

And Bulgarians smoke everywhere: on beaches, in cafes and restaurants, in hotel rooms, it is simply impossible to escape from tobacco smoke.

What and how much does it cost

In Bulgaria, they pay in Bulgarian levs. A three—course lunch is 25-35 levs (1280-1790 rubles), for example, a salad will cost 4-6 levs (204-307 rubles), fried fish — 3-12 levs (153-615 rubles), a main course of meat — 6-15 levs (307-767 rubles), soup — from 3 levs (153 rubles), dessert — 2.8-3.5 levs (143-180 rubles), drinks — 1.6-4 levs (82-205 rubles).

BGN 4-10

it costs breakfast for two in an inexpensive cafe. This is 204-511 rubles

A taxi costs about 1.1 leva (57 rubles) per kilometer, and if you buy a travel card in Sofia, it will cost 50 leva for 30 days (2.5 thousand rubles). At the same time, if travelers plan to move around the country on their own, the average cost of renting a car is about 1.5-2 thousand rubles per day, and gasoline will cost 2.71 leva per liter (140 rubles).

As for housing, everything here strongly depends on the location and the season. For example, in Sofia in the summer you can find a good hotel for three thousand rubles per day, and in Pomorie high-quality apartments and hotel rooms are rented from four thousand rubles per day.

What is usually brought from Bulgaria:

— shoes and other leather goods, as many Turkish and Italian shoes and other leather goods of good quality are sold in Bulgaria;
— cosmetics based on rose oil, such companies as Refan, Biofresh, Rose of Bulgaria series, Bulgarian Rose are popular with locals and tourists;
— perfumed tubes with rose oil, after applying them to the skin, the fragrance lasts up to six hours;
— various silver jewelry;
— ceramics;
— textiles;
— carpets made of sheep’s wool or woolen threads;
— copper dishes;
— medicines, because there is a large selection in the country and they are cheaper than in Russia;
— rose petal jam is considered the hallmark of the country.

What do tourists think

Katya prefers to relax in the Bulgarian mountains

Tourist Bulgaria and everything called Golden Sands and next to them, it seems to me, are terrible. It is better to go to the coast in Sozopol, it is very beautiful there, at one time there were a lot of campsites, once it was a paradise for informal people, savages.

There is a part that borders Turkey, this is the village of Sinemorets, there are hotels there now, but to be honest, they spoil everything. If you live not from the side of the hotels, but from the side of the reserve, there are incredibly beautiful beaches, next to a river flowing into the sea. This is a paradise for those who love nature.

And if you move from Sinemortz towards the Golden Sands, there is a town of Akhtopol, it is very nice, there are rocks, small beaches, very cozy. It is somewhat reminiscent of Crimea. But this is a vacation for locals, for those who speak Bulgarian and who do not like five-star hotels

Interesting Bulgaria is the mountains, they are amazing — authentic, unkempt, but at the same time some very well—groomed, because the locals are very worried about the protection of nature reserves and everything else.

There is no international tourism in the mountains of Bulgaria at all. To go hiking, you need to speak Bulgarian or have a lot of money to hire a personal guide who will take you everywhere.



Bansko Ski Resort

Photo: Nataliya Nazarova / Shutterstock / Fotodom

For example, Pamporovo is a winter resort with low mountains — there are usually no foreigners, the trails are located right in the forest, among the pines, there are caves nearby, so you can walk there in summer.

Angelina, often vacationing in Bulgaria

Bulgaria is incredibly delicious, there is a variety of food, a lot of vegetables, favorite Balkan pork is cooked so that you can die. Food is delicious and cheap almost everywhere, especially if you do not go to tourist places, but go to eateries on the way. There you need to drink raki, preferably homemade, in the village, but shop food will also do, and there are tons of cheese and banitsa.

In Bulgaria, “yes” means “no”, and vice versa. For example, you can go into a cafe and ask: “Is there tea?” They shake their heads at you in response — like no, although in fact it means “yes”

For the most part, Russians are treated very well, there are many places on the coast where they speak Russian, at least tourists will understand. Bulgarian, compared, for example, with Serbian, is much closer to Russian, much clearer. I have never met any negativity, everyone is positive towards Russians, these are their main tourists, and in the last couple of years Bulgarians have been suffering a lot without travelers from Russia. If there is an influx of Russian tourists, they will be very happy.

Should we expect tourists

Tour operators note that the demand for tours to Bulgaria has been relatively low recently, but now with the advent of new visa barriers, it is hardly worth expecting a surge of interest. It is more expected that domestic travelers will prefer Turkey to her in order to avoid problems with registration of entry documents.

As explained in the Go Travel agency, the cost of tours to Bulgaria is likely to coincide with the prices of vouchers to Montenegro and cost from 200 thousand rubles, to this it is worth adding the cost of a visa in the amount of 35 euros (3.5 thousand rubles). You can go on your own, a ticket from Moscow to Sofia or Varna and back for one costs from 55 thousand rubles.

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