Bulgaria holidays

Holidaying in Bulgaria is like taking a journey through the ages. There are often great cheap city break deals on offer to the capital city Sofia, where the ancient ruins of Serdica rub shoulders with the neo-byzantine style Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

A short distance away, in the deep valley of Rilska amid dense pine forest, the majestic Rila Monastery is a 10th century Eastern Orthodox monastery with brightly coloured frescoes.

Bulgaria has four distinct seasons. Spring is warm, summer is long and hot, autumn is pleasant with stunning foliage, and snow falls abundantly during the winter.

Although each season attracts different types of visitors, summer is by far the most popular travel season. The months of February to May are considered the low season and can be marginally cheaper.

Local and international artists will grace the Jazz Festival in August. The midnight jazz programme that runs till the early morning hours is a firm favourite among festival-goers.

In the same month, the sound of bagpipes echoes off the mountainsides in Gela, in the south of the country. With the aim of promoting Rhodope folklore, a bagpipe contest attracts players of all ages.

Responsible for producing 85% of the world’s rose oil, the Rose Valley in Bulgaria celebrates this beautiful blossom in the first week of June with a parade and the crowning of a Rose Queen.

Currency: Bulgarian lev (лв)

Capital city: Sofia

Language: Bulgarian

Key phrase to learn: Nazdrave! (Cheers! To your health!)

Time difference: Bulgaria is two hours ahead of the UK

Average flight time: 3 hours.

International phone code: +359

Emergency services number: 112

Public holidays: New Year’s Day (January 1), Liberation Day (March 3), Orthodox Good Friday (Friday before Orthodox Easter Sunday), Labour Day (May 1), Saint George's Day (May 6), Saints Cyril and Methodius Day (May 24), Unification Day (September 6), Independence Day (September 22), Revival Day (November 1), Christmas Eve (December 24), Christmas (December 25-26).

Link to FCO travel advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bulgaria