Village ?ourism in Bulgaria

It didn’t take long for Bulgaria to develop into one of the main tourism destinations in Europe after the start of its transition from communism. In fact, the country has always been a major tourist destination.Most of the tourists used to arrive from the former communist bloc countries. Much has changed - there are now millions of international travellers pouring into Bulgaria’s beach and ski destinations annually. Many are enjoying a village holiday in Bulgaria.

More than half of the land in Bulgaria is mountainous with dozens of small villages and town spread across the valleys and under the high mountain tops. Many of these towns and villages have made a major push to become attractive tourist destinations and many of them have been successful. In fact, most Bulgarians prefer type of tourism to the major resorts. This has become known as village tourism, although the destinations are not always in villages. Increasingly, foreign tourists are discovering the appeals of this type of a holiday.

A typical village tourism (?????? ??????? in Bulgarian) outing is over the weekend but it could also last a week or longer. The destination is usually a small town or a village in an area that has natural attractions. This could be next to a mountain or a lake as is the case with the Central Balkan area. There might be some cultural attractions nearby such as monasteries or a town with a renovated historic center such as Lovetch, Veliko Turnovo or Plovdiv. So, the appeal of village tourism is that it puts one squarely into nature but, by virtue of Bulgaria being a relatively small country with short distances, one is also very close to various attractions. Often it is the authenticity of rural life itself that attracts people. Many Bulgarian villages presents sights long forgotten in the West such as a old woman walking around with a few goats, donkey carts, and old time village pubs.

Another appeal, and that’s very relevant to many Bulgarians who live on a budget, is that village tourism is relatively inexpensive. The countryside offers thousands of villas for rent and guest houses which are small family-run hotels. They have 3 to 4 rooms and a small restaurant, essentially a B&B. Staying in the guest houses or renting a villa cost a fraction of what it cost to book a hotel room or a private apartment in one of the main resort.