The alternation between reliefs and plains
If you arrive in Bulgaria via Sofia, you'll immediately notice that the city is surrounded by mountains. To the south, the Vitosha is a pretty massif where city dwellers like to stroll, relax and picnic at weekends. To get to the Danube plain, which occupies 30% of the territory, you'll have to cross part of the Balkan chain. On the other side, surprise! These mountains, better known to Bulgarians as Stara Planina, the "old mountains", are gradually disappearing, giving way to vast expanses of land. Along the way, however, you'll come across the rock formations of Belgradchik, where the hike offers fine panoramic views. The Danube plain is made up of limestone plateaus and river marches that slope down to the Danube. You'll encounter long valleys such as the Iskar, Vit and Lom valleys. This alternation between plain and relief continues as you leave the Balkans for the Black Sea, or to the southeast, to the Rhodopes, and to the southwest, to the two natural parks of Rila and Pirin.
The unavoidable summits
Bulgaria is home to a number of high peaks, culminating in Mount Musala at 2,925 m, near Borovets in the Pirin region. This is a popular winter sports destination. The Borovets ski resort is one of the largest in the country, with slopes ranging from 1,350 m to 2,560 m. The ski resort of Bansko, in the Rila, is also very popular, with a vertical drop from 925 m to 2,600 m. During the winter months, the roadsides are littered with billboard advertisements extolling the virtues of Pamporovo as a winter destination par excellence. And rightly so! Even when there's no snow at the foot of the resort, artificial snow keeps the slopes open between 1,650 and 1,957 m. At Tchepelare, four runs culminating at 1,873 m will satisfy every member of the family. Outside the winter season, numerous hiking trails attract mountain lovers.
Few mighty rivers but some splendid lakes
Bulgaria's most majestic river is, of course, the Danube, the natural border with Romania. Regular river shuttles take you from one bank to the other, from one country to the other, in just a few minutes. You can take a boat from Oryahovo in the northwest or Svichtov in the center. In Roussé, a bridge crosses the river. Bulgarians and Romanians often cross each other's paths as they travel back and forth to spend the day "abroad". When you're in northeastern Bulgaria, you don't need to cross the Danube to get to Romania. But it's not as folkloric!
In addition to the Danube, many other rivers cross the country, almost all of them originating in Bulgaria. Among those with the greatest flow, the Maritza flows from Bulgaria into Turkey and empties into the Aegean Sea after passing through Plovdiv, Stara Zagora and Svilengrad. The Strouma, 290 km long, rises in the southwest of Vitosha and continues its journey in Greece. The Iskar flows only in Bulgaria, for 368 km, rising in the Rila and flowing into the Danube.
The rivers feed lakes and dams, most of them man-made, such as the beautiful Lake Batak in the Rhodopes, not far from Velingrad, Vacha and Studen Kladenets, or the Ticha lake in central Bulgaria. The country's largest natural lake is Lake Bourgas (Dam Bourgas), directly connected to the Black Sea. It's an exceptional ornithological reserve. Here you can observe a wide variety of breeding and migratory birds.
Bulgaria is home to over 1,600 drinking water springs, including almost 600 mineral springs, most of them located in the mountains of central and south-western Bulgaria. You can enjoy spas in the main spa towns of Hissarya, Sapareva Banya, Sofia, Bankya, Velingrad, Sandanski, Stara Zagora, Narechen, Sliven, Haskovo, Kyustendil, Varchets... The Sapareva Banya spring is Bulgaria's only geyser. The water gushes out at 103.8°C!
The gorges and caves dug by the water
Although few in number, the watercourses have carved out splendid caves and caverns in the rock, which can be seen throughout the landscape. The Ledenilzu Gorge, near Vratsa, is remarkable. The Magina gorge, near Belogradchik, has nothing to envy. In the Rhodopes, the Trigad Gorge is exceptional. Also not to be missed: the canyon along the Roussenski Lom river, the Krouchouna waterfalls near Letnitsa and the gorges of the Iskar river.
There are over 5,000 caves in Bulgaria. The deepest drops to 415 m and the longest is around 20 km. Nine caves have been developed and are open to the public. They are Ledenika, Magourata and Saeva Doupka, Batcho Kiro and Orlova Tchouka in the North and Centre, Snejanka, Yagodinskata, Dyavolskoto Garlo and Ouhlovitsa in the Rhodopes.
Caving enthusiasts take note: even though the caves in Bulgaria are not very deep, they are extremely difficult. For example, it takes over 30 hours to enter and exit the second deepest cave, Barki 14. So if you want to go caving, it's best to book a trip with a caving club or a specialized adventure travel agency.
The Black Sea coast, between cliffs and valleys
The Black Sea, an inland sea bordered by Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Romania, Ukraine and Russia, is often difficult to access, except from Varna and Bourgas, the two main lowland towns with seaside potential. The Bulgarian coast does, however, boast around a hundred sandy beaches and the Black Sea in summer, where the water is quite warm, reaching up to 28°C.
