In Southern Bulgaria

18. Witness a traditional bare foot fire dance ritual – Nestinarstvo

The ritual Nestinarstvo is famous for the unique barefoot dances on fire performed by Nestinari. The ritual takes place on 3th of June, the day of Sts. Constantine and Helen, in Bulgare village. Nestinarstvo is a unique mixture of Eastern Orthodox beliefs and older pagan traditions from the Strandzha Mountains. Definitely a must-see…

19. Buzludzha monument – the abandoned symbol of Communism in Bulgaria

The Buzludzha monument is a massive abandoned building on a peak in Central Balkan Mountain in Bulgaria. It was officially opened in August 1981 and became the headquarter of the Communist Party in Bulgaria until the fall of the regime.

Today, it is closed for the public and is slowly destroyed. Nevertheless, it is still a place worth visiting.

20. Hike the Urdini Lakes in Rila

Rila is the highest mountain on the Balkans with its Musala peak (2925 m). A wonderful day trip from Sofia led us to the less famous but still as beautiful Urdini lakes.

The hike took us around 9 hours and, again, with those views every step was worth it…