YPT Tours to Bulgaria

Join one of our Bulgaria tours to experience Balkan hospitality, excellent food and a whole host of communist-era treasures. Ancient roman ruins, orthodox monasteries and impressive nature make the picture complete!

Located in Eastern Europe and with shores on the Black Sea, Bulgaria is very diverse. It is also home of the world-famous UFO monument at Buzludzha, as well as the heaviest communist monument on Earth.

On our Bulgaria tours, you can go for a relaxing time or indulging in 1970s nostalgia by staying in classic hotels from the communist era.

Group Tours to Bulgaria

We aren’t currently running group tours to Bulgaria, but we’re always expanding our scope of destinations so check this page and our social media accounts regularly to get all the news.

In the meantime, you can check our tours in the neighbouring countries: Romania, Serbia, Kosovo or North Macedonia – as well as our full range of Soviet tours.

Independent Tours to Bulgaria

Having run tours to Bulgaria for many years, Young Pioneer Tours have been able to create a great network of local partners, hotels, guides and off-the-beaten-track itineraries and activities for Bulgaria.

As such, we can arrange independent and bespoke travel packages to Bulgaria, either as standalone, or as part of wider Eastern Europe packages.

Example of an Bulgaria Itinerary (6 days, 5 nights)

Day 1  – Sofia

• Fly to Sofia, Bulgaria’s thriving capital and the crossroads of many former empires.
• Check into our hotel
• Evening meetup where we’ll head for a Tsar’s feast of Bulgarian kebabs and Balkan beer!
• Overnight in Sofia

Day 2 – Sofia/Plovdiv

• After breakfast, we’ll head to downtown Sofia and explore this ancient capital with remnants of many empires from the Romans to the Soviets.
• We’ll see the former Communist HQ, remains of the Roman underground, the North Korean style monument to the Red Army and the stunning Alexander Nevsky cathedral.
• We’ll explore the local flea market selling everything from Soviet medals to Nazi daggers.
• After lunch, we’ll head out of the city to the museum of Socialist art. This is an industrial yard where Bulgaria dumped all of their imposing Soviet monuments during the 1990s. Here you can find statues of Lenin and KGB founder Dzerdzinsky.
• We’ll then head East and drive to the city of Plovdiv, arriving in the evening and checking into our hotel for the night.
• Overnight in Plovdiv

Day 3 – Plovdiv

• After a hearty Bulgarian breakfast, we’ll walk it off with a hike to the highlight of Plovdiv: Alyosha!
• Alyosha is an 11-metre (36-foot) tall reinforced concrete statue of a Soviet soldier. Modelled on a soldier of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the statue tops a 6-metre (20-foot) pedestal lined with granite and dominates the skyline of Plovdiv. The memorial commemorates Soviet casualties incurred during the Soviet invasion of Bulgaria during WW2.
• We’ll then check out the ‘’Hillock of Eternity’’ dedicated to the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule, the Unification of Bulgaria, the Bulgarian partisan movement and “the victory of socialism” in 1944. Bones of partisans from the Plovdiv region were placed inside the memorial complex once it was finished. It was inaugurated on 9th September 1974 by the party leader Todor Zhivkov in honour of the 30th anniversary of the “socialist revolution’’ in Bulgaria.
• After lunch, we’ll head to the well preserved Roman Amphitheatre of Plovdiv. This marvel of Roman construction is one of the world’s best-preserved ancient theatres and was constructed in the the 1st century AD with the ability to host up to 7,000 spectators.
• Overnight in Plovdiv

Day 4 – Stara Zagora/Kazanlak

• We’ll make an early start as we head further east to the city of Stara Zagora. Our brief stop here will be along a road lined with military bunkers to the Defenders of Stara Zagora Memorial Complex.
• These monolithic giants who stare out over the city are there to ensure that none of the citizens forget the sacrifice of over 14,000 soldiers who lost their lives in a disastrous military campaign for the city in the Russian-Turkish Liberation War of the 1800s. In 1977, the memorial was unveiled. The brutalist monument stands over 50 feet tall and sees a giant Russian officer embedded in stone pillars alongside six Bulgarian volunteer fighters.
• We’ll head deep into the Balkan mountains to a former battlefield that was the scene of fierce fighting between the Russian and Ottoman Empires. Interestingly, there is a giant memorial here with the crest of Imperial Russia. When the Soviets came through in WW2, they didn’t destroy it but did slap a Communist memorial on the side making it a very rare mixture of Tsarist and Communist history!
• We’ll have lunch on the road before we head to a trip highlight, Buzludzha!
• On a remote mountain peak in the middle of Bulgaria stands one of the world’s most incredible architectural works.
• The peak itself was the site of a battle between the Bulgarians and the Turks in 1868. In 1891 a group of socialists led by Dimitar Blagoev met on the peak to plan for Bulgaria’s socialist future. To commemorate these events, the Communist government in the 1970s decided to erect a monument commemorating socialist communism. What followed was something straight out of a sci-fi movie, a UFO shaped headquarters with a gigantic red star on the top. After the collapse of Communism in Bulgaria in 1989, the site was abandoned and remains as an eerie monument to a fallen empire.
• We’ll buy some Bulgarian village wine on the way and hike to the top of the peak. After exploring we’ll take in the view with a few glasses.
• Drive on to the city of Kazanlak, where we’ll check into our Communist era hotel and head out for an evening meal.
• Overnight in Kazanlak.

Day 5 – Shumen  

• Typical Communist era breakfast at the hotel before we hit the road towards the Black Sea.
• On the way we’ll stop at a park of abandoned MiG fighter jets on the side of the road, it’s possible to climb on them and get inside if you wish.
• We’ll then hit the city of Shumen before another trip highlight: the heaviest Communist monument on earth!
• Built in 1981, the enormous monument dominating the town of Shumen and visible from over 18 miles away is dedicated to the 1300 year anniversary of the Bulgarian Empire. Featuring Bulgarian kings and heroes in the form of giant stone giants frozen in concrete, the menacing figures lurk in high corners of a geometric building with slick, towering walls. The monument is reached by climbing a stern concrete staircase.
• We’ll then have lunch in Shumen before heading to the failed Communist project known as the ‘Central City Square,’ a huge project of revolutionary urban design destined to incorporate shops, a hotel, a post office, cafes and restaurants, and wedding halls. However, after the collapse of the Communist government, the project became an orphan of an ideology. Today it stands as an enormous concrete beast. Too vast to complete and too sturdy to destroy.
• We’ll then drive on to the 6th and final city of our journey, the home of the Bulgarian naval fleet: Varna!
• You’ll be welcomed by the view of the Black Sea as we approach the city.
• Check into our Communist era hotel and head out for an evening meal in a local institution.
• Overnight in Varna

Day 6 – Varna

• We’ll take a stroll through the beautiful sea garden and visit the maritime museum full of Communist era weapons, aircraft and boats.
• We’ll then head to the Brutalist planetarium to take in its gorgeous architecture.
• Walk to The Pantheon of the Fallen in Wars, an impressive Communist monument from the 1950s, featuring two enormous statues of heavily armed partisans in the height of a fight against the Fascists.
• We’ll have lunch in a restaurant overlooking the shores of the Black Sea before heading to the Alley of the Cosmonauts, featuring pine trees planted by Communist space travel pioneers including Yuri Gagarin himself! There is a small statue of the first man in space here.
• We’ll round off our trip at the monument of Bulgarian-Soviet friendship. This hulking monument was constructed in honour of the Soviet Army, as a symbol of friendship between the two peoples. The monument is on Turna hill, a former battlefield where many men have died fighting capitalism and fascism. We must climb the staircase of victors to reach the monument, 305 stairs stretching 50 feet ft. across. It took 7 months, 27,000 volunteers, 10,000 tons of concrete and 1,000 tons of armature iron to construct this communist beast. After completion, 20,000 trees were planted in tribute.
• Evening meal and farewell drinks in Varna

Day 7 – Varna

• End of the tour depart at your own convenience. YPT can arrange additional nights in Bulgaria and airport drop off for a fee. Varna airport has excellent flight connections all over Europe and airport transfers or onward travel through Europe can be arranged.

Bespoke Bulgaria Tours 

As part of our travel packages within Central and Eastern Europe, we can offer bespoke and independent tours to Bulgaria. These can be done as full Serbia tours or be combined with other countries. 

For more information on the following programmes, simply get in touch.

Soviet architecture and monuments

There are thousands of nearly forgotten Soviet monuments in Bulgaria, and at YPT we know the location of most of them, from many antifascist monuments to the huge Mother Bulgaria Pantheon in the west of the country, including monuments commemorating the Russo-Ottoman war, some forgotten MIGs and T-34. We can arrange you the most complete soviet-relic hunting road trip. 

The Buzludzha Fest

Yearly in the summer times, a festival is organised in the most famous communist building in Bulgaria, with three music stages, a 3D mapping show, a rich daily cultural programme and beautiful nature. The event is held in support of the preservation and opening of the Buzludzha monument as a place for art, culture and history. The cause is not politically bound and does not aim for the full restoration of the monument, but its conservation and reuse for educational and tourist purposes. At YPT we have a good relationship with the organisers, and you can have the chance to go inside the impressive building. This can be done in combination with our other Bulgaria tours.

Nature Wonders and hikes

The Balkan region is known for its great natural beauty and Bulgaria is no exception. The Belogradchik rock formations with its ancient fortress or the Seven lakes natural reserve offers hikes from different levels between green valleys and obviously deep blue lakes. Very close to it, the Rila National park is home to the tallest mountain, the Musala peak. In the south of the country, the Pirin national park offers good opportunities for trekking with amazing views to the glaciers.

Bulgarian History and Culture Tour

Bulgaria is home to many Roman and Thracian ruins, with some of the most famous found in Plovdiv. Villages where the traditional Bulgarian architecture can be appreciated, such as Arbanasi in Veliko Tarnovo, or Koprivhtitsa between Sofia and Plovdiv, are also good stops for Bulgarian tours. Fortresses and monasteries can be found all over the country, the most notorious being the Rila Monastery, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1976. 

The Black sea 

The Black sea coastline in Bulgaria has much more to offer other than relaxing on the beach. The biggest cities, Varna and Burgas, have a lot of communist monuments and brutalist buildings. From north to south, you’ll see the long and narrow Kaliakra cape with its fortress, the Balchik palace, which was constructed between 1926 and 1937 with great architecture and beautiful gardens, and the Staria Grad (old town) of Nessebar, where you can walk around mediaeval streets and enjoy fresh seafood. Also, you can take a ferry to Saint Anastasia Island, formerly known as Bolshevik Island, because of a group of 43 political prisoners (communists and anti-fascists) who revolted and escaped from the island in 1925. You can visit the monastery where the prison was located as well as the lighthouse.

Filming in Bulgaria
Through our media arm Pioneer Media we can make arrangements for productions, journalists, or others, to film within Bulgaria from big budget to guerrilla productions. We can also arrange meetings in country, as well as correct visas for journalist wishing to do projects within the country.

Frequently asked questions about travel to Bulgaria

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