Bulgaria Holiday Guide

Tour operators including Thomson, Monarch and First Choice fly charters into Varna for packages to Albena and Golden Sands, and Bourgas for Nessebur and Sunny Beach. British Airways, BH Air, Wizz Air and Bulgaria Air operate flights into Sofia. There is a good public transport system in Sofia, and you can purchase a one or five-day pass for. If you are staying in a Black Sea resort you'll probably be able to get around by foot, or taxis are dead cheap. Car hire is possible but not recommended as road signs are poor as soon as you get outside resorts.

There is 230 miles of coastline along the Black Sea, boasting excellent golden beaches around which numerous holiday resorts have been built. By far the most popular package holiday destination is Sunny Beach, which has a huge, wide beach lapped by gentle waves. It gets very busy during summer months and is popular with families and couples. The second-largest resort is Golden Sands, which has a lovely long beach edged by pine-covered hills. This resort is a hit with families as the beaches are safe and there's some great children's entertainment. Plus it’s cheap.

The beach at Nessebur is also lovely, although its big draw is the quaint fishing village itself, which has World Heritage Status. On the downside, the historic buildings have been mostly converted into souvenir shops, bars or restaurants so it can be hard to spot the underlying beauty. Other beach resorts include quieter St Konstantin, which, with its picturesque park and mineral springs attracts a more mature crowd than Elenite.

There is lots to see on holiday in Bulgaria, but stick to the centre of capital Sofia to avoid the Soviet concrete towers that crowd the suburbs. Visit the cavernous neo-Byzantine Alexander Nevski Memorial Church, Church of St George, which dates back to the 4th century and the spectacular domed Sveta Nedelya Cathedral. Museums include the Archaeological and Ethnographical Museums. The Borisova Gradina Park is nice for a bit of greenery and Mineral Baths are great for relaxing and admiring the ornate architecture. 8km from the centre is Boyana, home to the National Museum of History and the 13th century Boyana Church - it's definitely worth a detour.

On the Black Sea, there are many thermal spas with mineral pools and curative mud treatments. They include Golden Sands, St Konstantin, Elena, Varna and Albena. Visit the Baltata Nature Reserve near Albena and the well preserved Roman baths in Varna. South of Sofia, the Pirin National Park has some excellent walking trails, while in Bulgaria's centre, Rusenski Lom National Park features some lovely churches.

South of Sofia is Mount Vitosha where you can ski in winter or hike in summer. You may even want to venture as far as the former capital Veliko Tarnovo, 150 miles from Sofia, which is a breathtakingly beautiful city where houses perch precariously on the sides of cliffs overlooking the Yantra River Gorge.

From Golden Sands take a walk through 1,320 acre Golden Sands Nature Park full of shady forested trails - you might even make it to the monastery beyond. If you're staying on the north coast, Balchik is worth a day out, the town is quite charming and untouristy, and it has a fine, if small, palace within a 35-hectare collection of gardens and water ways.

National dishes tend to be spicy, hearty and very tasty, so foodies on holiday in Bulgaria have plenty of dishes to discover. Many meals include meat, potatoes and cheese. Fruit is juicy and sweet and, like most food in Bulgaria, cheap all year round. Most restaurants will have some non-threatening Western dishes to go alongside the alien local cuisine for those with an unadventurous palate.

Some local specialities include tarator (cold soup with cucumber, walnuts and yogurt), kavarma (casserole made from pork or veal, onions and mushrooms) and shishkebab (stuffed vine leaves and moussaka).

The local beer and wine is ridiculously cheap, ensuring all evenings get off to a good start. Black Sea resorts with a good selection of bars include Sunny Beach and Golden Sands and while they might be primarily family-oriented resorts, there are plenty of nightclubs and 24-hour bars to choose from. Varna has a theatre which puts on concerts and shows.

Many of the hotels have some kind of evening entertainment although much of this is tired and can be a bit embarrassing.

There are countless stalls selling a variety of local arts and crafts, souvenirs and general tat of varying quality. Many line the promenades behind the beaches of the Black Sea resorts. Bourgas and Varna both have a wide selection of shops where you can buy clothes and browse the electrical goods.

Sofia's main shopping area is around Vitosha Boulevard where you can stock up on cheap handicrafts, wines, spirits and chocolates. Pay a visit to TZUM department store, its austere exterior harks back to the communist era.

In Sofia, take the kids to Sofia Land, a new theme park between Yuzhen Park and Borisova Gradina, or visit the Sofia Zoo. There's also Mega Xtreme Bowling for rainy days.

On the Black Sea, take them to Ropotamo Nature Reserve, which has rolling sand dunes, a number of short walking trails and a boat ride along the river through marsh land. There are around 200 species of bird to look out for too. Strandzha Nature Park has a very unspoilt beach and the Naval Museum at Varna has submarines and torpedos on display. In Golden Sands, the 13th century catacombs under Aladzha Monastery might be spooky enough to scare/entertain older kids. Watersports, tennis and horse riding are available too.