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Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Bankya, Bulgaria, Europe

Bankya is a town and district belonging to the greater Sofia region in Bulgaria, situated around 10 kms away from the downtown Sofia. It is renowned for its natural tourist destinations and balneological treatment. Tourism is the backbone of the economy of Bankya.

 

Geography of Bankya:

Bankya is positioned at the foot of the Lyulin Mountain between 42°42′ N latitude and 23°8′ E longitude at an elevation of 695 meters.

 

History of Bankya:

The literal meaning of Bankya is ‘hot spring’ which is derived from the presence of many popular mineral springs. Thracian tribes were the first settlers of Bankya around 2500 years ago. Bankya gained city status in 1969 and became one of the parts of Sofia in 1979.

 

How to reach Bankya?

Due to its proximity to the capital city, Sofia, Bankya has got good connectivity with the most of the major regions of the country by roadway, railway and airway.

Sofia Airport is located around 24 km from the heart of Bankya operating flights to major European cities such as Moscow, London, Berlin, Athens, Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam.

There are regular buses available in Bankya to reach Sofia Airport and neighboring cities. Taxis, rental cars and bikes are additional options for local travel.

 

Culture, Food and Shopping in Bankya:

Bankya is home to many historical sites including palace and churches. Due to the frequent visit of tourists from the different regions of the world, there are several food corners and shops recently established to serve visitors. Tourists can also visit Sofia city for more comfort.

 

Things to do in Bankya:

• Mineral baths
• Visiting Historical sites
• Spa treatments
• Shopping

 

Tourist Attractions in Bankya:

Mineral Baths:

Mineral Baths in Bankya was established between 1907 and 1910, designed by Munich architect Carl Hocheder. It is the prime attraction of Bankya as it is used for medicinal purposes.

 

Church of Martyrs Quiricus and Julietta:

Church of Martyrs Quiricus and Julietta was constructed in the year 1932 and Bishop Stephen from Sofia inaugurated it.

 

Bankya Palace:

Bankya Palace is the historical landmark in Bankya and now it has been converted into a spa hotel.

 

The former presidential residence:

The former presidential residence in Bankya is an ancient structure and currently it is used as a country golf club.

 

Other places of interest in and around Bankya include:

• Vazov’s Oak
• Cathedral Saint Alexandar Nevski
• Ivan Vazov National Theater
• Vitosha Mountain
• Boyana Church
• National Museum of Military History
• Saint Nedelja Church
• The Rotunda of St George
• Museum of Socialist Art
• National Opera and Ballet
• National Institute of Archaeology with Museum
• Saint Sofia Church
• Central Sofia Synagogue
• Sveta Petka Samardjiyska
• National Museum of History

 

Ideal time to visit Bankya:

From June to September is the best time to travel Bankya while the weather will be more supportive for outdoor activities.

 

Accommodation options in and around Bankya:

Bankya is home to 3 eminent hotels namely Bankya Palace, Harmony Bankya and Family Hotel Emaly 1 which offer all the modern facilities such as spa, airport shuttle, doctor on call, hot water bath, AC and arrangement of the vehicle. The prominent hotels in Bankya and Sofia (10 km) are listed below:

• Bankya Palace
• Family Hotel Emaly 1
• Harmony Bankya
• BEST WESTERN Premier Thracia Hotel
• Grand Hotel Sofia
• Central Park Hotel
• Arena di Serdica Residence Hotel
• Suite Hotel Sofia
• Holiday Inn Sofia
• BEST WESTERN PLUS City Hotel
• Radisson Blu Grand Hotel
• Sense Hotel Sofia
• Crystal Palace Boutique Hotel
• Les Fleurs Boutique Hotel
• Park Inn by Radisson Sofia

Tourist Places to Visit in Balchik, Bulgaria, Europe

Balchik is a town on the coast of Black Sea in the Dobrich province of Bulgaria, around 33 km southeast of Dobrich, 44 km northeast of Varna and 540 km northeast of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Balchik is one of the prominent seaside resorts in Bulgaria attracting water sport lovers for its scenic beauty.

 

Geography of Balchik:

Balchik is geographically positioned at the northeastern Bulgaria between 43°25′ N latitude and 28°10′ E longitude at an altitude of 199 meters.

 

History of Balchik:

Trivia is named in the honor of the medieval monarch, Balchik who was the brother of Dobrotitsa. Trivia was initially formed as a Thracian settlement and the Ionian ancient Greeks were settled in Balchik in later years and they changed the name from Krounoi to Dionysopolis. The present name may be changed during the rule of the Ottoman Empire.

 

How to reach Balchik?

Balchik is catered by the Varna Airport which handles scheduled flights to Vienna, Burgas, Sofia and seasonal flights to St. Petersburg, London and Moscow and charter flights to Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris, Kiev, Zurich, Kuwait and other major cities of the world.

There are taxis and buses at all times accessible at the airport to Balchik. Other than airport travel, taxis are also available to reach tourist destinations and neighboring cities, charging around 0.79 leva per km. Advance booking is available.

 

Culture, Food and Shopping in Balchik:

The Process–Space Festival of Contemporary Arts is the major event organized in Balchik in the month of June annually.

There are many well equipped shopping centres in Balchik selling the modern and traditional products including perfume and traditional colorful clothes.

The reputed food corners in Balchik are listed below:

• Restaurant Korona
• Bistro Cedar
• El Simpatico
• The White House
• Selena Restaurant

 

Things to do in Balchik:

• Visiting Beaches
• Visiting Botanical garden
• Visiting Parks
• Walking

 

What to see in Balchik?

 

The Balchik Botanical Garden:

The Balchik Botanical Garden is one of the two major landmarks as well as tourist attractions of Balchik, another being the Balchik Palace. It is a well maintained spectacular botanical garden packed with a variety of colorful flowers and shrubs. A must visit.

 

Balchik Palace:

The Balchik Palace was built between 1926 and 1937 during the Romanian rule on request of Queen Marie of Romania. It boasts a wine cellar, a monastery, numerous residential villas, a holy spring and a botanical garden.

 

The golf courses of Balchik:

Balchik is home to 3 18-hole golf course, 2 which are designed by Gary Player and another is designed by Ian Woosnam. Tourists can reach golf courses by taxi or car.

 

List of other places of interest in Balchik includes:

• Museum of Ethnography
• Naval Museum
• Battle of Varna Park Museum “Varnenchik”
• Varna Archaeological Museum
• The Sea Garden
• Varna Aquarium
• Nicolaus Copernicus Observatory and Planetarium
• Varna Dolphinarium
• Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox churches

 

When to visit Balchik?

Generally summer months are ideal to explore beaches of Balchik.

 

Where to stay in Balchik?

Balchik is a resort town housing more than 70 well known accommodation centres categorized as hotels, resorts, BB and Inns and holiday rentals with all the upgraded facilities and services. The major hotels in Balchik are as follows:

• BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas
• Regina Maria Spa Design Hotel
• Marina City
• The Valeo Hotel
• Hotel Naslada
• Holiday Beach Hotel
• Hotel Diamond
• Pri Paskal Hotel
• Family Hotel Selena
• Irish Rover Hotel
• White House Family Hotel
• Holiday Village Oazis
• Hotel & Restaurant Alex
• Hotel Los Dos Gallos
• Guest House Botanical Garden

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Bulgaria, Europe

Bulgaria is a country in Southeast Europe geographically positioned at 42°45′ N 25°30′ E. Sofia is the capital and the largest city of Bulgaria placed towards the western side of the country. Bulgarian Lev is the currency and Bulgarian is the official language of Bulgaria. Bulgaria is one of the member countries of NATO, the Council of Europe and the European Union.

 

Geography of Bulgaria:

Bulgaria shares its borders with Romania in the north, Greece and Turkey towards south, the Black Sea on the east and Serbia and Macedonia in the west and spread over an area of 110,994 sq. km.

 

History of Bulgaria:

The history of Bulgaria dates back to 681 AD when the First Bulgarian Empire was formed and the Second Bulgarian Empire was established in the year 1185. The Third Bulgarian State (the principality of Bulgaria) came into existence on 13^th July 1878 due to The Russo-Turkish War. The independence of Bulgaria was proclaimed on 5^th October 1908.

 

Getting Bulgaria:

Sofia Airport is the most important airport of Bulgaria with connectivity to Athens, Moscow, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, London, Munich, Birmingham, Istanbul and many other major European locations.

Other major airports in Bulgaria include Varna Airport, Burgas Airport and Plovdiv Airport.

Bulgaria is accessible with good domestic and international railway network with scheduled trains to Kiev, Istanbul and Vienna.

The capital city, Sofia has an upgraded metro train system and other travel options in the Bulgarian cities include bus, taxi and rental cars.

 

Culture, food and shopping in Bulgaria:

The culture of Bulgaria is inherited from the different communities such as Slavic, Bulgar, Thracian, Roman, Ottoman and Persian. Bulgarian folk music is very famous all around Europe.

The famous Bulgarian dishes include banitsa, shopska salad, kozunak, yogurt, lukanka and lyutenitsa. Most of the major Bulgarian shops accept Euro and cards other than Lev. The prominent international standard shopping malls and restaurants are placed in Sofia.

 

Tourist Attractions in Bulgaria:

Sunny Beach Resort:

Sunny Beach Resort is one of the major tourist attractions of Bulgaria placed on the coast of the Black Sea, around 35 km away from the centre of the Burgas city. There are many live music bars, discos, pubs and nightclubs at Sunny Beach.

 

Seven Rila Lakes:

Seven Rila Lakes are the top tourist destinations in the country of Bulgaria, located towards the northwestern Rila Mountains. The names of the lakes are Salzata, Okoto, Trilistnika, Ribnoto Ezero, Dolnoto Ezero, Babreka and Bliznaka.

 

Rila Monastery:

Being a largest Eastern Orthodox monastery as well as the identity of Bulgaria, Rila Monastery is placed in the southwestern Rila Mountains, around 115 km away from Sofia. It was constructed in the 10th century and was named in the honor of the founder of the monastery, the hermit Ivan of Rila.

 

List of other places of interest in Bulgaria include:

• Borovets
• Bulgarian National Bank
• Krushuna Falls
• Pamporovo
• Rose Valley
• Kaliakra
• Perperikon
• Dospat Reservoir
• Bachkovo Monastery
• Musala
• Buzludzha
• Sofia Zoo
• Belogradchik Rocks
• Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex
• Aladzha Monastery
• Saint Sofia Church

 

Ideal time to visit Bulgaria:

Throughout the year is best, especially, as far as the weather is taken into consideration, the months of July and August are ideal to visit Bulgaria.

 

Accommodation options in Bulgaria:

Bulgaria is home to around 100 renowned tourist sites as well as 1000+ reputed accommodation centres. Sunny Beach and Sofia share higher majority of Bulgarian hotels. Hostels and guest houses are cheaper options. Listed below are the best hotels in Bulgaria (Sofia):

 

Budget:

• Art Hostel
• Canape Connection Hostel
• Levitt Hostel
• Hostel Lavele
• Sofia Guesthouse
• Nightingale Hostel
• Orient Express Hostel

 

Mid range:

• Park Inn by Radisson Sofia Hotel
• Holiday Village Diplomat
• Holiday Inn Sofia
• Red House B&B
• Maria Luisa Hotel
• Metropolitan Hotel Sofia

 

Top end:

• Crystal Palace Boutique Hotel Sofia
• Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan
• Arena di Serdica Residence Hotel Sofia