Bulgaria as El Dorado of Business thanks to one of the lowest taxes in Europe. Bulgaria as a new frontier for university studies in Medicine and Dentistry . Bulgaria as a "buen retiro" for pensioners who want to give more value to their social security check. But Bulgaria is also an extraordinary place in which to spend more or less short periods of holiday. Even at Christmas.
Indeed, in anticipation of the end-of-year holidays, we want to give you three possible destinations for three different types of holidays with which to get to know this country in a different way.
Christmas in the snow in Bulgaria in Bansko
48 km of ski slopes, 8 km of ski route, 14 ski lifts, 1700 meters of altitude difference. These are some of the numbers with which Bansko presents itself, what can most likely be seen as the main ski resort in Bulgaria. A fantastic place to visit not only in winter, a period in which it certainly reaches its maximum "splendour", but 365 days a year. A place of sport but also of wonderful accommodation facilities suitable for all budgets, Bansko adapts to almost all skiing abilities, given that 90% of the facilities are classified according to easy or medium slopes. The costs are not even remotely comparable to those of some Italian locations. Just think that a week between 23 and 30 December for two people, in these parts, in a 4-star hotel with breakfast and dinners included is around 1500 euros.
Christmas in the city in Bulgaria, in Sofia
The second location we want to talk to you about, as an idea for a trip to Bulgaria during the Christmas holidays or in any case in the month of December, is Sofia, the capital. You will say: banal. Perhaps. But why not evaluate, just because it is considered banal, a place that will instead be able to reserve us an unforgettable welcome. Sofia is exactly this, and at Christmas she is even something more. It is the city where you can wander around the wonderful Christmas markets in the centre, full of lights, colors and typical products of this extraordinary Balkan area, first and foremost the famous rose oil. The cold won't be kind, so equip yourself, but the atmosphere is worth the price of the ticket, as they say. Usually (Covid permitting) the markets are located in the City Garden of Knyaz Alexander I Square, opening in the afternoon and until late evening.
As is also the case here, these Christmas markets in Sofia are not only a place for shopping but also an extraordinary opportunity to taste typical street food such as sausage skewers, the Christstollen (sweets with sultanas and almonds), the Radatz Kasekrainer (sausages Austrians with Emmenthal cheese), crepes, churros and artisanal chocolate. The cost for a week at Christmas in Sofia, for two people in a 4-star hotel, is approximately 1000 euros.
Christmas by the sea in Bulgaria, in Varna
I know, now we are really daring, proposing not only to spend Christmas in Bulgaria, but even at the seaside, i.e. out of season. But we make this proposal because we think that the Christmas period could be the right time to "taste" these lesser-known aspects of Bulgaria, that of the tourist area by the sea. And in this Vara is certainly the destination of excellence worth mentioning. A destination that fills up with tourists even during Christmas, attracted by the milder climate that can be enjoyed here on the Black Sea coasts, compared to the freezing cold inland.
Under the pale Bulgarian December sun in Varna we recommend you enjoy long walks along the most beautiful beaches of this location, such as San Costantino and Elena, Shkorpilovtsi and Albena. Costs? Ultra popular. In a 4-star hotel in Varna, with dinner and breakfast included for two people, you spend less than 600 euros during Christmas week.
