Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Monasteries
About a dozen of the 160 monasteries around Bulgaria offer accommodation to anyone, of
either sex, from pilgrims to foreign tourists. Some rooms are actually inside the monas-
tery, such as at the Rila and Cherepish monasteries, or at guesthouses within metres of the
monastery gates, for example at the Troyan, Dryanovo and Lopushanski monasteries.
Some offer rooms only on a sporadic basis and availability may be unreliable; contact the
monasteries directly to see if they have room. For information on Bulgaria's monasteries,
including contact details and accommodation availability see
Mountain Huts
Anyone, especially those enjoying long-distance treks or shorter hikes, can stay at any
hizha
(mountain hut). Normally a
hizha
only offers basic, but clean and comfortable,
dormitory beds with a shared bathroom, which cost from 10 lv to 35 lv per person per
night. Most are open only from May to October, but those situated at or near major ski
slopes are often also open in winter.
Zig Zag Holidays
( 980 5102;
www.zigzagbg.com
;
bul Stamboliyski 20-V, enter
from ul Lavele; 9.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri; Serdika)
can arrange accommodation in
the mountains and villages.
Private Rooms
Private rooms are mainly found in the cities and resorts along the Black Sea. Standards
vary, but in the cities they will be in private flats in nondescript apartment blocks with
shared bathroom facilities, and will tend to be away from the centre. In resorts such as So-
zopol or Pomorie, private rooms are likely to be a more professional set-up and of a
slightly higher standard, with private bathrooms. Rooms cost anywhere between 10 lv and
30 lv per person.
Stays in private rooms can often be arranged through an accommodation agency in a
town centre, or at a bus or train station. Alternatively, you can keep an eye out for signs
outside private homes advertising rooms available, either in Bulgarian or, quite often, in
English or German. The pensioners who hang around outside bus and train stations offer-
ing rooms in their homes are invariably living on very low incomes, so by paying them
directly, without the commissions taken by agencies, you will have the satisfaction of
knowing that you're helping them get by and also making a positive contribution to this
form of sustainable tourism.
