Road trips in Bulgaria
6 road trips and 33 hand-picked places in Bulgaria, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping.
- Trip guides
- 6
- Places
- 33
- Motorways
- Vignette needed for motorways
- Speed limit
- 140 km/h
Magazine: Romania and Bulgaria by motorhome: vignettes, mountain passes and what to check in October
Few or none. Buy the e-vignette online before you drive on motorways. Driving in Europe
Road trips through Bulgaria
Photo by George Ivanov on UnsplashRila and Pirin: lakes, monasteries and sand pyramids
© Камен Ханджиев · CC BY-SA 4.0Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast: Kaliakra to Sozopol
© zonemars · CC BY-SA 3.0Across the Balkan range: Veliko Tarnovo, Shipka and Plovdiv
© Камен Ханджиев · CC BY-SA 4.0The Rhodope Mountains: marble bridges and cave gorges
Photo by Ivan Nedelchev on UnsplashMonastery frescoes, sand pyramids and the scent of roses – by camper from Sofia across Bulgaria to the Black Sea
© Спасимир (Spasimir Pilev) · CC BY-SA 4.0Woodcarvers, rose oil and tsars’ fortresses – by camper through the heart of Bulgaria to the travertine cascades
| Route | Suggested days | Distance | Driving | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rila and Pirin: lakes, monasteries and sand pyramids | 5 | 212 km | 2 h 56 min | 8 |
| Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast: Kaliakra to Sozopol | 4 | 225 km | 3 h 06 min | 7 |
| Across the Balkan range: Veliko Tarnovo, Shipka and Plovdiv | 4 | 186 km | 2 h 34 min | 9 |
| The Rhodope Mountains: marble bridges and cave gorges | 4 | 118 km | 1 h 38 min | 8 |
| Monastery frescoes, sand pyramids and the scent of roses – by camper from Sofia across Bulgaria to the Black Sea | 8 | 851 km | 11 h 45 min | 14 |
| Woodcarvers, rose oil and tsars’ fortresses – by camper through the heart of Bulgaria to the travertine cascades | 7 | 562 km | 7 h 45 min | 14 |
Places worth the detour in Bulgaria
© Klearchos Kapoutsis from Paleo Faliro, Greece · CC BY 2.0Seven Rila Lakes
© Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie from London, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0Rila Monastery
© Nina1009 · CC BY-SA 4.0Melnik Sand Pyramids
© Photographer: Mosbatho · CC BY 4.0Balchik Palace
© www.bdmundo.com · CC BY-SA 2.0Cape Kaliakra
© zonemars · CC BY-SA 3.0Tsarevets Fortress
© Hans Birger Nilsen · CC BY-SA 2.0Ancient Theatre of Plovdiv
© Art Anderson · CC BY-SA 3.0Wonderful Bridges
© Miroslav Dechev · CC BY-SA 4.0Devil’s Throat Cave
© Красимир Косев · CC BY 3.0Plovdiv Old Town
© Andrei Dan Suciu · CC BY 3.0Nessebar Old Town
© Nikolov2010 · Public domainRozhen Monastery
© Камен Ханджиев · CC BY-SA 4.0Aladzha Monastery
© Ad Meskens · CC BY-SA 4.0Arbanasi
© www.bdmundo.com · CC BY-SA 2.0Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex
© Иван Коев · CC BY-SA 4.0Shipka Monument
© Stanislav Traykov · CC BY 3.0Buzludzha Monument
© Galileo01 · CC BY 4.0Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak
© Камен Ханджиев · CC BY-SA 4.0Asen’s Fortress
© Ad Meskens · CC BY-SA 4.0Bachkovo Monastery
© Art Anderson · CC BY-SA 3.0Yagodina Cave
© kuchin ster · CC BY 3.0Sozopol Old Town
© Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie from London, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
© Adert · CC BY-SA 4.0Boyana Church
FAQs
What are the best road trips in Bulgaria?
Popular routes include Rila and Pirin: lakes, monasteries and sand pyramids, Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast: Kaliakra to Sozopol, Across the Balkan range: Veliko Tarnovo, Shipka and Plovdiv and The Rhodope Mountains: marble bridges and cave gorges. CampingSpirit has 6 trip guides that pass through Bulgaria, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map.
Which places in Bulgaria are worth a detour?
Our editors recommend Seven Rila Lakes, Rila Monastery, Melnik Sand Pyramids, Balchik Palace, Cape Kaliakra and Tsarevets Fortress.
Do you need a vignette or pay tolls in Bulgaria?
Vignette needed for motorways. Buy the e-vignette online before you drive on motorways. Rules and prices change. Check official sources before you travel.
What is the motorway speed limit in Bulgaria?
140 km/h on motorways for cars, unless signs show otherwise.
Are there low-emission zones in Bulgaria?
Few or none.