Budget Travel Guide to Bulgaria

Alpine mountains, green hills and unspoilt empty beaches contrast with ancient ruins and sparse monasteries in this diverse and beautiful country.

Bulgaria Budget Accommodation

Bulgaria doesn't have many backpacker hostels and one of the cheapest accommodation options is to rent a private room from a family. This is common practice and the families are used to having travellers around. Near the beaches you can camp at campsites near Sozopol, elsewhere wild camping, although not officially allowed, is ok if you're discreet about it. Or for something totally different, stay in a monastery, basic but very cheap.

A Travellers Budget for Bulgaria

Use trains rather than buses, they're cheaper and easier to navigate. Euro rail passes are accepted in Bulgaria but they don't represent value for money as the local train fares are much cheaper. There is an official dual pricing scheme in place for foreigners which applies to hotels and restaurants but you can still eat cheaply from supermarkets and pick up cheap pizza slices or kebabs in the cities.

Activities for the Budget Conscious

-Go hiking on the 37000km of trails in the Rila and Pirin mountains
-Visit the Aleksander Nevski and Sveta Sofia churches for free
-Drink hangover free wine at the Mitko Manolev winery in Melnik
-Check out Roman ruins and ancient history at Plovdiv
-Hike or mountain bike through the Stara Plamina and stay in mountain huts
-Watch the Sound and Light show for free from outside the Tsaravets fortress
-Visit the Rila Monastery, a little tricky to get to but you can stay overnight in a spartan monks cell
-See old school Bulgaria in Koprivshtitsa, a combo ticket will get you into several attractions.