Bulgaria – Land of Ancient Treasures and Natural Wonders
We all know that 2020 was probably the worst year of the current century (I know it would be just silly to compare it with events in the past ages though). And while the pandemic situation allowed many people to stay home and find more time for practicing their hobbies, this was not the case for passionate travelers like myself.
Being banned for crossing the country’s border made me feel like an innocent man locked in a big prison. I had to cancel more than 10 of my planned trips. And it was the first time when I had available days for vacation, but not a plan on how to spend them.
Fortunately traveling across the country was not banned for that long, so at the end of May 2020 I decided to start exploring the ancient treasures and natural wonders of my own country – Bulgaria!
And because I love challenges, I bought a passport “100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria” – this is a booklet to place stamps from the visited tourist sites in Bulgaria. Those who collect all the stamps get a diploma and a golden badge. There are other prizes, as well.
Note: The exact number of official sites exceeds the number 100!
So together with a very good friend of mine, we started collecting stamps from the tourist sites in our country. We spent each weekend in different regions of the country and in a period of 6 months, we have collected more than 90 stamps! 🙂
I learned so many new interesting facts about Bulgaria, found places I didn’t expect that exist, and witnessed magnificent views. I am sharing some of these treasures in my gallery.

This is the Devil’s Bridge – if you are wondering where the name comes from, tilt your head horizontally and you will see why 🙂
If you have an adventurous spirit as well – I have a challenge for you! When you visit Bulgaria, buy the “100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria” passports and collect all the stamps!

Pobiti Kamani – It is considered the only desert in Bulgaria and one of few found in Europe
Below is a list with all the tourist sites included in the challenge:
- Bansko — Velyanov House,[1] Neofit Rilski Museum,[2] Nikola Vaptsarov Museum,[3] Permanent Icon Exhibition,[4] Holy Trinity Church[5]
- Pirin — Vihren Peak
- Dobarsko village — Church of Theodore Tyro and Theodore Stratilates[6]
- Melnik — Historical Museum of Melnik,[7] Kordopulov House, Rozhen Monastery
- Petrich — Rupite Protected Area including St. Petka Church,[8] Samuil’s Fortress National Park Museum
- Nesebar — Archaeological Museum. (Formerly also: Architectural Reserve.)
6a. (added in the 2010s) Pomorie – Museum of Salt, Lake Pomorie - Burgas (added in the 2010s) – Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Poda Protected Area
- Malko Tarnovo — Petrova Niva Site, Museum of History
8a. Sozopol — Archaeological Museum - Varna — Museum of History and the Maritime Museum
- Devnya — Museum of Mosaics
- Veliko Tarnovo — Tsarevets archaeological reserve, Museum of History, Arbanasi architectural reserve
- Svishtov — Aleko Konstantinov‘s House
- Vidin — Konaka Museum (Museum of History) and Baba Vida Fortress
- Magura Cave
- Belogradchik – Museum of History, Belogradchik Rocks. (Formerly also: Belogradchik Fortress)
- Vratsa — Ledenika Cave, Regional Museum of History
16a. Mezdra (added in the 2010s) – Kaleto archaeological complex - Mount Okolchitsa — the place of Hristo Botev‘s death
- Kozloduy — Radetzky steamship-museum, Monument of Hristo Botev
- Gabrovo — Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex, Museum of Education, Uzana locality, House of Humour and Satire
- Bozhentsi village — Architectural and historical reserve
- Tryavna — Museum of the Wood-Carving and Ethnographical Arts
- Dryanovo — Dryanovo Monastery, Kolyu Ficheto Museum, Bacho Kiro Cave
- Dobrich — House of Yordan Yovkov, Art Gallery
- Balchik — Palace complex
24a. University Botanic Garden
24b. Kavarna — Kaliakra Headland, Kaliakra Archaeological reserve - Kardzhali — Ruins of Perperikon, Monastery of John the Precursor (Св. Йоан Предтеча)
25a. Regional Museum of History - Kyustendil — Vladimir Dimitrov Art Gallery, House of Dimitar Peshev, Medieval Church of St George museum, regional historical museum
- Blagoevgrad (added in the 2010s) – Varosha Quarter, regional historical museum
27a. Ruen Peak in Osogovo Mountain - Rila Monastery
- Skakavitsa Chalet and the Seven Rila Lakes
- Lovech — Vasil Levski Museum, Kakrina Inn
30a. Karlukovo (added in the 2010s) – National cave house
30b. Devetaki – Devetashka cave - Troyan — Natural History Museum at Cherni Osam, Troyan Monastery, Museum of Folk Arts
- Teteven — Museum of History
- Brestnitsa village — Saeva Dupka Cave
- Berkovitsa — Museum of Ethnography, House of Ivan Vasov. (Formerly also: Kom Peak)
- Pazardzhik — Church of Virgin Mary, House of Stanislav Dospevski, Regional Museum of History
- Panagyurishte — Oborishte locality, House of Rayna Knyaginya
- Peshtera — Snezhanka Cave, Peristera Fortress
- Batak — Museum of History
- Tran — the Gorge on the Jerma River
39a. Pernik (added in the 2010s) – Underground mining museum - Pleven — St George the Conqueror Chapel Mausoleum, Pleven Panorama, Regional Museum of History
- Plovdiv — Roman theatre, Ethnography Museum, Museum of History. (Formerly also: Old Plovdiv architectural reserve, St. Konstantin and Elena Church)
- Perushtitsa — Museum of History
- Sopot — the Nunnery, House of Ivan Vazov
- Karlovo — Vasil Levski National Museum, Museum of History
- Kalofer — Hristo Botev National Museum
- Sandanski (added in the 2010s) – Episcopal Basilica, Archaeological Museum
46a.The Botev Peak - Asenovgrad — The Bachkovo Monastery, Asenova krepost fortress, Museum of History
- Razgrad — Abrittus Archaeological reserve
- Isperih — Museum of History, Sboryanovo museum of history and archaeology, the Thracian town of Chelis and Demir Baba Tekke at Sveshtari village. (Formerly also: Thracian Tomb)
- Rousse — House of Zahari Stoyanov, Pantheon of National Revival Heroes
- Silistra — Museum of History, Medcidi Tabi fortress
- Srebarna Nature Reserve
- Tutrakan — Military Tomb Memorial Complex, Museum of Danube Fishing and Boat-Making.
- Sliven — House of Hadzhi Dimitar, National Textile Museum, Art Gallery
- Velingrad (added in the 2010s) – Museum of History. (The Sinite Kamani Natural park and Karandila Chalet previously occupied this position.)
- Kotel — Georgi Sava Rakovski‘s Pantheon and the Museum of Famous People of the Bulgarian Revival Age, Natural History Museum
- Zheravna village — House of Yordan Yovkov. (Formerly also: Architecture and Ethnography Reserve)
- Sofia — The National Museum of History
58a. Boyana Church National Museum - Sofia — Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
59a. (added in the 2010s) National Museum of Military History - Elena (added in the 2010s) – House of Hilarion of Makariopolis, Daskalolivnitsa historical complex. (The National Church Museum of History and Archaeology in Sofia previously occupied this position.)
- Sofia — Earth and Man National Museum
61a. National Palace of Culture - Sofia — National Gallery for Foreign Art, Ethnographic Institute with Museum maintained by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
62a. National Art Gallery - Etropole — Museum of History, Clocktower, Monastery of the Holy Trinity
- Krestevic, Sredna Gora (added in the 2010s) — Buntovna Commemorative Tourist Complex
- Sofia — National Museum of Natural History maintained by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
- Sofia — Museum of the History of Sport located inside the Vasil Levski National Stadium
66a. Sofia Zoo
66b. (added in the 2010s) National Anthropological Museum maintained by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Starosel village — Thracian tomb
67a. Hisarya — Archaeological Museum - Sofia — Institute of Archaeology and Museum maintained by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
68a. (added in the 2010s) National Polytechnical Museum - Chiprovtsi (added in the 2010s) – Museum of History, Chiprovtsi Monastery
- Bratsigovo — Town Museum of History
- Chirpan — House Museum of Peyo Yavorov, Nikola Manev Art Gallery, St. Athanasius monastery in Zlatna Livada village. (The St. Sophia Temple formerly occupied this position.)
- Haskovo (added in the 2010s) – Virgin Mary monument, Aleksandrovo tomb and museum centre. (The Sofia Synagogue occupied this position prior to 2007.)
72a. (added in the 2010s) Mezek – Medieval fortress, Thracian domed tomb.
72b. (added in the 2010s) Ivaylovgrad – Villa Armira, Municipal historical museum. - Dimitrovgrad — History Museum, the House of Penyo Penev, Giordano Bruno observatory
- Vitosha (added in the 2010s) — Aleko Chalet.
74a. Cherni Vrah - Koprivshtitsa — Archaeology and History Reserve
- Nova Zagora (added in the 2010s) – Karanova Mogila museum. (Bogdan Peak at Sredna Gora formerly occupied this position.)
- Klisura — Museum of History
- Osenovlag village — Seven Altars Monastery
- Samokov — Museum of History, the Nunnery.
79a. Belchin village (added in the 2010s) – Tsar Mali Town. - Rila — Musala Peak
- Botevgrad — the Clocktower. (Slivnitsa town cemetery occupied this position prior to 2005.)
- Skravena village — monument at St. Nikolai Monastery to the members of Hristo Botev‘s detachment
- Smolyan — Museum of History. (Uhlovitsa Cave formerly occupied this position.)
83a. Smolyan Planetarium
83b. Momchilovtsi village - Pamporovo — Uhlovitsa Cave, Snezhanka Peak
- Rhodope Mountains – Golyam Perelik Peak, The Wonderful Bridges
- Zlatograd — Ethnography Complex
- Rhodope Mountains – Shiroka Laka village archaeological reserve
87a. Madan, Smolyan Province – Rhodope Crystal Hall, Sharenka Cave - Rhodope Mountains – Trigrad Gorge. (Formerly also: the Devil’s Throat Cave)
- Rhodope Mountains – Yagodinska cave, Buynovo gorge
- Stara Zagora – the Neolithic Houses Museum, the Stara Zagora Defenders Memorial Complex, Museum of History. (Formerly also: the Roman Forum of Augusta Traiana)
- Kazanlak – Chudomir Art and Literature Museum, Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak
- Shipka town — Shipka Memorial Church
- Shipka Pass — Shipka Memorial
- Shumen — Shumen Fortress Historical and Archaeological Reserve, Founders of Bulgaria Monument, Regional Museum of History
- Shumen — Tombul Mosque
- Pliska — Archaeological Reserve Pliska, Great Basilica, Pliska
- Madara — Madara Rider
- Veliki Preslav – National Historical and Archaeological Reserve
- Yambol — the ancient town of Kabile, Museum of History
- Elhovo — Museum of Ethnography
No Comments