Expert: Walter Wornick - 5/25/2004

Question
Thanks for the information.  We were planning on traveling by train or bus as appropriate for each situation.  We had also been thinking of hiring a car / driver, but were not sure what our options were.  We did not know if we could get one driver for multiple days and locations or if we would have to find someone new in each location which could be difficult.  In addition, we did not have any idea price wise what to expect for such a venture.

We are working on finalizing the itinerary so that we can make reservations.  Do you have any recommendations regarding accomodations in Veliko Tarnovo, Koprovshtitsa, Plovdiv or Sofia?

Do you have any insight on Trynava?  The guidebook makes it sound interesting with the wood carvers and other craftspeople.  Have you visited there?

I am not sure I am understanding your comment about Kazanlak.  Are you saying that would be a better option than Koprovshtitsa?

Thanks!
Ann
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Followup To
Question -
I will be traveling in Bulgaria for a week with my husbands family in June.  There will be 9 of us and we will first be in Romania for a week.  We are looking at traveling from Brasov to Veliko Tarnovo on June 26, then staying there two nights, then travel to Koprivshtitsa, stay one night, go to Plovdiv, stay one night, go to Bansko, stay one night, visit Rila Monestary on the way to Sofia and depart on July 3.

Is this too ambitious?  I am having trouble finding good transportation information between Veliko Tarnovo and Koprivshtitsa.  Can you give any insight?  Do you know anything about Bansko?  Would it be better to stay two nights in Plovdiv, then travel to Sofia and do the Rila Monestary as a side trip from there?

I have seen your recommendations for Mike Travel, but can he accomodate 9 people?  And how can I find him?
Answer -
I'm sorry, but I wrote you a long answer last night and when I clicked to submit it, I lost it. We keep getting notifications that there are problems with the site and it is being upgraded, but it is not what it used to be...Sorry..

I will give another brief response.  Brasov to Veliko would seem to be a long day, especially with delays at the border. You didn't say how you will be traveling? Just that you seek info. on transportation between Veliko and Kopriv.You also ask about Mike Travel. They can be reached, by e-mail at <miketrvl@mbox.infotel.bg> I have used them 7 times and expect to use them again this fall. I know they have a van that can handle 9 people, as they use it for small tours.Depending again on how you intend to travel, you might hire it, with driver/guide and they could book accomodations for your group. They could meet you in Ruse on the border or perhaps Gora, near Veliko if you are coming in by train.

Veliko is interesting and you might stay in Arbanasi, nearby which is also of interest. There might be a Sound & Light show in the evening in Veliko since it will be in June. I would think it more practical to go over the scenic Shipa Pass from there to Kazanlak. Much of historic and scenic value along the way, Memorial Church, Museum Craft village of Etra, etc....Kazanlik has an Ethnographic Museum and Rose Museum. Then on to Plovdiv and a wander in the Old Town.

I don't think it would be practical for you to go to Bansko. The road is not great and there is not much there. It is necessary to walk higher up to get much of a view. Better to go by way of Troyan to see the Monastery and Craft museum and the museum town of Kopriv. You could either stay there or go the short distance to Sofia (stopping to purchase some Halava?-Turkish candy, made along the road. Rila could be a one day trip out of Sofia and there are many places of interest in Sofia and nearby.

With such a large group, I would think it would be necessary to prebook accomodations if you want something clean and reasonable.Please feel free to ask any aditional questions you may have and have a safe trip...  

Answer
I am sorry for the misunderstanding about Kazanlak. I thought if you would be driving over the Shipka Pass it would be worth a stop as the center of the ancient attar of roses busines. The museum shows the process and equipment that was used in the middle ages to distill the rose petals, etc. You should stop in Kopriv. and stand on the bridge where the first shot was fired in the struggle against the Ottoman Tuurks. There are various old houses open to view there. You will also see such houses in the old section of Plovdiv and Arbanasi among other places.The Eastern Orthodox churches built into the ground, rather than upwards, during the time the Turks were in control are of great interest. Churches had to be built lower and smaller than mosques. Such churchs look like small churches on the exterior but are huge inside. Good examples in Ruse & Arbanasi.

I would think it would be difficult to make such a long trip and see the various places that you have mentioned, by public transportation. The fact that all signs are in cyrillic also does not help and few can speak a foreign language. But that is the joy of such travel.

You ask about a van and driver/guide. The driver/guide would be with you for the whole journey, except possibly in Sofia where they sometimes use local people there. The company would arrange for your accomodations, at whatever price level you require. They are accustomed to dealing with groups so are more aware than I about where they can be accomodated. I like to stay in smaller places that would find it difficult to accomodate such groups. I don't know what the going rate of a van and driver would be, at this point and you would have to contact Mike Travel, or some other agency about that. It would depend on the type of rooms you desire, if a WC is required, etc....Gas has also gone up as has the Lev which is now pegged against the Euro.
With the van  you could stop where you wish and see many of the places that you have mentioned. It would be sad to pass through Ruse, for instance and not be able to see it a bit, or not drive over the Shipka Pass and be able to stop along the way. I like to stop and look at Storks in their nests
and this can only be done by car.

As to Trynava, there is an old church tower, but it never appealed much to me and I would think there are more places of interest in that area, if you had time to see them. You would be able to see such crafts in the old section of Plovdiv, in Troyan and even in the Natural History Museum in Sofia, among ,many other places. There is a town where many like to go to see rugs made, name escapes me at the moment, but that is also not my thing. I would price a van and see if it would fit within your budget and go on from there. There are two narrow gauge railroads in Bulgaria and those who are interested in trains come for such things. But if you are not into trains, it may not be the way to go to maximize the week that you will have in the country.