Bouncing Around Bulgaria
Easter 1997
It was pitch black as we approached the town. I should have known better than to be pushing 60 kph along the deserted road. Suddenly a police car appeared and pulled us over. After inspecting our documents, the policemen informed me that the speed limit was 40 kph, and revealed a radar gun. They then gravely requested the due fine. Walking back to the car, I calculated that my transgression had cost me just 10 pence!
There are good and bad points about driving in Bulgaria. The speeding fines are affordable, as is the petrol (unleaded at only 22 pence a litre), and outside the cities the deserted roads wind round mountains, through forests and across plains. However, the roads are badly maintained, there are police checks outside every major town, and road signs which have not been stolen for scrap metal are in Cyrillic script with no subtitles. If you ever decide to tour Bulgaria by car - and I thoroughly recommend the experience - you will need patience, a good map and, most importantly, a sense of humour.
Most tourists only visit Bulgaria for the bargain ski packages. We wanted to see what else the country had to offer, which entailed a 2,500 km drive in one week. Our trip began in Plovdiv (the second largest city) from the Balkantours agency at the Novotel Hotel which was the city's only car rental office. After some negotiation, in English, we rented a basic Seat Ibiza with unlimited mileage for £220 including insurance for the week. Mercedes cars and four-wheel drives were also available but at much higher prices.
Plovdiv has a splendid old quarter, an impressive mixture of Renaissance mansions, Ottoman mosques and classical ruins. Venturing south out of the city the village of Bachlova nestles in the foothills of the Rhodope mountains. It has a beautiful, tranquil monastery preserved as a 'world monument'. Landslides can be a problem in this area, and we waited three hours while one was cleared away before continuing along the only road into the mountains. Private cars, mostly Ladas, are almost as scarce as the buses, so many locals attempt to hitch rides. We did our fair share of ferrying people between towns. Our passengers included soldiers and policemen; it was a good way to meet people but few spoke any English.
Melnik, in the south-west of Bulgaria, is a tiny wine-producing village surrounded by tall sandstone hills. You can climb up through eroded gullies for beautiful views of the area. The wine flows freely and cheaply although alcohol consumption and driving is forbidden throughout the country. Further north, the Pirin Mountains were covered in snow and their forested slopes looked spectacular. Bansko is the base here for skiing and exploring the area.
Bulgaria has many mountain ranges which are snow-bound until the summer. Major roads are cleared while everywhere else waits for the thaw. Throughout our week there in April, out attempts to take short cuts over these ranges were repeatedly thwarted by blocked roads and treacherous icy conditions once we reached the snow line. After painfully slow progress, we would inevitably have to turn back. Nevertheless, you can find some beautiful isolated farming villages, built entirely of wood and some stunning mountain scenery.
In the Rila Mountains south of Sofia stands Bulgaria's most famous landmark, the Rila Monastery. The red, black and white colour scheme of the four timbered levels is very colourful. Like many of Bulgaria's sights, the monastery is virtually deserted out of season.
In contrast, you enter the capital Sofia along busy cobble-stoned roads, dodging trams and cars. Parking is usually free so you can enjoy exploring the city on foot. Sofia has left much of its Communist past behind and is becoming very westernised. However, I was astounded to leave the city during the rush hour on a four-lane highway which was empty.
East of Sofia, the village of Koprivshtitsa is a real highlight. Secluded in a valley, it contains some of the country's best historical architecture and many houses are laid out as museums. Still a working farming community, it is flooded by tourists in the summer. The friendliness of the people, the excellent family accommodation and the peaceful nature of the village was certainly the best hospitality that Bulgaria offered us that week.
In the far north-west, just east of the Serbian border, Belogradchik is perched amongst Bulgaria's most spectacular rock formations. This towering limestone range formed a natural defence, and still contains a magnificent Turkish fortress.
The journey to Belogradchik gave us our first taste of night driving in Bulgaria. This practice is highly dangerous and not recommended. If you can find a signpost and manage to avoid the cavernous potholes, a far greater hazard awaits the motorist. In encompassing darkness, you continually come across farmers with horses and unlit carts. Even the most careful motorist can be upon them before the headlights have picked them out.
Once you reach your destination the town, too, may be unlit. Finding a hotel, often anonymous, under these circumstances can be frustrating. Try to find the police station and ask for accommodation; a policeman will usually escort you to a hotel. Better still, arrive during daylight hours. Independent travellers to Bulgaria are issued on arrival with a yellow accommodation card, which you are supposed to get stamped at every place you stay. This is a remnant of the Communist system which will eventually disappear.
The journey across the central plains is rewarding for its view of the simplicity of life in the agricultural communities, and the sight of horses, rather than tractors, in the fields. Herds of goats and even wild pigs occasionally blocked the roads. At Karlovo market, the locals propped open the boots of their Ladas to reveal pigs or chickens for sale. However the remainder of our tour, which included the Balkan Range and the rather disappointing Black Sea coast, never matched the earlier sights.
Driving around Bulgaria is not the easiest holiday to embark on. It has its ups and downs - especially is you keep hitting the potholes! But exploring it at leisure by car, you will find the people very friendly, the hotel and restaurant prices much less than you would expect to pay and a tourist trade waiting to begin.
Fact File:
You can arrange to rent a car in advance from major rental agencies. As an example, Europcar (0345) 222525 offer an Opel Astra from Sofia Airport for a week at £244. Avis (0345) 900500 offer the same at £295.
Car Hire can also be arranged when you arrive, through Balkantourist who act as agents for Hertz, or another nation-wide agency Interbalken, who have a similar arrangement with Europcar. Remember to take your driving licence.
If you are taking your own car, an insurance "Green card" is obligatory. Entering Bulgaria, your vehicle will be registered with a special visa tag which must be given up on leaving the country.
