What is Budget Routes?

Budget Routes is a travel blog focused on smart travel on any budget. We publish curated guides, tips, and deals.

Is Budget Routes free to use?

Yes, Budget Routes is completely free. There is no paywall and no subscription.

How cheap is Bulgaria compared to the rest of Europe?

It is consistently among the cheapest countries in the EU. A hostel dorm runs 10 to 18 euros, a restaurant meal 6 to 12, and intercity buses 5 to 12 for journeys of two to three hours. A daily budget of 35 to 50 euros covers comfortable travel including private rooms, which is roughly half what the same trip costs in Spain or Italy.

Is Sofia or Plovdiv the better base?

Plovdiv, for most visitors. It is smaller, prettier and cheaper, with a Roman theatre still in use, a well-preserved old town and the Kapana creative district. Sofia has better transport links and the Rila monastery day trip, but the city itself is less immediately rewarding than Plovdiv's compact centre.

How do you get around Bulgaria?

Buses, which are faster and more frequent than the trains on most routes. Sofia to Plovdiv takes about two hours for 12 to 18 leva, and Sofia to Veliko Tarnovo three hours. Trains are cheaper still and considerably slower, though the Sofia to Bansko narrow-gauge line is a scenic exception worth taking for its own sake.

Does Bulgaria use the euro?

Bulgaria has used the lev, pegged to the euro at a fixed rate of roughly 1.96 to 1, and has been progressing toward euro adoption. Check the current position before travelling, since changeover arrangements affect cash handling. Cards are widely accepted in cities and less so in rural areas and small mountain villages.

Bulgaria on a Budget: Cheapest Country in the EU

Bulgaria is in the EU, has EU-standard roads and trains, and costs about half what Spain or Italy does. Outside Sofia and the Black Sea coast in August, it is the cheapest travel in the union and one of the least visited relative to what it holds.

What things cost

Item	Cost
Hostel dorm	€10–18
Private guesthouse room	€25–40
Restaurant meal	€6–12
Banitsa and coffee breakfast	€2–3
Intercity bus, 2–3h	€5–12
Museum entry	€3–6

A realistic daily budget is €35–50 including a private room rather than a dorm, which is the level at which most travellers stop bothering with hostels here.

The route

Sofia — two days. The Alexander Nevsky cathedral, the Roman ruins visible under the modern city centre, and Vitosha mountain rising directly behind the town, reachable by public transport for a day's hiking. Sofia is more functional than charming, and it is the transport hub.

Rila Monastery — a day trip from Sofia, or better, an overnight. A tenth-century monastery in a mountain valley with painted arcades and striped stonework, and it is the most visually striking building in the country. Staying overnight in the monastery guest rooms is cheap and empties out completely after the day buses leave.

Plovdiv — two hours from Sofia and the highlight. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, with a Roman theatre still used for performances, a hillside old town of merchant houses, and Kapana, a small creative quarter of bars and studios. Three days.

Veliko Tarnovo — the medieval capital, a fortress on a bend in the river, dramatic and cheap. Two days.

Bansko or the Rhodopes for mountains. Bansko is a ski town in winter and a hiking base in summer, and off-season prices are very low.

The Black Sea coast — Sozopol and Nesebar are attractive old towns; Sunny Beach is a package resort. In July and August the coast is the one part of Bulgaria that is not cheap.

Getting around

Buses beat trains on almost every route — faster, more frequent, and still cheap. Sofia to Plovdiv is about two hours; Sofia to Veliko Tarnovo three.

The exception worth taking is the narrow-gauge line from Septemvri to Bansko, which climbs through the Rhodope mountains at walking pace and is one of the more scenic rail journeys in Europe for a few euros.

Bus stations are usually adjacent to train stations and tickets are bought at the counter rather than online for most routes.

Practical notes

Currency. Bulgaria has used the lev, pegged to the euro at roughly 1.96, and has been moving toward euro adoption — check the current position before you travel. Cards work in cities, less reliably in villages.

Cyrillic. Signage is often in Cyrillic only outside the main tourist areas. Learning the alphabet takes about an hour and makes an enormous difference to reading destinations and menus.

Head shakes. Bulgarians traditionally shake the head for yes and nod for no. It is inconsistent with foreigners, which makes it more confusing rather than less — ask for verbal confirmation.

When to go

May, June and September are ideal: warm, everything open, low prices. July and August are hot inland and busy on the coast. Winter is genuinely cheap and Bansko becomes a low-cost ski destination — lift passes are a fraction of Alpine prices, which is the one thing Bulgaria is actively marketed for.