Bulgaria has changed swiftly over the last decade, though in the villages you can still find folk who ride the donkey to work, eat home grown potatoes and make their own cheese. The difference now is that they wash it all down in front of a satellite TV.
When Bulgaria ran away with the topsy-turvy capitalist circus, no-one told its people they were swinging without a safety net. But what the visitor encounters now is a country struggling valiantly to adapt and people who remain remarkably hospitable in the face of social and economic chaos. Urban Bulgaria, especially Sofia, is much changed.
SOFIA
● When To Go
Bulgaria has a temperate climate, with cold damp winters and hot dry
summers. Spring (particularly April to mid-June) is an excellent time to
visit. The days are getting longer, the weather is good, the theatres and
other cultural venues are in full swing, off-season rates still generally
apply, and locals are not yet jaded by waves of summertime visitors.
Summer (mid-June to early September) is ideal for hiking and festivals, but
is the peak season for travellers from elsewhere in Europe. Temperatures can
be very high during this period, the beaches on the Black Sea coast can get
insanely crowded, and accommodation and camping grounds in coastal resorts
tend to fill up.
September is perhaps one of the best months to see Bulgaria. The autumn
trees are glorious, fruit and vegetables are plentiful, shoulder-season
tariffs are in effect, the tourist hordes have returned home, and you can
still swim and sunbathe at the Black Sea. The ski season begins in
mid-December and can last until April.