Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria - where to go
December 16, 2015 4:46 AM   Subscribe

Ms. deadwax and I are taking trains through Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria in February. We would like to stop at one or two places that are not big cities, go hiking and otherwise get out of town and into nature a bit, probably with 3-5 days parked in one place at a time. If you have been through this part of the world, where would you recommend, particularly in February?

We aren't picky in terms of what kind of scenery we see (though mountains are approximately at the top of the list) and we don't need to be somewhere remote. A small town that is a good base for walking or snow-shoeing in winter that isn't too insane to get to on public transport is basically it.

Due to the way trains line up Romania or Bulgaria are probably easiest for us, but if there is somewhere fantastic in Hungary that would suit us to the ground we will see if we can make it work.
posted by deadwax to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Where does your trip in BG start and end? How much time do you have budgeted for the country? There are a lot of destinations for this kind of thing in Bulgaria (where I currently live) but you should know that train service in the Balkans may not be quite what you're used to and a many-km train trip out of your way in February could be longer and possibly colder than you are expecting.

Bulgaria has an association of licensed trail/mountain guides and depending on your short list of destinations you may want to get in touch with them as they're all very knowledgable and certified and could help you tailor your hiking trip.

If you give me a rough itinerary I can make some suggestions -- there will be lots of options, and one thing Bulgaria is great at is hot spring spa hotels so that you can relax at the end of your cold hiking days.

If you find yourself in Sofia, then it's right on the side of a mountain, and you could enjoy the capital city's amenities as well as some winter hiking on Vitosha.
posted by jpziller at 5:05 AM on December 16, 2015 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Bulgaria is in theory at this point on a journey between Bucharest and Thessaloniki, going through Veliko Tarnovo and Sofia, so very much the northern and western parts of the country. Timeframe is still very flexible currently, but we are likely to end up choosing just one or two places at which to spend more than a couple of nights, which I am sure will be a great injustice to the places we don't stay at, but that's life.

I fully expect a many km train journey out of our way may not at all be what we want, but we'd certainly consider a "some km" journey.

Suggestions are much appreciated!
posted by deadwax at 5:28 AM on December 16, 2015


One relatively easy possibility in Bulgaria is to go to Bansko, a popular and touristy winter resort town. It is connected to major cities by bus; as jpziller mentions trains in that region are often not very fast or comfortable, and actually a bus may be a preferable option even for a destination that has a train station. The city along your route closest to Bansko is probably Blagoevgrad, and if you can get off the train there then Bansko is a fairly short and easy bus ride away.

For something a little less touristy (and probably cheaper), another option in Bulgaria is to visit Sandanski and Melnik. The former is a small city along your train route, and the latter is a tiny town a few miles away -- very beautiful and known for its wine.

Both options will include mountains, with Bansko being closer to the bigger ones. The two options are on either side of Pirin national park, which contains what are perhaps the region's most strikingly beautiful mountains. Depending on where you are used to traveling, you may be surprised how cheap taxis are -- they could be a good way to get around once you arrive, if you want to go farther than you can walk. (I don't know what the current rates are, though).
posted by parkin at 6:23 AM on December 16, 2015


You want to go hiking in the Rila mountains in Bulgaria.
posted by deanc at 6:35 AM on December 16, 2015


Per this link there is risk of avalanche in Rila in winter. Don't let that discourage you, but be aware that you may want to hire a guide. MeMail me if you'd like some contacts in the BG mountain guide scene. They're not expensive.

Another option is for you to plant in Sofia, and then do a trip into Vitosha -- it's lovely there and you can get a bit off the beaten track if you choose. For this as well I'd recommend a guide as they'll know some cool places to show you.

An ambitious (and very cool) option is somewhat near to Tarnovo, but might be a bit challenging in the winter. It's the Buzludzha monument.

The Bansko, Sandanski, and Melnik options are great. There's also a small town near Bansko called Banya that has a hot springs hotel (in case you want to avoid the tourists in Bansko). In the smaller places you can often arrive and then ask around for *very* inexpensive guest houses (maybe ~10-15EUR/night).

As mentioned above taxis are *cheap*, and a great suggestion. To hire one is 0.35EUR, and then 0.35EUR/km after that. Use an app called TaxiMe if you decide to do this (especially if you don't *look* Bulgarian) -- the rating system keeps them honest, and petty taxi crime (inflated rates, 'no change', 'ignorance' of destination, 'language barrier' problems) is fairly rampant.

It's off topic, but you should use TaxiMe throughout the Balkans, and be careful around train stations, especially. I usually walk a block or two from the train station before catching a cab. Same goes for airports.

Get in touch if you're around, we can have an informal meetup.
posted by jpziller at 8:45 AM on December 16, 2015


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