RV Roadtrip – Bulgaria Part 1

Our wacky route around Bulgaria, round #1.

After a free camper stop at an RV dealer in Thessaloniki and then a few more days on the coast in Alexandroupoli, Greece it was time for us to head the rig north and move into Bulgaria. Our first stop, Sakar Hills Camping, wasn’t too far over the border near a small village called Bisar.

Our road into Bulgaria.

Crossing the boarder into Bulgaria was pretty straight forward. Just the standard passports, vehicle registration and insurance and Sebastian’s pet passport. An agent did want a quick look in the van but the relentless barking from our little friend disabused him of that notion.

Once into Bulgaria we found a nice turnout for some lunch and some really nice views.

Lunch time views.

When we arrived at Sakar Hills Camping, Matt, the owner, was still mowing and getting the pitches ready for the prime season. We ended up pitched up on the driveway until the grass was cut and the ground had dried out a bit, they had had a very wet spring.(And Shani has never forgotten us getting stuck in Luxembourg.)

Bisar is a very small village though there are a couple of bars/restaurants and small markets. (There are proper markets just up the road in Harmanli, fyi)  As it’s kind of the middle of nowhere with not much to do, we took advantage of the down time and got caught up on laundry and even washed the rig, no small task!

Parked up in a proper pitch after the grass was cut. Dogo loved it!

We also thoroughly enjoyed our frequent chats with Matt. He’s British and was a a great source for stories about the local village and life in Bulgaria as an expat. He also went into town and got us hay fever medication as Shani and I were having a terrible time. Thanks Matt!  

The camping car was in need of an annual service and oil change. Fortunately for us, we found a Fiat Professional Service Center in Plovdiv, just an hour and half up the road. I contacted them via email, set the appointment and crossed my fingers.  When we arrived, my contact spoke perfect English and assured me that the quote and time frame I had been given were correct and soon enough the camping car disappeared into the service bays. 2 hours and €300 later, our service was done and book was stamped and we were on our way, our destination for the night was a parking lot in Plovdiv next to the green market.

In theory this was a paid parking lot but there wasn’t any attendant that we ever saw. I’m never 100% psyched on staying in parking lots, but we really didn’t have any other good options. In the end it all worked out just fine.  There was a convenient Greek take away spot very close and a big public lake and plenty of restaurants and bars, it was quite the popular spot with the locals.  We ended up wandering around for quite a while enjoying the park and lake. The next morning we went shopping and picked up a good selection of fruits and vegetables.

Shani loved the coffee machines in Bulgaria.

If you just look at the map, our route around Bulgaria makes no sense! However, we were playing the weather and good road game and our next stop was very near Sofia at a camper stop called Ivan’s run by an old guy called, not surprisingly, Ivan. He’s quite the character! Having read that Sofia had few charms we opted to not visit but there was a metro stop very close and it would have been a quick ride in. We ended up in some very congested traffic on our way around Sofia and I had seen quite enough already.

Parked up at the Ivan Camperstop.

Rustic but all you really needed.

After Ivan’s rustic camper stop we were headed to a resort/spa town of Sapareva Banya and camping up at Camping Verila.

Sapareva Banya is known for its hot springs and thermal baths and the geyser in the center of town, supposedly the hottest in Europe. We had a wander around the village and decided that what we really needed was a spa day.  Shani also decided that what we also really needed was some local honey. Plenty of old ladies were selling their haul so we had plenty of options and volumes to choose from.

The geyser in action.

The next day we left Sebastian to guard the fort and went into town to enjoy the thermal pools and hot springs. We opted for the indoor and outdoor pool pass but in hindsight just the outdoor would have been fine. The inside facility had a couple of large pools but outside had many many more, ranging from frigid to too hot to handle. The day we went it was uncrowded and we were able to soak to our hearts content.

Honey, honey everywhere.

Back when we first got into Bulgaria, Matt had informed us about the network of Bulgarian campsites that he was a member of, sites mostly run by British expats and each site offered a discount card. As it would turn out, we ended up staying at most of these during our tour of Bulgaria and next on the list was Camping Kromidovo.

The hills around the camping were perfect for long walks in the vineyards.

Camping Kromidovo is in southern Bulgaria just 15 minutes from the Greek border. We could see Greece from some of the spots around Kromidovo. I told you this route didn’t make sense! The village the camping is in is tiny, but is right next to major winery’s including Orbelus and Villa Melnik, both of which we toured.

The wine caves of Villa Melnik.

This is some of the oldest wine producing regions in the world and we quite enjoyed the tasting at Villa Melnik, so much so that we overbought and were looking at a strenuous walk back to the camping. Fortunately, the other couple on the tour offered us a ride home with our overstuffed bags and backpack. (FYI, Sebastian was allowed on the tour of Villa Melnik, but not Orbelus)

Kromidovo is also close to the historic village of Melnik, a bit too long to walk to but we did drive in for the day and had a nice hike and a very good lunch!

Sara and John, the owners of Camping Kromidovo were absolutely lovely people. They are trying to run an as ecologically friendly campsite as possible, kudos to them! 

After Kromidovo we were headed into the mountains and the ski town of Bankso. First, however, was another stop at Villa Melnik to stock up on some of their tasty wine; this time with the camping car! Full to the gills we moved on. Bankso is the premier ski resort in Bulgaria (according to their website) And honestly, from the looks of it, the skiing should be really good, but we were well past the season when we pulled into the camper stop near the downtown area.

There was snow high up on the peaks but none to be seen around town on the near foothills. Our camper stop was supposed to have electricity and we could use the restrooms in the shopping center across the street but we never found the electric hookup and no one came looking for money. The mall was mostly closed for the season as well. It was kind of odd. In fact, most of the town was closed for the season.  

After our first night in the abandoned camper stop we decided to do some internet research (Shani, not me) and found a lovely apartment we could rent in Bankso for less than $300 a month in the off season.  We were in the off season and got a very good rate for just a few nights, and there was ample parking for our camping car! Once we opened the door to the apartment Sebastian took off like a bat out of hell, racing back and forth from room to room, a happier dog has not been seen! He really needed a little space to run.

Our next ride?

The few days we spent in Bansko couldn’t have been better. Well, if more of the town was open that would have been good, but as it was there was amazing hiking and wilderness, the weather was perfect and the scenery was stunning. Plus, it was good to be out of the RV for a few days. There were a few restaurants and markets open and we lacked for nothing. Sadly, we needed to move on.

Our last stop in Bulgaria before we slipped into Macedonia was Rila Monastery. It is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. Founded in the 10th century, the Rila Monastery is regarded as one of Bulgaria’s most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments and is a key tourist attraction for both Bulgaria and Southern Europe. In 2008 alone, it attracted 900,000 visitors. (Wikipedia)

Parking rates at Rila.

We were allowed to park overnight in the monastery parking lot, the attendant directed us to the proper spot and the overnight security chatted with Shani and assured her it was safe and we were well within their video surveillance range, not that we would even think there was ever going to be a problem at this remote and sacred place.

The next morning we took turns visiting the monastery as dogs are not allowed. Also, don’t put your hands in your pockets or a grumpy monk might chastise you (I didn’t know it was disrespectful, I swear!). 

Here are some pictures from Rila –

The monestary was absolutely stunning and we lucked out timing wise and had it nearly all to ourselves.

Stay tuned as we do an epic road trip from Rila to Camping Rino on the shores of Lake Ohrid in Macedonia, enjoy complementary espresso every day and then head back into Bulgaria for round two.