Cities
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SOFIA
Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, lies in the Sofia plain, enclosed by the Balkan Range Mountain to the north, and Mount Vitosha to the south. A city with a 7000-year-old history where excavations in its very centre bring up objects from Neolithic man, and remnants of the stone and bronze era, Sofia was a settlement for Thracians, Romans, Bulgarians, Byzantines and Ottoman. Several buildings and most of the sites of particular interest are found in the center of Sofia within easy walking distance of each other: the Church of St Nedelya, the 13 century Chapel of St Petka Paraskeva- a medieval foundation dwarfed beneath turn-of-the-century buildings, the Banya Bashi Mosque near Sofia's mineral baths, the sunken Church of St Petka Samardzhiiska originally built in the 14 century, the 4th century Rotonda of St George-Sofia's oldest church, the Russian Church, the National Assembly, the National Art Gallery and the Ethnographic Museum housed in the former royal palace. One of the finest pieces of architecture on the Balkans and certainly Sofia's crowning glory, is the Alexander Nevski Memorial Cathedral honouring the Russsian casualties of the 1877-78 War of Liberation. Nearby is the Church of St Sofia dating from late Roman times believed to have given its name to the capital. Sofia's liveliest areas include the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, the monument of Cyril and Metodii in front of the National Library, the National Palace of Culture.
Sofia Car Rent
VARNA
Varna is the biggest city at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Varna is situated 470 km east of Sofia. In the course of more than 7 millennia, the Gulf of Varna has been the cradle of several significant civilizations - humankind's oldest gold was excavated in Varna, created by people who inhabited that place around the 4th millennium BC and long before the Thracians, Greeks, Bulgarians and Turks. The third largest city, Varna, after Sofia and Plovdiv is Bulgaria's most animated metropolis and it rivals Sofia and Plovdiv in providing a wide range of sights and museums. The outstanding treasures of the Archeological Museum include the Chalcolithic necropolis with the oldest examples of gold jewellery ever discovered, and impressive Greek, Thracian and Bulgarian artifacts. Of particular interest are the National Revival Museum, the Ethnographic and City Historical Museum, the Art Gallery, the Navy Museum and the Aquarium, the Natural History Museum, the Zoo and the Dolphinarium, the Sea Gardens. Of more historical value are 17th century Cathedral of the Holy Mother, the Church of St Atanas, the 2 century Roman thermae. As well as being a beach resosrt in its own right, Varna offers access to the first-class resorts of Sveti Konstantin, Sunny Day, Golden Sands and Albena, the natural reserve at Kamchiya, the rock monastery of Aladja.
BURGAS
The city of Burgas is the second largest port on the Black Sea coast, situated in the western part of Burgas Bay, 390 km east of Sofia. Viewed from the bay, Burgas looks as if emerging from the sea because it is located at an altitude of only 17 meters, between three lakes: Burgas, Mandrensko, and Atanassovsko. It is a major administrative, cultural and business center, transport junction, one of Bulgaria's most dynamically developing cities, and the fourth largest city in terms of population. This relatively young city is a descendant of ancient Thracian and Roman civilizations. Burgas has a typical cosmopolitan seaport atmosphere with full of sunshine summer, beaches, sea gardens, cultural events, fine restaurants and cafes. Places of interest are the Etnographic Museum, the Art Gallery, housed in what used to be a synagogue, the Archeological and Historical Museums, as well as the Armenian Church and the Church of SS Kiril and Metodii.
