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Bulgaria itinerary 7 days from Varna, plus 10-day and 2-week routes

Bulgaria itinerary 7 days from Varna, plus 10-day and 2-week routes

A 7-day Bulgaria itinerary from Varna: Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv, Sofia and Rila Monastery, back on the night train. Plus 10-day, 2-week and beach variants.

Published: By Varna Guide Editorial team · How we check facts

The best 7-day Bulgaria itinerary from Varna is a loop: Varna → Veliko Tarnovo (bus about 2¾–4 h, Omio) → Plovdiv → Sofia with a day trip to Rila Monastery, then back to Varna on the night train or a 50-minute flight. With 10 days add Kazanlak, Shipka and the Seven Rila Lakes; with 2 weeks add Melnik, Belogradchik or the southern coast. Train times checked on razpisanie.bdz.bg in October 2026.

What does a 7-day Bulgaria itinerary look like from Varna?

Most itineraries start in Sofia. If you land in Varna or drive in from Romania or Turkey, turn the loop around:

Day Route Bus / train By car Sleep
1 Arrive in Varna: Sea Garden and centre – – Varna centre
2 Varna → Veliko Tarnovo bus 2¾–4 h; train about 4 h, change at Gorna Oryahovitsa 220 km, about 3 h Old town / Varusha
3 Veliko Tarnovo → Plovdiv train 4.5–5 h with a change 210 km, about 3 h Old Town or Kapana
4 Plovdiv – – Plovdiv
5 Plovdiv → Sofia train 2 h 45 min–3 h 145 km, about 1.5 h Sofia centre
6 Day trip to Rila Monastery tour or bus 130 km, about 2 h each way Sofia
7 Sofia → Varna night train or flight about 6 h –

Drive times are OpenStreetMap routing estimates without stops; add time for breaks and mountain roads.

Getting back (as of 2026-10, BDZ): ICF 2627 leaves Sofia at 23:00 and reaches Varna at 06:50, and ICF 8657 runs 21:00–05:50; both have sleeping cars. In the other direction, ICF 2626 leaves Varna at 21:40 for Sofia (05:45). In summer 2026 BDZ added an extra night train (3636/3637) via Karlovo and Kazanlak. Bulgaria Air flew Sofia–Varna four times a day in summer 2026, about 50 minutes each way (Sofia Globe).

How do I stretch it to 10 days or 2 weeks?

  • 10 days: with a car, drive from Veliko Tarnovo to Plovdiv over the Shipka Pass, stopping at the Shipka Memorial, Buzludzha (outside only) and Kazanlak (Veliko Tarnovo–Kazanlak about 1 h 45 min, Kazanlak–Plovdiv about 1 h 40 min; OSRM). From Sofia, give a full summer day to the Seven Rila Lakes (about 2 h to the trailhead). Keep one spare day for weather.
  • 2 weeks: add Melnik (2.5 h from Sofia; two nights for wine and sandstone pyramids) or Belogradchik (about 3 h 15 min; one night), or return along the coast: Plovdiv → Burgas → Sozopol and Nessebar → Varna.

Is there a beach + culture version?

Yes, and it is what many German visitors book as a Rundreise mit Badeurlaub: spend days 1–3 on the beach at Varna, Golden Sands or St Constantine, then do Veliko Tarnovo, Kazanlak and Plovdiv in four days, and finish with two nights in Nessebar or Sozopol. June and September give warm sea and fewer crowds; see when to visit Varna.

What do I need for a road trip by car?

  • An e-vignette from bgtoll.bg, linked to your number plate (a week cost €10 from 1 August 2026). Details in driving to Varna.
  • Coming from Romania: no routine border checks since Bulgaria and Romania joined Schengen on 1 January 2025. From Turkey, expect passport and customs checks.
  • Mountain roads (Shipka, Buzludzha, Rila) can be icy from November to March; drive in daylight.
  • Prices are in euros since 1 January 2026.

How to choose

  • No car: do the 7-day loop by bus and train and return on the night train.
  • Car from Romania or Turkey: do the 10-day loop; Rila and the lakes are much easier by car.
  • Summer: the mountains and beaches. Spring: the roses. Winter: stick to the cities.

More ideas in what Bulgaria is famous for and getting to Varna. For a ranking of the destinations themselves, see the best places to visit in Bulgaria.

Sources

The list 11

  1. Veliko Tarnovo

    Historic town📍 North-central Bulgaria

    The medieval capital, with the Tsarevets fortress above a loop of the Yantra river. Day 2 of the 7-day plan: bus from Varna in about 2¾–4 h, or the 07:50 train with a change at Gorna Oryahovitsa (arrives 11:51, as of 2026-10). Sleep in the old town around Samovodska Charshia or Varusha.

    Best for: Days 2–3: fortress, old crafts street, river views

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  2. Plovdiv

    City📍 Upper Thracian Plain

    One of Europe's oldest continuously inhabited cities, with a Roman theatre, a stadium under the main street and the creative Kapana quarter. From Veliko Tarnovo the train takes about 4.5–5 h with a change; by car you can cross the Balkan range via the Shipka Pass. Sleep in the Old Town or Kapana.

    Best for: Days 3–4: Roman ruins, food, evenings out

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  3. Sofia

    Capital city📍 West Bulgaria

    The capital: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Roman Serdica under the centre and Vitosha mountain at the edge of town. Trains from Plovdiv take about 2 h 45 min–3 h. Sleep in the centre near Vitosha Boulevard for easy walking and transport.

    Best for: Day 5 and the end of the trip

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  4. Rila Monastery

    Monastery (UNESCO)📍 Rila mountains

    Bulgaria's best-known monastery and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, deep in the Rila mountains. Most people visit on a day trip from Sofia by car or on an organised tour; public buses are few, so check the day's times locally.

    Best for: Day 6: the classic day trip from Sofia

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  5. Kazanlak and the Rose Valley

    Town and valley📍 Valley of the Roses

    The heart of Bulgaria's rose-oil country, with the Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak (UNESCO, 1979). The roses are picked in late May and early June, when the town holds its Rose Festival. Easy to fit in by car between Veliko Tarnovo and Plovdiv.

    Best for: 10-day plan: rose season, Thracian heritage

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  6. Shipka Pass and Buzludzha

    Mountain pass and monument📍 Central Balkan range

    The Shipka Memorial marks an 1877 battle of the Russo-Turkish war; a side road nearby climbs to the Buzludzha monument, a 1981 communist-era building at 1,432 m. Buzludzha's interior stays closed for safety, so you see it from outside. Roads can be snowy from late autumn to spring.

    Best for: 10-day plan by car: views and 20th-century history

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  7. Seven Rila Lakes

    Mountain lakes and hike📍 Rila mountains

    A chain of glacial lakes at about 2,100–2,500 m, the most popular hike in Bulgaria. Go in summer: the lakes are usually frozen from October to June. Reach the trailhead at Panichishte, above Sapareva Banya, by car from Sofia.

    Best for: 10-day plan, July–September

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  8. Melnik

    Wine town📍 Pirin region, south-west

    A tiny wine town in the far south-west, ringed by sandstone pyramids, with the Rozhen Monastery a short walk or drive away. Best reached by car from Sofia; sleep in the town itself.

    Best for: 2-week plan: wine and walks

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  9. Belogradchik Rocks and Fortress

    Rock formations and fortress📍 North-west Bulgaria

    Red sandstone towers with a fortress built into them, in the north-west near the Serbian border. A long detour from Sofia, so it suits a 2-week trip with a car; stay overnight in Belogradchik.

    Best for: 2-week plan: dramatic scenery

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  10. Nessebar

    Old town (UNESCO)📍 Southern Black Sea coast

    An old town on a small peninsula with stone churches and wooden houses, a UNESCO site since 1983. It lies about halfway between Burgas and Varna, so it is an easy last stop on the way home along the coast.

    Best for: 2-week or beach plan

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  11. Sozopol

    Seaside town📍 Southern Black Sea coast

    A seaside town south of Burgas with an old town on a peninsula and good beaches nearby. Combine it with Nessebar for a few beach days at the end of a culture trip; trains from Burgas to Varna take about 3.5–4 h, buses are often quicker.

    Best for: Beach days at the end of the trip

    🗺 Map↗ Website

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Frequently asked questions

Is 7 days enough for Bulgaria?

Seven days is enough for the classic loop of Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv, Sofia and Rila Monastery from Varna. You will not see the mountains or the south properly; for that, plan 10 days to 2 weeks.

What is a good Bulgaria itinerary for 10 days?

Take the 7-day loop and add a day for Kazanlak, Shipka and Buzludzha by car, a day for the Seven Rila Lakes in summer, and one spare day in Sofia or Plovdiv.

What can I add with 2 weeks in Bulgaria?

Add Melnik and its wineries in the south-west, the Belogradchik rocks in the north-west, or end on the southern coast in Sozopol and Nessebar before heading back up to Varna.

Can I combine a Romania and Bulgaria road trip?

Yes. Both countries are in Schengen since 1 January 2025, so there are no routine border checks. Drive in via Vama Veche–Durankulak or the Giurgiu–Ruse bridge and start the loop from Varna or Ruse.

Is the train or the bus better in Bulgaria?

Buses are usually faster between towns such as Varna and Veliko Tarnovo. Trains are slower but cheap and scenic, and the night train is the easiest way back from Sofia to Varna.

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