Together with France, Spain, Italy and Greece,
Bulgaria is one of the world's largest wine producers. The
Bulgarian white and red wines such as Gumza, Dimiat, Pamid, Muscat, Misket, Mavrud and Melnik are well known to connoisseurs.
Traditionally,
Bulgaria boasts five wine-growing regions, specialized in the production of typical wines. In general, South
Bulgaria is known for its red wines, North Bulgaria for white wine. The Black Sea area, too, is an important viticultural region, Bourgas, Pomorie and Varna being its three main centers. The smallest viticultural region in
Bulgaria - the area around Melnik famous for its full-bodied red wine - is known for its specific microclimate.
Gourmets have long since esteemed the merits of Bulgarian cuisine with the verdict that it is tasty, spicy and varied, appealing to one and all. Indeed, who would not like the abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits, juicy meat, grilled or served with piquant sauces, mouth-watering vegetarian dishes, simmered slowly on low heat, the banitsa ( cheese pie) which simply melts in your mouth, and famous Bulgarian yogurt?The Bulgarian "culinary" geography abounds in delicious specialties and exotic dishes: Bansko-style kapama (meat and vegetables stewed in an earthenware dish), Rhodope cheverme ( lamb roasted on a spit over an open fire), Thracian katmi ( a special type of pancake) and Dobroudjanska banitsa, Danube fish soup and Sozopol-style mussels. The cosy, typically Bulgarian folk-style restaurants will tempt you with Shopska salad and chilled grape brandy, stuffed vine leaves or peppers, kavarma the Miller's Way, monastery-style hotchpotch, moussaka and kebab. The smell of oven-fresh bread rolls is mixed with the fragrance of savoury. Thinly sliced loukanka (flat dry sausage) from Smyadovo, pastarma, feta and yellow cheese are temptingly arranged on ceramic plates. The delicate white wines Dimyat, Misket and Riesling are followed by full reds such as Merlot, Cabernet and Gamza. Cups of steaming coffee are served with sweet jam, pancakes with honey and walnuts or baklava.
Bulgaria,
Cuisine
One more hotel of Sofia Bulgaria
Central Hotel ForumHotel Chain: Minotel Hotel Central Forum is located 10 minutes by car from the city center and close to most of the important, administrative buildings, banks trade centers, museums, cultural and architectural monuments. The hotel offers comfort and corresponds to the needs of the modern traveler. Address: 41 Tzar Boris III Blvd. 1612Sofia, Bulgaria,
Number of rooms
51 [
Room Information]
Rates
€ 45 - € 120
Credit Cards
American, Visa, Euro/Mastercard, Diners, JCB
Cancelation
24 hours before date of arrival
Child Policy
Check In
12:00 hours
Check Out
12:00 hours
Hotels in Sofia Bulgaria
Minotel Hotel Central is conveniently located in Sofia's central part, in near proximity to all key administrative buildings, banks, shopping centers, museums, cultural and architectural landmarks. The airport lies within 10 km and the Central Railway Station only within 1 km. Comfort and coziness, in accordance with modern trends in tourism and recreation, turn our hotel into a favorite city hotel satisfying the needs of a certain range of clients: individual guests (businessmen, agents, corporate representatives), individual tourists and small groups.
Address: 52 Hristo Botev blv. 1000Sofia, Bulgaria,
Number of rooms28
Room Information]
Rates€ 45 - € 120
Credit Cards
American, Visa, Euro/Mastercard, Diners, JCB
Cancelation
24 hours before date of arrival
Child Policy
Check In12:00 hours
Check Out12:00 hours
Hotels in Sofia Bulgaria
Hotel Accord (Sofia)
Hotel Accord is a newly opened three star hotel, situated one kilometer away from the centre of Sofia, 20 minutes by car from the airport, the central train station and the bus station.
Address: 17 Vladimir Vazov Blvd. 1510Sofia, Bulgaria,
Number of rooms
60 [
Room Information]
Rates
€ 40 - € 70
Credit Cards
Visa, Euro/Mastercard, Maestro
Cancelation
Cancellation by phone or fax: at least 24 hours before the day of arrival.
Child Policy
You do not have to pay for a child under six, who does not use a separate bed. You get a reduction of 15% of the price for adults if children up to 12 or children under six use a separate bed.
Check In 12:00 hours
Check Out 12:00 hours
The Maria Luisa Hotel occupies an exquisite building, built at the beginning of the century
and proclaimed as a cultural monument of national significance. It is situated at the very heart of Sofia in close proximity to the city's main business, administrative and trade centers. The Maria Luisa Hotel offers a perfect combination of high quality and luxury services and the privacy and coziness of the own home. Address: 29 Maria luisa blvd. 1301Sofia, Bulgaria,
Number of rooms
20 [Room Information]
Rates
€ 64 - € 140
Credit Cards
American, Visa, Euro/Mastercard, Diners
Cancelation
Before 16.00 on day of arrival.
Child Policy
Children up to 5 years old stay for free in parents room.
Check In
14:00 hours
Check Out
11:00 - 12:00 hours
History of Sofia.
The History of Sofia.
Sofia has a history that goes back thousands of years. Through the centuries, many peoples have inhabited it and added to its rich and diverse history. Numerous Neolithic villages have been discovered in the area, while a chalocolithic settlement has been recently discovered in the very center of modern
Sofia.The St. Sofia Church, a three-nave basilica built in the late 5th century AD (Foto)
The Thracian Serdi tribe settled here in the 7th century BC and gave the first recorded name of
Sofia -- Serdica. The Byzantines called it Triaditsa and the Slavs - Sredets. The modern city of Sofia was named in the 14th century after the basilica St. Sofia. In Greek, word sofia means wisdom. In the 3rd century AD, the Romans built strong walls around Serdica, their capital of Inner Dacia and an important stopping point on the Roman road from Naisus (present Nish, Yugoslavia) to Constantinople.
Today there are many archaeological sites in
Sofia, that display the city's diverse history - the castle gates and towers of Serdica, public buildings and streets thousands of years old. A large part of the ancient city of Serdica is underneath important modern buildings. The ancient city council (bulefteris) is hidden under the "Sheraton" hotel, while a number of basilicas are below the National Historical Museum. The Roman thermal baths are under the Sofia Mineral Baths and a Roman residence with elaborate mosaics is below the "Rila" hotel.
After the Hun invasion of 441, the town was rebuilt by the Byzantines. The Slavs gave Sredets a key role in the First Bulgarian Empire, then in 1018 the Byzantines retook Triaditsa. At the end of the 12th century, the Bulgarians returned and Sredets became a major trading center of the Second Bulgarian Empire. The Turks captured
Sofia in 1382 and made it the center of the Rumelian beylerbeyship. The city declined during the feudal unrest of the 19th century, but with the establishment of the Third Bulgarian Empire in 1879, Sofia once again became the capital of Bulgaria.
The ancient St. George rotunda behind theSheraton Hotel
The National Art Gallery
Rapidly the city's image changed from an Oriental, to a European. Today many streets, buildings, parks, and even whole neighborhoods preserve the architectural style from the turn of the century. Between 1879 and 1939, the population of Sofia grew from 20 000 to 300 000, while today 1 250 000 people live in Sofia.
Since ancient times the city was famous for the abudance of cold and thermal mineral water springs in and around it. The water is still available today and is praised for its numerous qualities. Springs may be found in the city center, as well as in the neighbourhoods: Kniazevo, Gorna Bania, Bankia, Ovcha Kupel and Ivaniane.
