19 May 2016
As February approaches and the winter season is in full swing, Bulgaria brings to life their impeccable wine culture with a range of festivals and events throughout the month, ensuring there is certain to be something to tantalise even the most experienced of pallets.
In true Bulgarian style, the 1st February is the official Winemakers Day, or Triphon Zarezan, a celebration of the Patron Saint of Wine. This festival marks the dividing line between the ending of winter and the nearing of spring and what better way to celebrate than with a few glasses of some of Europe's best wine?
In recent years this day has been moved to 14th
17 May 2016
2016 is fast becoming one fantastic year for Bulgaria. With it's popular summer beach resorts already in high demand, there was another welcome surprise on Saturday when Poli Genova took Stockholm's Ericsson Globe by storm at the 2016 Eurovision contest.
The Bulgarian contestant thrilled the crowd with her catchy song ''If Love Was a Crime" grabbing herself 307 points in the process, putting her just behind the winner Ukraine, runner-up Australia and third-placed Russia.
This was only the second appearance by Bulgaria in a grand final since the country's debut performance in 2005. Genova however, is no stranger
12 May 2016
If you fancy going to a summer festival but you would like to combine the music festival with your summer holiday, then the Spirit of Bourgas the ideal choice for you.
The Spirit of Bourgas, the biggest seaside festival in Europe, on the Black Sea Riviera in Bulgaria, lets you leave the rain-soaked, mud-stained festival tent at home and gives you the sea and the sand instead.
Book your holiday to Bourgas this summer and you can witness three days of festival music just by the sea.
Spirit of Burgas has earned itself numerous nominations: 'Best European Festival', 'Best Overseas Festival' and in
10 May 2016
Bulgaria's National Museum of Military History in Sofia has recently been awarded a Certificate of Excellence by one of the world's most popular tourist websites TripAdvisor.
This distinguished award is given to establishments in the tourist sector, which over a long period of time, have been receiving positive ratings.
TripAdvisor is one of the most popular and largest travel communities in the world, with more than 32 million members and over 100 million reviews and opinions of hotels, restaurants, attractions and other travel-related businesses. Some of the visitor reviews on the website said the Military History Museum is
31 Oct 2015
Just like us here in the UK, Bulgarians celebrate Christmas on December 25, however this is somewhat unexpected because Bulgaria is an Orthodox country. The traditional Eastern Orthodox celebration of Christmas actually occurs on January 7th. Bulgaria's Orthodox Church follows the Gregorian calendar, which means its religious observances are in keeping with those of the West. If you're in Bulgaria during the winter season, you can see cities like Sofia covered in Christmas lights with the Sofia Christmas Market an ideal place for travellers to go during the month of December to experience Bulgarian Christmas cheer. A typical
22 Oct 2015
Plovdiv is one of the most renown and charming cities in Bulgaria, famous for its exceptional landmarks. Without doubt the biggest attraction to the city however is the ancient theatre of Philippopolis, located in the Plovdiv Old Town. The theatre was built during the 2nd century and is believed to be one of the most preserved antique theatres in not only Europe but the entire world. The theatre was discovered in the early 1970's after a landslide exposed the theatre for the very first time beginning a major archaeological excavation to reveal the full beauty of the theatre, including the removal of approximately 4.5m of earth covering
19 Sep 2015
Visiting Primorsko has become an even more attractive proposition with the arrival of the very first underwater chapel to the Bulgarian southern Black Sea coast. Named after the patron of fishermen and seafarers, St. Nicholas the Wonder Worker this unique chapel was erected some 10 meters below the surface and is fully compliant with the canon of Orthodox Christianity.
Designed by sculptor Nikola Dikov, the image of the saint was made from brass and the alter from ancient stone with a cross and candlestick placed on it. A plate completes the design with an image glorifying the Saint Trinity. All visitors to the chapel will be able to
13 Sep 2015
Croatia is becoming an increasingly popular holiday destination, well known for it's 1244 beautiful islands and stunning towns & cities offering incredible value for money holiday opportunities. Every year millions of tourist are attracted by the natural beauty of Croatia and the crystal clear warm waters of the Adriatic sea.
There are a number of interesting historic and cultural sites to discover while on your holiday to Croatia, seven of which are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance. The list is maintained by
09 Mar 2015
The International Jazz Festival in Bansko - probably the biggest summer musical event in Bulgaria was founded in 1998 and is held every year in the sunny month of August. This year will mark the festival's 15th edition and will be carried out from the 4th to the 11th of August on the open-air stage on Nikola Vaptsarov Square in downtown Bansko, as well as on various smaller stages in the large resort complexes and restaurants.
The presence of emblematic figures of today’s music world, the marvellous setting and fact that the concerts are free for the public draws huge crowds every year and has transformed the festival to one of
17 Feb 2015
Happy Pancake Day from us here at Balkan Holidays! If you fancy trying something different this year, check out this delicious Bulgarian Palachinka recipe...!
These are simply the most flavourful pancakes ever! The vanilla smell will linger in your kitchen hours after cooking them to keep you in a good mood all day long.
Ingredients:
2 cups wheat flour (250g)
2 and 1/2 cups milk (500ml)
3 medium sized eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon powder sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
1 generous tablespoon of butter (softened at room temperature)
Preparation:
1. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl. Whisk
