Why You Ought to Go to Shumen & Get Off The Beat Path In Bulgaria

Shumen, Bulgaria, is the right metropolis to expertise actual Bulgarian customized, away from the vacationer bubble and traps. Take a look at my information to the town and begin planning your journey!

One summer time season season, I stayed contained in the Shumen home for months. All by way of that point, I took half in archeological excavations in Veliki Preslav, the capital of the First Bulgarian Emp.

Then I went on to go to a wide range of cities in Bulgaria and neighboring locations: Veliki Preslav and Shumen, in actuality, nonetheless furthermore Madara, Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Pliska, Varna, Sunny Seashore & Nessebar, Athens, and Bucharest.

Shumen is a metropolis positioned in northeastern Bulgaria, an hour away from Varna. It is not going to be the primary metropolis to pop up on a typical vacationer itinerary, nonetheless that’s exactly why it’s so particular. It’s a hidden gem capable of be found.

Individually, it’s the great metropolis to expertise actual Bulgarian customized, away from the vacationer bubble and traps. In case you’re searching for a base for a wide range of weeks, it’s the right spot: it’s reasonably priced, you in all probability can hold like an area, and the cherry on prime – to your following locations, you’ll uncover easy bus journeys to Romania, Greece, and Turkey.

Moreover, for many who need to be taught regarding the early days of the First Bulgarian Empire, the Shumen province is the place for that.

All in all, Shumen is a superb place to go to in Bulgaria.

Most fascinating Time To Go to Shumen

Shumen is gorgeous year-round, nonetheless among the many best time to go to is through the spring and summer time season season, as a result of it must assist you to revenue from the beautiful nature all through the metropolis.

Extreme Sights In Shumen

You’ll uncover on this information my ideas for among the many best locations to see and vacationer components of curiosity in Shumen:

Factors To Do In Shumen

1. 1300 Years Of Bulgaria Monument

Let’s begin with most likely primarily essentially the most visited monument in Shumen and with most likely primarily essentially the most well-known monuments contained in the nation.

The 1300 Years of Bulgaria monument, as you probably guessed, commemorates the 1300th anniversary of the Bulgarian state. Born out of the brutalist motion, the monument retells the historic earlier of Bulgari in cubist and modernist designs, representing completely fully totally different durations over the previous couple of centuries. The sheer dimension of the monument alone makes it an awe-inspiring sight, so undoubtedly positively well worth the detour.

It’s positioned on the intense Shumen Plateau, so have the flexibility to climb to get to the monument.

The Plateau is likely to be an stunning park with many climbing trails, and it’s the starting line for paragliding expeditions. In case you ask me, it’s the right exterior practice!

2. Madara Nationwide Historic & Archaeological Park

Just a few kilometers east of Shumen, solely a quick drive away, is the Madara Nationwide Historic and Archaeological Park, by which you’ll uncover the Madara Fortress and Madara Rider (or Madara Horseman), depicting a knight triumphing over a lion immediately carved on the Madara plateau, correct proper right into a 100-m-high cliff.

This carving entered the UNESCO World Heritage itemizing, as it’s the solely medieval rock work of its choice with no fully totally different parallel in Europe. The inscriptions all through the rock assist retell very important occasions of the First Empire and its ki,ngs Tervel, Kormi,sos, and Omurtag.

The park is likely to be dwelling to fairly just a few landscapes, from forests and meadows to caves and waterfalls. There are limitless choices to hike the Plateau, bike, and even bird-watch alongside the paths!

3. Shumen Fortress

Perched on prime of a hill overlooking the town, the Fortress is a crucial monument as accurately. It dates as soon as extra to the early Coronary heart Ages, all through the eighth century,y and because it has been witness to many battles and sieges, its ruins are an web web site of curiosity and 100% value a go to.

This beautiful place affords an intriguing peak into Bulgaria’s earlier and a big ranging view of the town and the encircling countryside.

4. Tombul Mosque

Inbuilt 1744, the Tombul Mosque might be going one in all many largest and most beautiful Ottoman mosques in Bulgaria and a masterpiece of Islamic building.

The attractive inside and peaceable courtyard are great for a wide range of hours of solace whenever you want them.

5. Biserna Cave

Chances are you’ll assume visiting a cave is a somber affair. Accurately, not the Biserna Cave.

Due to the lights put in and the sparkly stalactite formations, the entire place is glowing. It’s undoubtedly an attention-grabbing sight, with the stalactites dripping water, the underground river, and the echo that each noise makes.

6. Regional Historic Museum

This museum reveals the wealthy historic earlier of Shumen and its province. It provides good notion into the flexibility of the First Empire, with artifacts and objects of curiosity from surrounding cities equal to Veliki Preslav, Pliska, Madara, and so forth.

The doorway value to the museum is spherical 2 to three euros.

7. Tasting The Native Delicacies

Shumen is likely one of the finest metropolis to mannequin actual, native meals Bulgarian meals, as a result of the town, for most likely primarily essentially the most half, doesn’t purchase and doesn’t cater to vacationers. Having visited a wide range of cities in Bulgaria, I discovered that consuming areas in Shumen are the closest you may get to my Bulgarian mates’ do-it-yourself meals.

For individuals who’re there, don’t overlook to try the Banitsa, a filo pastry that you could be eat for breakfast.

My private favourite, Kavarma, is a meat stew slowly cooked to carry out the flavors. Completely implausible; I terribly advocate it.

In case you’re courageous, give Shkembe Chorba a try: it’s a soup produced from tripe and flavored with garlic, vinegar, and chili – two years later, I’m nonetheless decrease up on whether or not or not or not I remorse consuming it or not!

And through scorching summer time season season days, it is likely to be best to eat Tarator, a chilly soup produced from yogurt and cucumbers – type of like Tzatziki nonetheless as a soup. One small uncover: make sure that to ask for lots a lot much less salt as individuals there may make it fairly salty, in my expertise.

Lastly, you MUST try Rakia, the Bulgarian alcohol that will make your head flip. No journey to Bulgaria is likely to be full with out testing it. In case you can someway get ahold of do-it-yourself Rakia – and as well as chances are high you may, for a lot of who make mates in Shumen – even bigger!

Day Journeys And  Locations To Go to Shut by

The great thing about Shumen is that it’s a hub for buses and truly accurately related by observe as accurately, so you will have gotten entry to fully totally different good cities merely.

From there, I managed to appreciate fully totally different good locations equal to Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Sunny Seashore, Athens, and Bucharest.

Pliska

Half an hour away from Shumen is Pliska, the primary capital of the First Empire, the place you could uncover the stays of the Grand Basilica, one in every of many largest early Christian church buildings in Europe.

Veliki Preslav

Veliki Preslav, the second capital of that very same Empire, may very well be a mere 30 min away.

Satisfying actuality! Veliki Preslav is the place the Cyrillic alphabet was invented by way of the reign of Simeon The Good (one in all many important wonderful, if not THE most wonderful, resolve in Bulgaria’s historic earlier).

Nonetheless, for my part, most likely primarily essentially the most nice subject to go to in Veliki Preslav is the Kostadinov rock monastery, an historic sanctuary immediately carved into the cliffs.

Varna

A preferred coastal metropolis, Varna is solely an hour’s drive away.

All by way of my journey, I discovered the Balchik Palace and Botanical Gardens to be ns most likely primarily essentially the most attention-grabbing locations to go to. The archeological museum of Varna furthermore hosts the oldest gold treasure ever discovered.

Sunny Seashore And Nessebar

Whereas I favored Varna, for those who’ve obtained restricted time, I’d advocate skipping it to go straight to Sunny Seashore and Nessebar. They’re a bit further away (2 hours), in order that they act bigger as a weekend journey spot, nonetheless there you’ll uncover beautiful seashores, historic web pages and implausible nightlife.

Nesseba,r notably,r is an under-appreciated treasure.

Veliko Tarnovo

Veliko Tarnovo, which is positioned 2 hours away by observe, is a gem, and so, so value visiting.

It is attainable one in all many largest locations to see in Bulgaria. It’s a historic metropolis with an stunning medieval coronary coronary heart overlooking the river. It is usually dwelling to the Tsarevets Fortress and the Ascension Cathedral, one in all many important attention-grabbing church buildings I’ve had the chance to go to.

The place To Protect In Shumen

Shumen affords numerous lodging choices for each funds and choice.

I terribly advocate Buyer Home Bulgarka, it is type of further away from the town coronary coronary heart, nonetheless that furthermore means it’s contained in the countryside. It is usually very beautiful and atypical, and that’s why I want to advocate it.

For one issue additional centrally positioned, Avenue is a superb different.

Navigating Spherical Shumen

Getting spherical Shumen is straightforward, because of metropolis’s compact dimension and setting nice public transport system.

I wish to suggest renting a motorcycle to get spherical and uncover the encircling home and take a wide range of hours to revenue from the peaceable ambiance, observing the native wildlife, and having gratifying with the Bulgarian countryside.

Shumen FAQs & Vacationers Ideas

• Know Some Bulgarian: in my expertise, few individuals in Shumen speak English, so I might positively make sure that to be taught a wide range of sentences in Bulgarian, or at the least have a terrific connection and a translating app on me always!
• Lev Is The Worldwide money: Bulgarians don’t use euros; they use Lev. Change your cash before the journey or use a worldwide card like Clever.
• Use The Vacationer Info Middle: you in all probability can all the time get up-to-date information contained in the vacationer info coronary coronary heart
• Pay money for A Bulgarian Taxi App: Uber shouldn’t be accessible in Bulgaria, so it’s needed to amass a Bulgarian taxi app. TaxiMe is the one I used most steadily all by way of Bulgaria, and I discovered it setting nice and helpful
• Get A SIM Card: for a lot of who run out of web information, you in all probability can merely get a SIM card with a specific amount of data; no ID or proof of residence is required

Why Shumen Deserves A Spot On Your Journey Pointers

There are quite a few factors to do in Shumen, nonetheless above all; the town affords the prospect to expertise actual Bulgarian customized in a way you gained’t uncover in a number of vacationer locations.

It is usually the right place to remain to rearrange day and weekend journeys to those fully totally different widespread spots that you just merely positively should go to as accurately. We now have to do each, in spite of everything!

All in all, Shumen is a superb place to spend a wide range of weeks wandering spherical, consuming, exercising, utilizing, and experiencing Bulgarian customized and historic earlier.