If you are coming from abroad and visiting Bulgaria for the first time or if you have never been to the Northeastern part of the country, here are a few recommendations on what to do in your spare time.

All the activities and spots are recommended by locals!

We cannot recommend the Free Sofia tour enough. It is perfect for those who are spending limited amount of time in the city and would like to see and learn as much as possible. It starts every day at 11am and 2pm and takes approximately 2 hrs walking you through the capital's most important landmarks. You may make your reservation here: https://freesofiatour.com/

For traditional Bulgarian food, we recommend Shtastlivetsa, Raketa Rakia, Pod Lipite, Jadnata Lamya. For others, our personal favourites are Atelier, Annapurna, Pappous Tsipouradiko, Lampata, TM, Staria Chinar. Make sure to make a reservation anywhere you go.

For coffee, we prefer Altruist, Urban Embassi, Flow, Cakey Bakey, Syndicate. Our favourite bars are Bar ME, 5L Spekeasy, The Gin House, Public, Spritz bar, Soda, Next Page, Ozone (rooftop).

If you have some spare time and wondering what to do in and around Shumen, we have compiled a list of things to do:

Monument "1300 years of Bulgaria": 1300 steps from the town up to the monument for the full experience.

Shumen Fortress: a well preserved ancient historical fortress representingancient Roman and Medieval periods.

Our friends who live in Shumen recommend the following spots: cafe Baretto, L'olivo bar & dinner, Chiflika.

If you are arriving in Varna and would like to spend some time in the third largest city in Bulgaria (often referred to as the sea capital), we prepared a list of things to do and places to visit in and around the city. We have spent a lot of time in Varna during the summer and we even bought an apartment in the city because of how much we love it. So all these spots are very dear and nostalgic to us.

For a fresh start of the day, take a walk through the sea garden all the way to Wake Park for a cup of coffee on the beach. If you do not feel like walking for 2-3km, make a stop at Cubo at Fisherman's beach (Кубо Рибарски), one of our favourite chill spots, located just above the sea level with breathtaking sea views. Alternatively, for coffee you may go to 43.12 (one of the top 50 coffee shops in the world!), Samba, or Jasmin.

For brunch, you have to visit Cafe Lave - the food and desserts are on another level. Wholehearted cafe and Bistro Boulevard are also pretty strong competition.

For late afternoon/evening, Varna's sea garden is an absolute must especially during the summer when the city is the liveliest. Our most favourite restaurants during the summer are Staria Chinar port (slightly more traditional Bulgarian), Pechkata, El Kapan, Monkeys. Burrata is a very popular spot as well with rather generic options, but it is also a decent alternative. Although seafood is the obvious menu item, all these spots offer a range of meals. Make sure to make a reservation, as these places get quite busy, especially in the summer.

Now for the bars. Our all time favourite bars are in Varna. We've joked that if we had the option of having a small wedding, we would have it at Cubo. The vibes are simply unmatched. Perfect for summer evening chilling, listening to the sounds of the waves, enjoying cocktails or just a beer.

The next contender for the top spot is Kultura Speakeasy. The cocktails, presentation, atmosphere, staff, everything from start to finish is superb. Note that you will probably miss it from the outside. You have to enter the building, open the elevator door and go downstairs.

If you have time and would like to go to the beach, we recommend a few spots. First of all, skip the central beach which is right in front of the sea garden. It is just a regular city beach that does not have much to offer, unless you want to hang out at one of the beach bars. We recommend beaches a bit aside of the central one, such as Sunny day (Слънчев ден), Wake park, Rapongi. These spots have both beach bars and free sunbathing zones. We frequently visited Sunny day in the summer which although outside the city in the St Constantine and Helena resort, it is still easily accessible by car or public transport (Google Maps works fine).

Hope you enjoy all the spots!