Why You Should 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. Try my knowledge to the town and begin planning your journey!

One summer time season season, I stayed contained in the Shumen space for months. All by means 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 fairly a couple of cities in Bulgaria and neighboring areas: 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 won’t 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.

In my view, it’s the excellent metropolis to expertise actual Bulgarian customized, away from the vacationer bubble and traps. In case you’re searching for a base for fairly a couple of weeks, it’s the right spot: it’s reasonably priced, you in all probability can maintain like an house, and the cherry on prime – to your following areas, you’ll uncover easy bus journeys to Romania, Greece, and Turkey.

Moreover, in case you wish 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 an excellent place to go to in Bulgaria.

Finest Time To Go to Shumen

Shumen is engaging year-round, nonetheless among the many greatest time to go to is through the spring and summer time season season, as a result of it should permit you to be taught from the beautiful nature all through the metropolis.

Extreme Sights In Shumen

You’ll uncover on this knowledge my ideas for among the many greatest areas to see and vacationer elements of curiosity in Shumen:

Factors To Do In Shumen

1. 1300 Years Of Bulgaria Monument

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

The 1300 Years of Bulgaria monument, as you maybe 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 absolutely completely totally different durations over the previous couple of centuries. The sheer dimension of the monument alone makes it an awe-inspiring sight, so positively positively well worth the detour.

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

The Plateau could possibly be an lovely park with many climbing trails, and it’s the starting line for paragliding expeditions. In case you ask me, it’s the right outdoors practice!

2. Madara Nationwide Historic & Archaeological Park

A number of 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 artwork work of its choice with no completely totally different parallel in Europe. The inscriptions all through the rock assist retell compulsory occasions of the First Empire and its ki,ngs Tervel, Kormi,sos, and Omurtag.

The park could possibly be dwelling to fairly a couple of 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 vital monument as accurately. It dates as soon as extra to the early Center 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 every of many largest and most beautiful Ottoman mosques in Bulgaria and a masterpiece of Islamic building.

The engaging inside and peaceable courtyard are fantastic for fairly a couple of hours of solace if you want them.

5. Biserna Cave

It’s possible you’ll assume visiting a cave is a somber affair. Appropriately, not the Biserna Cave.

On account of lights put in and the sparkly stalactite formations, all of the place is glowing. It’s positively 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 power 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 the perfect metropolis to style actual, native meals Bulgarian meals, as a result of the town, for most likely in all probability essentially the most half, doesn’t pay money for and doesn’t cater to vacationers. Having visited fairly a couple of cities in Bulgaria, I discovered that consuming places in Shumen are the closest you are going to get to my Bulgarian mates’ do-it-yourself meals.

In case you’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. Totally 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 via scorching summer time season season days, it could possibly be best to eat Tarator, a chilly soup produced from yogurt and cucumbers – sort of like Tzatziki nonetheless as a soup. One small uncover: ensure that to ask for lots a lot much less salt as individuals there would possibly 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 might probably be full with out testing it. In case chances are you’ll someway get ahold of do-it-yourself Rakia – and as well as it is doable you may, for people who make mates in Shumen – even higher!

Day Journeys And  Locations To Go to Shut by

The fantastic thing about Shumen is that it’s a hub for buses and really accurately related by apply as accurately, so you’ve got received gotten entry to completely totally different good cities merely.

From there, I managed to realize completely totally different good areas 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 chances are you’ll uncover the stays of the Grand Basilica, one in all many largest early Christian church buildings in Europe.

Veliki Preslav

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

Nice actuality! Veliki Preslav is the place the Cyrillic alphabet was invented through the reign of Simeon The Good (one in every of many important glorious, if not THE most glorious, resolve in Bulgaria’s historic earlier).

Nonetheless, individually, most likely in all probability essentially the most pleasurable concern 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 means of my journey, I discovered the Balchik Palace and Botanical Gardens to be ns most likely in all probability essentially the most attention-grabbing areas to go to. The archeological museum of Varna furthermore hosts the oldest gold treasure ever discovered.

Sunny Seashore And Nessebar

Whereas I favored Varna, when you’ve purchased restricted time, I’d counsel skipping it to go straight to Sunny Seashore and Nessebar. They’re a bit additional away (2 hours), in order that they act higher 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 apply, is a gem, and so, so value visiting.

It is doable one in every of many greatest areas to see in Bulgaria. It’s a historic metropolis with an lovely medieval coronary coronary heart overlooking the river. It is usually dwelling to the Tsarevets Fortress and the Ascension Cathedral, one in every of many important attention-grabbing church buildings I’ve had the chance to go to.

The place To Keep In Shumen

Shumen affords numerous lodging choices for each funds and choice.

I terribly advocate Buyer Dwelling Bulgarka, it is sort of additional 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 choose to counsel it.

For one issue additional centrally positioned, Avenue is an excellent different.

Navigating Spherical Shumen

Getting spherical Shumen is easy, due to the town’s compact dimension and environment nice public transport system.

I prefer to suggest renting a motorcycle to get spherical and uncover the encircling space and take fairly a couple of hours to be taught from the peaceable ambiance, observing the native wildlife, and having pleasing with the Bulgarian countryside.

Shumen FAQs & Vacationers Ideas

• Know Some Bulgarian: in my expertise, few individuals in Shumen discuss English, so I would positively ensure that to be taught fairly a couple of sentences in Bulgarian, or at the very least have a superb connection and a translating app on me on a regular basis!
• Lev Is The Abroad money: Bulgarians don’t use euros; they use Lev. Change your cash earlier than the journey or use a world card like Clever.
• Use The Vacationer Info Heart: you in all probability can all the time get up-to-date knowledge contained in the vacationer data coronary coronary heart
• Purchase 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 repeatedly all by means of Bulgaria, and I discovered it environment nice and useful
• Get A SIM Card: for people who run out of web knowledge, you in all probability can merely get a SIM card with a certain quantity of knowledge; 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 manner you gained’t uncover in quite a few vacationer areas.

It is usually the right place to remain to prepare day and weekend journeys to those completely totally different widespread spots that you just merely positively should go to as accurately. We now ought to do each, in any case!

All in all, Shumen is an excellent place to spend fairly a couple of weeks wandering spherical, consuming, exercising, utilizing, and experiencing Bulgarian customized and historic earlier.