City Travel Journal
Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Located 100Km south from Sofia, Blagoevgrad is the largest city in Southwest Bulgaria. The city lies on the banks of the Blagoevgradska Bistritsa River and surrounds with beautiful nature and parks. With a population of 70,000 people, the city is famous for her nightlife, supported by a high number of pubs, restaurants, and students from all over the world, that come to study at the American University in Bulgaria.
Well, Blagoevgrad is probably not the first choice for tourists who want to plan their vacation. The only reason I heard about this city is that my wife Liat got invited to an academic conference took place at the American University. At first, we thought we would not have much to do in the city, so we planned to rent a car and tour some beautiful sites nearby. However, we prepared it wrong. We came from another conference that took place in Thessaloniki, and we wanted to rent a car over there and drive to Bulgaria. Apparently, it is not possible to take a car out of Greece. So we took a direct bus from Thessaloniki to Sofia, with a stop at Blagoevgrad, and thought that we would find a car to rent over there. A big mistake. There are no car rental agencies in Blagoevgrad, except one, located few miles from the city, and didn't answer the phone. I looked on the internet for things to do in the city - but the results were very disappointing. So just before I gave up, I ran into the Tourist Information in the city center. The receptionist could not speak English. However, he was kind enough to call someone, which came and told me about all the tour possibilities of the city. Bingo. Now I would not have to wander with no directions while waiting for my wife to finish her conference duties. So I traveled the city, I took pictures and wrote it all for you. I hope some of you will find it useful.
During our stay, we rented an apartment for three nights: Sky Apartments - only five minutes from the city center and the American University. A small but convenient apartment with a porch and great view. If you came to Blagoevgrad - it's an excellent choice.
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Places to Visit
The city center of Blagoevgrad, built of four big squares, is full of restaurants, pubs, and shops. You can buy a sim card in one of the two Telenor stores on Todor Aleksandrov St., change money or eat ice cream. Largo Mall is standing right in the center of Bulgaria square, and the main campus of AUBG located in George Izmireliev square, just aside the tourist information center.
Blagoevgrad oldest district characterized by unique architecture, cobblestone streets, small traditional houses, craft shops and galleries. The area formed during the Bulgarian National Revival, as part of re-formation of Bulgarian identity. In the center of the district, they build in 1844 the Presentation of the Mother of God Church.
Shopping
Places to Eat
Useful Information
