Thread: Interesting locations within 8 hours of Sofia?!

In addition to the locations listed in #1 and #2: According to this recent thread, you can get from Sofia to Bucharest in 8 hours by bus: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1841513 Istanbul is, I think, more like 8-9 hours by bus, or a longer overnight train. You can get most places within Bulgaria in 8 hours, so you might consider Melnik, Koprivshtitsa, and various villages in the the Rila, Rhodope or Pirin mountains,...

Interesting locations within 8 hours of Sofia?! Dear Thorn Tree Ppls, I'm going to be spending two months in Sofia (April and May) next year, and I am looking for interesting places I can go to for a few days around, in the region (both within Bulgaria and outside it). Where do you recommend I go? I am interested in the most quirky and progressive places out there, and am also a fan of history, architecture and good food. :) I don't...

Outside Bulgaria: Thessaloniki, Belgrade, Ohrid (the last two just around the edge of the 8-9 hour limit).

Rilski Monastir Plovdiv Veliko Tarnovo

You should definitely go to Istanbul, but be aware that the bus or the train involves waking up in the middle of the night for an hour or two for border formalities. And Edirne, right over the border from Bulgaria, is definitely worth a weekend.The specialtiy there - foodwise - is liver, and it's really good: even if you don't like it, visit the row of shops that cook and sell nothing else but that!