Which European country

• is the continent's oldest state.
• is the birthplace of a sophisticated ancient society that produced some of antiquity's finest gold artifacts and the gladiator Spartacus.
• has topography ranging from white-sand beaches to snow-capped mountains.
• has a colorful culture that blends the ancient with the modern.

Not Greece, not Turkey, or any place on the Mediterranean - it's Bulgaria one of the E.U.'s newest members.

You can enjoy things like great food (a blend of Greek and Middle Eastern), stunning scenery, and seaside resorts for far less than you'd pay in other countries.

We can recommend starting in the capital of Sofia, then visiting one of the mountain regions like the Rhodope and the ancient city of Plovdiv,the untouched Strandja National Park, and finishing up with a few days at the Black Sea resort of Burgas.

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Sofia is like a combination of New York, London, and Italy - it has ultra modern stores, phenomenal food, and lively entertainment, It also has many elaborate churches. Sofia is a fairly modern city, so you'll have to go out into the countryside to discover traditional Bulgaria.

In Rhodope, a few hours' drive from Sofia, you can wander between mountain villages where you'll witness locals still using traditional farming and craft-making methods, and be warmly welcomed in country guesthouses.

Next, head to Plovdiv, a 6,000-year-old (or older) city known as the cultural capital of Bulgaria and the jumping-off point for visiting the Valley of the Thracian Kings, a site of about 1,500 burial mounds. Plovdiv is a really place to get a sense of ancient Bulgaria.. In the Old Town, you'll see lots of Greek and Roman ruins, including a large Greek amphitheater, as well as a good sample of period Bulgarian villas.

Finally, go east to the Black Sea for some relaxation time in Burgas and the south Black Sea coast. Burgas is essentially a major destination beach resort for all of Western Europe. It has natural hot mineral springs and modern spas with all the amenities and treatments you'd find in other places, but for a lot less." It also has a number of ethnic and natural history museum, many of the exhibits coming from the surrounding area and the Strandja National Park which stretches from the Black Sea coast all the way inside Turkey.. This area of Bulgaria is also known for its "fusion cuisine", a mixture of Bulgarian, Greek and Turkish cooking.

Trip planning:

The bigger cities in Bulgaria, Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Sandanski, Veliko Turnovo and Primorsko are only a few, but have many western standard hotels but you can usually save by staying at an apartment hotel. Try the centrally located Niky Hotel in Sofia and Seastar Hotel in Sarafovo near Burgas and next to the international airport.You'll easily be able to afford the Hotel Dafi in the centre of Plovdiv.

There are now many more flights to Bulgaria and more are being added. Try FLIGHTS to see who is flying to Bulgaria and when.

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