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Best Castles in Bulgaria

Best Castles & Fortresses in Bulgaria

What are the Most Beautiful Castles in Bulgaria? Discover your Ultimate Guide of the Best Fortresses & Castles in Bulgaria.

 

From Fairytales Castles to Visit in Bulgaria, Amazing Castles in Bulgaria, to the Most Beautiful Castles in Bulgaria, the Best Castles in Bulgaria are waiting for you.

 

Discover the Tsarevets Fortress surrounded by majestic rocks, the sumptuous Ravadinovo Castle also called "Castle in Love with the Wind", immerse yourself in the time of the knights at Baba Vida Fortress, Shumen Castle and the Ovech Fortress.

 

Book your flights, your accommodation in Bulgaria as well as your tours and activities in Bulgaria and visit the Most Beautiful Castles and Fortresses in Bulgaria.

 

Need more inspiration? Discover the Most Scenic Places in Bulgaria, The Best Hidden Gems in Bulgaria, the Best Sunny & Sandy Beaches in Bulgaria as well as the Best Ski Resorts in Bulgaria

 

Do you want to discover more European Castles? This is your Ultimate Lists of the Best Castles in Scotland, Most Dramatic Castles in Ireland, Best French Castles, Most Amazing Castles in Spain, the Best Historical Castles in Greece, Most Beautiful Castles in Italy, Most Famous Castles in Austria but also the Best Castles in Germany and in The Netherlands.

  


Best Castles in Bulgaria - Ravadinovo Castle
©Circlephoto

1. Castle in Love with the Wind 

Ravadinivo - Bulgaria

It is rightly regarded as one of the Most Beautiful Castles in Bulgaria and among the most beautiful castles in Europe.

 

In Love with the Wind – the castle with the magnificent structures made of marble and metamorphosed limestone from the fairy tales of a talented architect and dreamer, Georgi Tumpalov.

 

The Castle In Love with the Wind – a fairy tale near the sea. The place where the Castle is built is a unique natural phenomenon. Here, the wind loves the sun and  whenever the sun shines, there is a wind.

 

On this bare field near the village, Georgi Tumpalov, an architect and developer, decided to make his child's dream come true and he built the Most Beautiful Fairytales Castle in Bulgaria.

 

But a dream never comes alone. Tumpalov attracted to the modest village of Ravadinovo, (6 km from Sozopol) enormous crowds of visitors from all over the world.

 

The castle was awarded the prize for the most attractive tourist site of the year by the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Walt Disney used its natural decor to make its movie the Sleeping Beauty.

 

Opening hours: Every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

How to get there: Book your flights to Burgas (30 min by car).

 

Where to stay: "Sea Sense Boutique Hotel" located a few steps from the beach.

 


Best Castles in Bulgaria - Tsarevets Fortress
©Valentin Valkov

2. Tsarevets Fortress 

Veliko Tarnovo

Located on the highest point of Veliko Tarnovo, one of your best destinations to visit in Bulgaria, Tsarevets Fortress, one of the Best Fortresses in Bulgaria, offers a very beautiful panorama over the valley.

 

It is one of the largest fortresses in Europe, one of the best preserved. Its ramparts are perfectly preserved and you can visit a small church inside the fortress.

 

Discover "Tsarevets" the city of the Tsars in Veliko Tarnovo, an exceptional site and learn how the peoples protected themselves from their enemies by using the topography of nature as a rampart.

 

Book your flights to Plovdiv (2H30 by car) or Burgas (2h30 by car), book your accommodation in Bulgaria as well as your tours and activities in Bulgaria such  as a "Veliko Tarnovo Day Tour".

 

Opening hours: open every day of the week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

How to get there: Book your flights to Plovdiv, Sofia or Burgas (2h30 by car).

 

Where to stay: "Grand Hotel Plovdiv" situated in the heart of Plovdiv.

 


Best Castles in Bulgaria - Belogradchik Fortress
© Nataliya Nazarova

3. Belogradchik Fortress

Belogradchik

Belogradchik is ranked among the Most Amazing Castles in Bulgaria You Can Visit and Best Hidden Gems in Bulgaria.

 

A fortress perched on top of a hill, surrounded by majestic rocks and incredible ramparts awaits you in Belogradchik, a town located in northwestern Bulgaria, a 2.5 hour drive from Sofia.

 

The fortress of Belogradchik bears the name of this city rewarded by the European Commission for its commitment to sustainable tourism. During your stay in the region do not miss to visit "Venetsa Cave" and "Lepenitsa Cave".

 

Book your flights to Sofia, your accommodation in Sofia or in Belogradchik as well as your tours and activities in Bulgaria such as a "Sofia: Lovech, Devetaki Cave and Krushuna Waterfalls Tour".

 

How to get there: Book your flights to Sofia (2h30 by car).

 

Where to stay: "InterContinental Sofia" offers two restaurants and a 24/7 fitness centre.

 


Best Castles in Bulgaria - Ovech Fortress
©Todor Stoyanov

4. Ovech Fortress

Provadia

This pretty fortress surrounded by lush and unspoiled nature offers breathtaking views of the town of Provadia.

 

The peculiarity of Ovech is to be a fortress partly carved into the rock. Many eco-trails lead to this 13th century fortress, one of the Most Beautiful Fortresses in Bulgaria.

 

Book your flights to Varna (40 min by car), your accommodation in Varna as well as your tours and activities in Bulgaria.

 

How to get there: Book your flights to Varna (30 min by car).

 

Where to stay: "Modus Hotel". Stay in the heart of Varna.

 


Best Castles in Bulgaria - Shumen Castle
©Lev Levin

5. Shumen Castle

Shumen

A true archaeological site, this fortress overlooking the town of Shumen is one of the oldest fortresses in Europe and one of the Best Fortresses to Visit in Bulgaria.

 

Near the Shumen Fortress you can also discover the Shumen City's Tombul Mosque and the monument commemorating the 1300th anniversary of the Bulgarian State.

 

Fans of abandoned places will love visiting "Shumen Central City Square" a gigantic complex supposed to house a hotel, shops, restaurants, administrative offices, a huge project that was stopped shortly before it opened to the public. A place to put at the top of the travel wishlist if you are an Urbex (passionate about abandoned places).

 

Book your flights to Varna (1h by car) your accommodation in Varna as well as your tours and activities in Bulgaria such  as a "Varna: Guided VIP Tour".

 

How to get there: Book your flights to Varna

 

Where to stay: "Royal Hotel" located 12 minutes walk from the beach. 

 


Best Castles in Bulgaria - Baba Vida Fortress
© Todor N Nikolov

6. Baba Vida Fortress

Vidin

Baba Vida Fortress is a fortress located near the Bulgarian-Romanian border. Baba Vida is one of the Most Beautiful Medieval Fortresses in Bulgaria.

 

From the top of the fortress you will enjoy a 360 degree view over the region, over the Danube which separates Romania from Bulgaria and the bridge which connects the two countries.

 

The fortress is open every day of the week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

How to get there: Book your flights to Sofia (3h30) or Craiova (1h30).

 

Where to stay:  "InterContinental Sofia" provides easy access to the main historical and cultural buildings as well as to the shopping area.

 


Best Castles in Bulgaria - Kaliakra Fortress
©ViLevi

7. Kaliakra Fortress

Kaliakra

Kaliakra is not only the name of this fortress top-rated among the Best Castles and Fortresses to Visit in Bulgaria, it is also the name of Cape Kaliakra and that of the entire nature reserve located in the  northeast of Bulgaria, on the shores of the Black Sea.

 

With its cliffs and promontory, Cape Kaliakra reminds us of the Costa Vicentina in Portugal, a coast that is also wild and unspoilt.

 

Kali Akra comes from the Greek and means "Good shelter". The place is  sheltered from the northeast winds. Just like on the Costa Vincentina in Portugal, monks had established their hermitages in Kaliakra.

 

Legend has it that Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors among the Balkan Orthodox, fled the Turks and implored God to create a peninsula there to save him.

 

Many legends surround this exceptional archaeological site which is also a nature reserve where, until a few decades ago, white-bellied monk seals could be observed.

 

Many debates are taking place to integrate this nature reserve into the Natura 2000 network.

 

How to get there: Book your flights to Varna Airport (1h30 by car).

 

Where to stay: "Aqua Hotel" situated in the heart of Varna.

 


 

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