Places jrsiesennop Wants to Go

A massive cave once a secret military base is now home to thousands of bats.

Founded in the 4th-century, the town of Pernik plays host to the Surva Carnival⁠—a magnificent display of masked Kukeri dancers.

This apartment is a true time capsule of local life in Bulgaria during the Soviet regime.

An homage to the medieval rulers of Bulgaria.

This rose and lavender oil distillery still operates as it did more than a century ago.

The temple that withstood the Nazis.

A dragon-shaped fountain that is said to dispense healing water—unless you're evil.

This building has two facades of clashing architectural designs.

Massive, unfinished broadcasting station stands as a monument to the fall of communism.

One of the world’s only pink lakes where it's possible to take a dip.

At this 16th-century monastery in rural Bulgaria, visitors can also spend the night.

On the outskirts of the small village, an abandoned grassy field glitters thanks to the white stones of an ancient structure.

An interactive museum-like experience takes visitors back to 1980s Communist Bulgaria.

This fifth-century church is one of the oldest Christian sites in the Balkans.

The famous springs of this small town still flow outside this historic building.

A supersonic jet stands on a pedestal in this rural village as a monument to military aviation.

At almost 900 feet long, this is Bulgaria's longest suspension bridge and the only way to reach the small village of Lisitsite.

Step inside this medieval Orthodox gem and travel back to the 16th century.

The Bulgarian royal family exclusively used this ornate, now-abandoned train station.

An abandoned sanatorium building from the early 20th century sits in the forest of the Rila mountains.

While it would not look out of place among Serbian spomeniks, this massive Bulgarian monument commemorates one of their defeats.

Now a ruin, this grand resort was coveted by a communist autocrat and an eccentric Japanese golfer.

A chain coffee shop in Bulgaria that takes its Italian roots very seriously.

A crumbling monument to a now locally-extinct sport in Bulgaria's oldest ski resort.