My favorite Bulgarian monasteries are Rila Monastery outside of Sofia, Transfiguration monastery outside of Veliko Tarnovo, and Shipka Church (okay, not technically a monastery but simply stunning nonetheless). Why not compare Bulgaria and Greece or Romania and Serbia? Except for the obvious screenshot from Numbeo, all the photos in this article are of taken in Bulgaria. hopefully i will go back someday to do that. I always take the numbers there with a pinch of salt, because I checked the data for various cities I’ve been to and I usually found it to be incorrect (usually, the numbers listed there are higher than the reality). Here are four great experiences awaiting you no matter which country you choose to visit! Learn how your comment data is processed. You can even visit Clay Castle, the future eco-hotel that looks like it’s been ripped from a Disney cartoon storybook. The two neighboring countries, Romania and Bulgaria, are usually fighting for the last spot in EU’s charts: from minimum and average salary, to corruption and quality of living, it’s becoming a habit to see these two countries at the bottom of the charts. Full Article: Hungary Hungary and Romania's relationship is described as a "cat-and-dog" relationship, in which they constantly fight since the Transylvaniaissue. Better animal welfare? She’s written for National Geographic Online, appeared on CNN Arabic and in the New York Times, and ridden more Balkan buses than is good for a person. In terms of beauty – or as I like to call it (like many others), eye candy – I would say again that things are pretty much similar. At the moment, the only currency on the market is leu, euro is not yet used in shops. Bulgaria boasts many places where artisans live and work and where you can, namely Oreshak near Troyan for pottery, Etara near Gabrovo for all sorts of artisan work, Zlatograd, Samovodska charsiya in Veliko Tarnovo. C. the Romanian August 13, 2019 11 The two neighboring countries, Romania and Bulgaria, are usually fighting for the last spot in EU’s charts: from minimum and average salary, to corruption and quality of living, it’s becoming a habit to see these two countries at the bottom of the charts. Rural Romania, the danube delta and along the black Sea to Bulgaria. For specific visa requirement for both countries, check out our guides to planning a trip to Romania and planning a trip to Bulgaria. Welcome to Romania & Bulgaria Lonely Planet Romania & Bulgaria is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Romania and Bulgaria, part of Eastern Europe, share many similarities but at the same time have their unique traits. Romania’s current national currency is the leu.However, being bound by its EU accession agreement, Romania has to replace the leu with the euro, as soon as Romania will fulfil all of the four nominal euro convergence criteria as states in the Treaty of Functioning the European Union in article 140. Sofia or Bucharest: Which East Balkan Capital Should You Visit? If your goal is to come here for a week or two, you can enjoy one or two levels nicer on your accommodations, meals, and tours compared to a similarly priced trip in Western Europe. Bulgaria – with less FDI than Romania but a steadier approach towards Beijing and more flexibility balancing between the US and China – has shown more success in attracting Chinese investments, while avoiding Western criticism. We also have overviews on our favorite Bulgarian beaches and the best places to visit in Bulgaria. But still, this is a source not to be ignored and according to them, cost of living in Bulgaria is 3.67% higher than in Romania, while rent is 8.49% lower: Since the “cost of living” metric on Numbeo does not include rent, we could say that Bulgaria is considered to be around 5% cheaper than Romania. In Bulgaria, I love visiting Borovets. These two countries were united in 1859 and obtained the independence in 1878. I personally believe that Bulgaria and Romania would offer pretty much the same thing to tourists or people interested to move in a cheaper part of the world. Also, just a few days ago, while in Bucharest, I saw police around a car: its window was broken and the radio was stolen. personally i think Bulgarians are more friendly, but written language is much difficult to understand, at least Romanian is based on Latin, you can at least guess. Overall excellent articles but I find this one strange. I will share my thoughts with you in today’s article – and you will see that making a choice will most likely end up with a coin toss. Tours of Romania and Bulgaria explore the complex history and fascinating culture of the region. Romania is a large country, and you really can’t get to know it if you don’t get out of Bucharest, Sibiu, or Brasov. Why compare Bulgaria and Romania? We live in Bulgaria, but from time-to-time, we love to hop up to our neighbor to the north for some amazing vacations. While neither Romania or Bulgaria is likely to break the bank, we love that both offer affordable luxury options. You can witness the whole process of making Rhopode blankets….for example. Check out our guide on how to plan your trip to Bulgaria, which goes over everything from visas to ground transportation to budgeting your trip. My first stop for making this comparison was the Numbeo.com website. Check out Sofia or Bucharest: Which East Balkan Capital Should You Visit? don’t get me wrong, Romanians are nice people too. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Both Bulgaria and Romania were accepted into the EU at the same time, and there seems to be a “competition” between the two to see who catches up to EU standards of living first. In the Middle Ages, the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia were formed and for centuries were under the domination of the Ottoman Empire. Proposals usually came from the Bulgarians, … The Bulgaria–Romania border is an internal border of the European Union. This blog is part of the Amazon Associates program, meaning that we will get a small commission for products you purchase by following our links to Amazon.com. Just seeing the capital and Transylvania hotspots will not cut it here, so if you only have time to check out two or three cities, stick to Bulgaria, where you can experience a lot by spending time in Sofia, Plovdiv, and the coast. While I personally prefer Bulgarian monasteries to Romanian ones, if I’m being completely honest the truth is that you can’t go wrong either way. For wine lovers, I prefer Bulgarian wines to Romanian ones, and wine tourism here is booming. Get a travel insurance quote for your trip here. While both Romania and Bulgaria are great places to learn about the legacy of Communism in the twentieth century, Bulgaria is the superior place to hone in on the arts and architecture of these regimes. Romanians can be friendly but they are more concerned with money. I know it is a matter of personal preference, which I fully respect. There’s also amazing local Horezu pottery and of course, amazing Dracula-themed gifts to bring home with you. In fact, you don’t really know anything about Romania at all until you’ve seen its undiscovered corners like Moldavia and Bucovina, not to mention the Danube Delta. All Rights Reserved. For those traveling on tight budgets ($35 USD or less), you’ll find ample hostel options, cheap eats, and free activities that will help you have an amazing trip without blowing a hole in your budget. Allison and I have both been paying customers of World Nomads for the last three years. Each country has its major highlights and every city has more or fewer things to offer (depending on their size, mostly). However, this does not mean that either Bulgaria or Romania are countries that you stay away from. or Romania and Macedonia. Also, I find your comparison on Romanian and Bulgarian souvenirs are bit odd too. You clearly know quite a bit about Bulgarian handicrafts, which is wonderful! The union of Bulgaria and Romania (Bulgarian: Съюз на България и Румъния, romanized: Sǎjúz na Bŭlgariya i Rumŭniya; Romanian: Unirea Bulgariei și României) refers to the unsuccessful attempts to unify Bulgaria and Romania into a common state, under either a federation, a personal union or a confederation, made during the 19th and 20th centuries. As a result, border controls are conducted between the two countries, albeit often jointly (once per crossing). Bulgaria and Romania Tours & Trips 2021 Find the right tour for you through Bulgaria and Romania. Handicrafts are popular pastimes for many and a lot of wonderful products are produced- I know from experience. In addition to this, you can find many original handicrafts in Bulgaria’s villages– practically everywhere. It was our choice – for various reasons – when it came to spending the summer holidays, and we visited Albena, Golden Sands and Sunny Beach, which are their summer resorts. Required fields are marked *. i called my bank next day to wire me some money thru Western Union and mail me new bankcard to my AirBnB host in Poland so I can continue my journey. Bulgaria or Romania? If this will be your first time in Bulgaria, we have some resources to help make your first trip here a breeze. Weaknesses of Romania and Bulgaria in the fight against corruption Romania and Bulgaria, former members of the Eastern Bloc, have joined the European Union since 2007. I think you have a nice blog. Let’s see why! Some policymakers in Washington believe CEE countries, including Bulgaria and Romania, are ‘in bed’ with China. For example, the prices for food and other items in their Black Sea resorts are lower than those in Romania if we’re making an apples to apples comparison. Nord once daily has been living in the Northern and eastern hemispheres of the Schengen Zone cities. 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