Balkan Experience - Bulgaria and North Macedonia - Travelling to Sofia - 25 September 2026

Actually, all the countries in the Balkans can be covered in one go in about five weeks. I would have done that had I not been constrained by official engagements. As it stands, I covered Greece and Albania in August. This month Bulgaria and North Macedonia are on the radar for a ten-day tour. Rajiv Shah, proprietor of Network Tours and Travels arranged a round-trip ticket from Ahmedabad to Sofia and back via Mumbai and Istanbul.

I intend to travel between Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, by bus. I booked the bus tickets online through Flixbus. Factoring in the time difference of 1 hour between the two countries, a one way journey consumes 5 hours, including the time for border crossing formalities. I also booked city walking tours in Sofia and Skopje online through Guru Walk. I had used the facility in Gyumri, Armenia and found it extremely useful and informative.

Besides, I also booked a day trip from Sofia to Plovdiv and another to Rila Monastery and Boyana Church through Viator. From Skopje I booked a day trip to Matka Canyon and Vrelo Cave and another trip to Lake Ohrid - again through Viator. With numerous aggregators and Apps available online, planning a vacation has become extremely easy and quick.

I have been using Booking.com for sourcing accommodation since 2014 and have found them quite reliable and responsive during emergency situations. I use Skyscanner and Kayak to get the initial information regarding flights and connectivity. Of late, I have been using Trip.com, off and on, to book flight tickets. However, I prefer to lean on my friend Rajiv Shah for most of my overseas flight options. GetYourGuide and Viator give me decent options for day trips when I am on foreign soil. DiscoverCars is my preferred option to book rental cars overseas. Their service is exceptional and they rise up to exceed your expectations every time.

Despite an incredible traffic holdup about 40 km short of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, I reached there around midnight of 24th, with 4 hours to go for the first leg of the long day's journey. Though the Ahmedabad-Mumbai segment is operated by Indigo Airlines from the domestic terminal my baggage was booked through to Sofia. I was also given the boarding passes for the Mumbai-Istanbul and Istanbul-Sofia sectors. I have to complete immigration formalities in Mumbai, however. With a long wait ahead for the flight, I went over what I had read up over the past few days about Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

Bulgaria is a Balkan nation with diverse terrain encompassing Black Sea coastline, a mountainous interior and rivers, including the Danube. With diverse influences over centuries, such as Greek, Slavic, Ottoman and Persian, Bulgaria is a cultural melting pot. It has a rich heritage of traditional dance, music, costumes, and crafts. At the foot of domed Vitosha mountain lies its capital city, Sofia. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, and Romania across the Danube River to the north. The name Bulgaria is derived from the Bulgars, a tribe of Turkic origin that founded the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 AD. The Bulgars formed a close-knit ruling minority caste.

Bulgaria's official currency is the euro, which replaced the Bulgarian lev on January 1, 2026. The fixed conversion rate was 1.95583 lev per euro. Euro is the sole legal tender. 1 Bulgarian Lev (BGN) was roughly equal to 56.24 Indian Rupees on 1 January 2026. The official language of the country is Bulgarian. Ethnically, it is 86 percent Bulgarian, 9 percent Turks and 5 percent Roma. Bulgarian orthodox Christianity is professed by 65 percent of Bulgarians, with Islam coming in second with less than 10 percent. While atheists form 16 percent of the population, 9 percent refused to acknowledge their affiliation to a religion in the last census.

Bulgaria is a unitary parliamentary republic with Ilianna Todorova as the country's President. The current Bulgarian state took shape following its secession from the Ottoman rule in 1908. It came under Soviet influence after the end of WWII. After shaking off its Soviet shackles it became a parliamentary democracy in 1991. A developed country, its advanced, high-income economy is part of the European single market and is largely based on services, followed by manufacturing, mining, and agriculture. Bulgaria's 6 million citizens enjoy a per capita GDP of over USD 45,000 on PPP basis.

Sofia is the nation's capital and its largest city; other major cities include Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas. The city’s landmarks reflect more than 2,000 years of history, including Greek, Roman, Ottoman and Soviet occupation. Sofia has a population of 1.3 million with a history dating back to over 7000 years. The city is named after the 6th century Saint Sofia. It is one of Europe's oldest capital cities.

North Macedonia, in contrast to Bulgaria, is a landlocked country sharing borders with Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Albania, Serbia. The country has a population of 1.83 million with about 59 percent Macedonians and 25 percent Albanians, a significant minority. The official languages are Macedonian and Albanian, naturally. While 61 percent are Christian, 32 percent profess Islam. It is a unitary parliamentary democracy with the President as it's titular head.

North Macedonia was part of the Persian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. Before it gained independence in 1991, it was part of composite Yugoslavia. North Macedonia is an upper middle income country, going by the definition of the World Bank. It ranks 10 out of 190 as per the index of ease of doing business of the World Bank. The per capita income is USD 29,000 on PPP basis and has low income inequality. The country provides social security, a universal health care system as well as free primary and secondary education to its citizens. The currency of North Macedonia is the Macedonian Denar. 1 Macedonian Denar is 1.78 INR.

Skopje is the largest city in North Macedonia and is also the country's capital, home to a quarter of the country's population. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultural centre of the country. It is in this city that Mother Teresa was born on 26 August 1910. Not far from the Macedonia Square is the Memorial House of Mother Teresa, the site of the old Catholic church where she was baptized.

Skopje is close to the borders of Kosovo and Serbia. The city is the country's centre of government and business and produces a significant share of the national GDP. Its economy is based on industry, trade, services, and finance. Skopje has undergone major transformations in recent decades, with neoclassical buildings and monuments which have reshaped the city centre.

The flights from Mumbai to Istanbul and there onwards to Sofia are operated by Indigo Airlines on a code share agreement with Turkish Airlines. Boarding was completed ahead of the scheduled 8.35 am starting. It was past the hour when we got on to the runway. I was thankful for the window seat. Fortunately, the seat next to mine was empty, which allowed me more arm-room.

During the seven and half hour flight a snack and lunch were served with cold beverages. The economy section of the aircraft is served by just four air hostesses. This leads to prolonged occupation of the aisle and inconvenience to passengers who wish to use the toilets.

The flight path took us across the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea before entering Turkish airspace. The flight landed exactly on time in Istanbul airport - 1350 Turkish time. The next flight to Sofia was at 1855 - five hours to kill! I spent some time walking around the massive airport spending time in the duty free, old bazaar and such like. Later I explored the food court and decided on a stromboli, which is an Italian-American baked turnover filled with melted cheeses and sausage. It was reportedly invented in Philadelphia in the mid-20th century, and was named after the Roberto Rossellini film Stromboli. The portion was served with potato wedges and a medium sized coke. Getting over the portion consumed some time.

There was more time left to announce the gate. I found myself a seat in one of the public areas and went over the next four days' schedule in Sofia. The boarding gate was announced 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled boarding time. When I got to the gate announcements were being made asking for volunteers to opt for the next day morning flight as the evening flight was overbooked. The incentives being offered made me think seriously of opting for the revision of travel schedule. Euro 250 per person with free hotel stay, visa and transport to and from the airport. However, while changing the schedule would have benefitted me financially, I would have lost substantially in terms of the scheduled program in Sofia.

Finally, I was in the flight, booked choc a bloc. The cabin baggage area was naturally overflowing. Some of the bags were sent to the baggage hold at the last minute and receipts were issued to the passengers concerned. Full credit to the Turkish Airlines crew for getting the flight ready to taxi out in time for departure at 1855. During the short flight a wholesome snack was served with beverages and dessert.

The flight touched down in Sofia, Bulgaria at 2020. Deplaning was a curious exercise; we got off the aircraft via an aerobridge and were herded into buses for transit to the arrival hall for passport control. Mercifully, immigration was quick, giving me access to the 74th country, and by the time I reached the baggage carousel my suitcase was already on it.

I sought directions to the metro station, which was less than a couple of minutes' walk from the arrivals exit gate. A gentle lady helped me with a paper ticket for 0.80 €. She even helped me to operate the turnstile. The train was already at the platform and I got in with my luggage, no hassle at all. In about 25 minutes, I reached the Serdika station. Light rain had stated falling, not warranting an umbrella though. I navigated less than 750 meters of the main road, as per directions given by the accommodation staff, and reached the entrance to the guesthouse without any confusion. The reception of the guesthouse is only manned between 8 am and 5 pm, so they had sent me detailed self-check-in instructions. I followed that and settled comfortably into the room.