In Bulgaria, Vitosha Street in Sofia is where most tourists head for shopping, but if you'd rather shop at an American style mall, try Halite or Zum downtown, or the German giant chain, Metro. Pick up quaint things in the street market outside the grand cathedral of Alexander Nevski. You will find kitsch from the communist period, helmets and shotguns from WW2, traditional icons, matroshki dolls from Russia, and many other things found normally at the 'Antique Road Show'.

In the boutiques on the meandering cobblestone paved streets, you'll find chic clothes, antiques, icons, jewellery, leather goods, musical instruments, and handicrafts made by peasants.

Our Regional Bulgarian Shopping guide below tells you all you need to know about how and where to shop in Burgas, Plovdiv, Varna, and Veliko Tarnovo. For information about things to see and do, take a look at our Regional Bulgaria Destination Guide. For more general country travel information visit our Bulgaria Country Guide, Bulgaria Destination Guide and Bulgaria Shopping pages. After a long day of shopping in Bulgaria, sit down and relax with a nice meal at one of our Regional Bulgaria Restaurants.

Shopping in Regional Bulgaria

Located at the heart of the Balkans, at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, Bulgaria is an interesting confluence of cultures. For shoppers, this also presents an opportunity as the strong exchange rate against the Bulgarian Lev makes most purchases, from traditional handicrafts to beer, ridiculously cheap. And of course you don't have to have wads of cash to appreciate Bulgaria's stunning scenery!

Burgas | Plovdiv | Varna | Veliko Tarnovo

Shopping in Burgas

Burgas is a shopper's fantasy, offering everything from the latest fashions to handicrafts at affordable prices. Here you'll find western style shops along with the traditional ones. Peasants sell nuts, fruits and herbs in open air markets. Go ahead and haggle, they expect you to! There's a new mall called Troika at the Tria shopping centre, with a beauty salon, clothes for children, men's and women's fashion, shoes etc. as well as restaurants and cafes. It is a huge mall and there are stroller and wheel chair friendly escalators.

Shopping in Plovdiv

You'll find some wonderful places to shop in at Plovdiv. Apart from the international trade fairs held in the city in September and May, there is a plethora of shops and art galleries. The main street Ulitsa Knyas Aleksander I should be your first stop. The historic Ulitsa Raiko Daskalov which is traditionally part of the bazaar has all sorts of cafes, stalls and shops.

The Bulgarians love their markets and give them a lot of importance. Plovdiv is famous for its huge and extremely fascinating marketplace which spans around 10,000 square feet and is located in the heart of the city. You'll find all the various types of vegetables grown in Bulgaria as well as imported citrus fruits. In fact, Bulgaria imports a lot of fruit. You won't need your car to take you to this market. You can make use of the public transport or stroll across if weather conditions are good.

Shopping in Varna

If you're looking for the best deals, there is no place like Varna. Varna is packed with small shops that sell items of fine quality at very cheap rates. And if you are buying more than one item from a shop, you could even succeed in getting a discount. Stroll down Piskulev Street and browse through the various markets there. You could pick up some amazing bargains.

You'll find designer labels everywhere in Varna and these are much cheaper than in the U.K. You get great quality and the latest fashions. A word of warning though: don't go by the clothing sizes you know. A size 8 is small, 10 is medium, and 12 is large! You could even buy a reasonably priced house for yourself in beautiful Varna where the property market is booming, and property prices are rising steadily.

Shopping in Veliko Tarnovo

Veliko Tarnovo, the capital of the second Bulgarian kingdom, is a wonderful sight with its elegant medieval houses that stand on terraces cut into the precipitous rock above the river waters of Yantra. Take a relaxing stroll through the narrow lanes with their boutiques and bars, tiny handicraft workshops and cafes.

From the main street, a narrow lane leads to the centre of the old town where you will find hundreds of small stalls. There are all kinds of handicrafts in these stalls, especially the wooden handicraft which is unique to Veliko. Don't forget to check out the Samovodene Arts and Crafts Market Street in the old section of Tarnovo.