MountainBiking

For mountain biking enthusiasts, the Rhodope mountains provide excellent trails, while cycling along the Black Sea coast is a popular family activity.

Mountain-biking is slowly catching on in Bulgaria, especially in the Pirin, Rhodopes and Stara Planina, where you can rent bikes from hotels in Bansko and Pamporovo and tourist offices in Apriltsi, Gabrovo, Teteven, Troyan and Tryavna. From a climatic standpoint, mid-June to late September is the ideal time for biking in the Pirin, while in the Rhodopes it's recommended to be until mid-October.

Though there are plenty of dirt roads and tracks, the challenge is to find a place with a mixture of mountainous, undulating and flat terrain, where you can get above the trees and forests for a panoramic view - such as the area between Pamporovo and Trigrad. Trails are less developed in the Stara Planina mountain, but there are several locations in the region where you can rent bikes for only US$5 a day.

You can also rent bikes (US$10 per day, plus US$200 deposit) in Sofia. There are several bike shops stocking a range of imported models and spares.