These include, but are not limited to, bad or non-existent asphalt, unpredictable and uncared-for potholes, confusing signage, maniacal drivers and traffic cops that contribute to the problems rather than try to solve them. Yet anyone who is even remotely interested in looking at the world from the window of a car will instantly know that driving through Bulgaria's lesser and off-the-beaten track roads is absolutely the best way to take in the natural and cultural beauties of this country and to experience a first-hand interaction with its people. We offer you our Best-Of selection of Bulgaria's scenic drives that will keep you, well, driving for weeks if not months. Please note that all of these drives will be on roads (no off-road experiences involved). All of them are easy to moderate, but will obviously require good driving skills and a bit of common sense. Happy exploring!

1. Troyan-Karnare Pass (Road 35)

This road starts in Troyan, in northern Bulgaria, crosses the Balkan Mountains, or Stara Planina mountain range, and ends at the village of Karnare, in southern Bulgaria. 

We recommend driving it north to south as in this way your lane will be next to the safety railing and will offer some unparalleled vistas at both the northern and the southern slopes of the mountain. 
The road is winding and you may well get stuck behind a lorry pumping out obnoxious exhaust fumes. Instead of overtaking it, pull over and let it get ahead while you enjoy the serenity of Stara Planina.

As you approach the highest point of the road, a peak called Beklemeto, look right and you will see a small side road that may sometimes be marked with a sign. Go up, and in less than a mile it will take you right up to the top. There is a huge Communist-era monument right on top meant to commemorate a 19th century battle between the Russians and the Ottomans that in fact never happened. You can park there and walk around. In good weather the 360-degree panorama at your feet will keep you standing for hours. You may even go there at night. This is one of the best star-gazing locations in all of Bulgaria.

2. Iskar Gorge (Road 16)

The road along the River Iskar as it carves its way through the Balkan Mountains is a major attraction less than an hour from Sofia. It starts just beyond the northern bow of the Ring Road and initially passes through a couple of drab settlements that are more or less suburbs of the capital. The fun starts a couple of miles beyond Novi Iskar as you drive north. Endless bends will reveal various vistas at the meandering River Iskar, and you will be tempted to stop and take pictures. Be careful: lay-bys are few and far between.

The cliffs around Lakatnik

The first village that you may want to break your journey in is called Thompson, which some Bulgarian official has transliterated as Tompsan. It was named after a British Second World War captain, posthumously promoted to major, Frank Thompson. Maj Thompson was parachuted to Bulgaria to liaise with the local Partizani, or guerrilla fighters, against the pro-Nazi government. He was born in Darjeeling and went to Oxford, where he befriended Iris Murdoch. Maj Thompson was captured by the tsarist gendarmerie, tortured and killed. In the middle of the village you can now see a recent monument to him erected by the British Embassy.

The natural and the man-made blend beautifully at Iskar Gorge

The road north of Tompsan passes through the town of Svoge. Beyond Svoge you will notice that the cliffs of the gorge become increasingly precipitous. Just before you enter Lakatnik, pull over by a small waterfall and a cave on your left-hand side. Go down to the river where there is a pedestrian hanging bridge and look both ways. On the western cliffs you will see a tiny, tiny little house that... hangs from the rock about 700 feet above your head. It is not an elf's house, but a shelter for rock climbers installed there in the 1930s.

Lakatnik is a climbers' paradise, and in good weather you will see dozens of enthusiasts hanging from ropes on both sides of the river.

The best views at the whole gorge are from a side track called Road 162. Turn left and drive up the road until you reach the village of Milanovo. There is a deviation there that will eventually take you to the very tip of the cliff where there is the inevitable Communist monument. The views are not for the faint hearted, but do not be afraid: it is all quite safe unless you decide to overstep the security wall.

Back along the Iskar you may wish to take yet another detour to an Orthodox Monastery called Seven Thrones.

Cherepish Monastery

Further up north you may be able to see a small modern sculpture of an old man looking down. This is Dyado Yotso, or Grandfather Yotso, a character invented by Ivan Vazov, the 19th century writer, who was blind but who heard the sound of the railway that was being constructed just then and claimed he could see the oncoming modernisation of Bulgaria.

There is a second, and bigger, Orthodox monastery further up north, called Cherepish Monastery. Its setting is serene, and you may wish to combine the visit with an urbex side trip to the now abandoned seminary and church just by the bed of the river.

3. Madzharovo-Malki Voden (Road 8081)

Starting at the village of Madzharovo, a semi-abandoned settlement that used to thrive on a now defunct mine, this road will take you along some of the most gorgeous bends of the Arda River. 

Stupendous cliffs will fall into the meandering Arda. Look up and you may see some strange black birds: in fact, this is a bird preserve area, the only one for vultures in Bulgaria. Numerous turns of the road and ever stupendous views will eventually take you to the village of Malki Voden, where you will join a bigger road. From there you can either go to Ivaylovgrad, on the Greek border, or to Lyubimets, near Turkey.

4. Tsarevo-Malko Tarnovo (Road 99)

This trip takes you from the southern Black Sea coast to the town of Mako Tarnovo, deep in the Strandzha Mountains. The road is potholed and no one seems to care, but drive carefully and you will be rewarded, especially if you go in May when you will see an abundance of blooming Black Sea Rhododendrons, a flower that is not to be found anywhere else in the world.

Rhododendron ponticum is a relic from past geological times

You will drive by a couple of villages of which Balgari merits a detour. This is the home of Bulgaria's firedancers. Their rite is performed one day a year, on 3 June.  If you go there on that day, expect huge crowds. If you go on any other day, the village will appear hardly inhabited.

Malko Tarnovo itself is a hidden gem. The area around it is full of inspiring archaeology. 

Mishkova niva tomb

There is now a tiny asphalt road that will take you right to the remains of Mishkova Niva with its Roman tomb, and you can hike up to Propada, an ancient necropolis a mile out of town. If you make the proper arrangements at the local museum you may be able to get a ride to Valchanov Most, an eerie skeleton of a stone bridge spanning the River Rezvaya, which marks the border between Bulgaria and Turkey. 

It is now behind the notorious barbed-wire wall designed to stop intruders, so you will need both a permission and someone with a key to open the gate. The Communists dynamited the Bulgarian side of the bridge in the early 1950s to prevent Bulgarian refugees from crossing into Turkey. In these days Turkey was West.

5. Pirdop-Karlovo (Road 6)

This drive is on the main road connecting Sofia to Burgas. Many motorists now prefer the Trakiya Highway, which goes by Plovdiv, and on which you can just swish by and be at the Black Sea coast within four hours. But if you want to take a more relaxed approach, make a few detours and... go for some Bungee jumping, Road 6 is for you.

Elenska Basilica Late Antiquity church

Pirdop, an hour-and-a-half out of Sofia, is uninteresting, but as you pass by the Shell service station on your left you will be heading to some of the most picturesque ranges of the Stara Planina.

Just outside of Pirdop look for a small road on your left-hand side which may be marked with a billboard. A mile up that road will take you to the very atmospheric remains of a Roman church called Elenska Basilica. Constructed with the characteristic Roman red bricks, its ruins stand testimony to the turbulent history of this part of Europe. Try to be there at sunrise as the ruins will appear surreally through the morning mist.

Koprivshtitsa Revival Period architecture

A few miles south, after you've stopped for a short break in a lay-by near a roadside waterfall, there will be a deviation on your right that leads to the town of Koprivshtitsa. You will never be able to pronounce its name properly, but never mind – the locals are used to it. Koprivshtitsa is Bulgaria's best-preserved 19th century town. It was the birthplace of revolutionaries and poets, some of them known and dear to every Bulgarian. The magnificent and brightly painted mansion-style houses can be visited as many of them are now museums.

Back on Road 6, on the stretch between the deviation to Koprivshtitsa and Klisura, you will drive over several high bridges. Technically, you cannot pull over on bridges, but if you do the drive over a weekend you will see a mini-congestion on the highest of them as bungee enthusiasts use it for jumping over the precipice. Do not stop if you are scared of heights.

Oil bearing roses in full bloom

Eventually, the road comes down to a lower elevation and that's where the Valley of Roses begins. If you go in May, you will actually sea both the roses and the rose-pickers. And if you go in July, you will see the deep-violet lavender fields.

Just before Sopot, the first town of any size before Karlovo, there is a turn on the right that will take you to another local attraction: a rope lift reaching to a few hundred yards up the mountain. This is paragliding territory. In fair weather you will see dozens of paragliders hovering over the Valley of Roses.

Karlovo is quiet and pleasant to explore © Alexander Ivanov

The drive will end in Karlovo, the birthplace of Vasil Levski, Bulgaria's national hero. What remains of his modest house is a place of pilgrimage for any Bulgarian pupil. A walk through downtown Karlovo with its late-19th century houses and churches will complete your experience of one of the best drives in Bulgaria.