Of all of the countries in Europe, Bulgaria is the only one that has never changed its name.

Bulgarians are proud of their ancient heritage, and rightly so! Off the beaten path for most people traveling to Europe, Bulgaria is a place that is bound to eventually boom with tourism. Located to the north of Greece and to the west of Turkey, this Balkan nation offers many of the draws of Western Europe for a fraction of the price. Bulgaria is a budget traveler’s paradise, offering an incredibly affordable price point to visitors.

Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital city, is definitely worth checking out. In fact, it is the second-oldest city in Europe! From the biggest cathedral in the Balkans to 2,000 years of architectural influence by the Greeks, Ottomans, Romans, and Soviets, Sofia is a city of sharp contrasts that will entertain and intrigue any traveler. That, and a pint of local beer only costs the equivalent of a couple of dollars!

If you aren’t used to visiting countries that use a different alphabet, get ready; the Bulgarian language is written in the Cyrillic alphabet, which is the same alphabet that Russian is written in. On that note, most Bulgarians will proudly tell you that the birthplace of the Cyrillic alphabet is not Russia; it’s Bulgaria.