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Our car has broken down. I’d never thought I’d make a problem out it, but travelling to Plovdiv by Public Transport didn’t seem very appealing to me. Visions of smelly villagers, with bags and boxes containing food that would dominate any other kind of odour, were pestering me. But I decided not to be a baby and just get on the bus. In fact, I must say that it wasn’t bad at all. The bus was clean and air-conditioned and the people looked similar. Funnily enough, the only disturbance that I experienced was caused by two very loud Italians who obviously didn’t realise that they were the only ones, except for the bus’ engine, producing sound during the two-hour trip. We arrived. Friends greeted us at the station. They took us to our hotel (Hotel Bulgaria), which was situated in the heart of Plovdiv’s centre.

Now could be the time to buy in Bulgaria, but buyers should study all the potential risks, advises Graham Norwood

If one country typifies the explosion of interest in eastern Europe it must be Bulgaria - but is it surrounded by hype or covered in genuine opportunity? Prices are startlingly cheap, especially for new homes, even if some of the architecture is reminiscent of 1970s Britain.
A two-bedroom new house 21 kilometres from Varna on the northern Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea costs around £70,000; a three-bedroom maisonette only 300 metres from the sea in the same region is yours for £95,000. Even cheaper properties can be found in high-density resorts being built close to the coast.

An article in one of the most prestigious French tourist magazines L'echo names Bulgaria "the new Eldorado" - a place with extremely diverse and plentiful tourist product.

Bulgaria participates for the seventh time at the World Tourist Expo (Salon Mondial du Tourisme) in Paris.

Danish tour operator Penguin Travel said bookings for Bulgaria's ski resorts were up 30% this winter.

The company booked winter holidays for 1,500 Danes in Bulgaria's Bansko, Pamporovo and Borovets.

The offer came from Odysseia In, the best known name in alternative tourism in Bulgaria, which was hosting one of its regular journalists’ trips, not only to acquaint them with what the Rila Mountains have to offer besides standard downhill skiing, but also to celebrate the company’s 15th anniversary.

Bulgarian ski pearl Pamporovo, one of growing attractions in Europe, appears to be also the most coveted ski resort for Turkish ski fans, according to Sabah daily.

The construction of eight new hotels will begin in Bulgarian ski pearl Pamporovo.

In the words of the chairman of the hoteliers union "Pamporovo 21 century" Georgi Georgiev the new hotels will have capacity of over 2,000 beds and they will be opened by the next winter.

Europeans looking to invest their money are turning to the East, writes Caroline O’Doherty.YOU are in a valley between two beautiful mountains,” Mihail enthuses reassuringly although the thick wall of cloud and fog obscures the view to the end of the street, never mind the alleged 2,500 feet of ski slopes beyond. “Trust me.”

The Pirin resort of Bansko can compete for one of the shiniest ski resorts in "new" Europe, with a gleaming blue gondola for skiers and snowboarders, ski centers and schools, two chair-lifts and 17 pistes, including a 16km run from beneath the summit down to the outskirts of the charming town.

Bulgaria's prolonged national holiday celebrations have sparkled hectic interurban traffic and a mass onrush to winter resorts.

Popular places like Bansko, Borovets or Pamporovo are cram-full with holidaymakers, media reported as the weekend kicked off.

The country's two days off during the national holiday merged into the weekend, providing extra leisure time to the nation.

Meanwhile, road police said that main thoroughfares to capital Sofia and other major cities would be full to capacity on Sunday afternoon. Traffic jams are likely, officials warned.