This is the Black Sea Coast chapter from Lonely Planet’s Romania & Bulgaria guidebook.

Bulgaria’s long Black Sea coastline is the country’s summertime playground. The big, pur-pose-built resorts here have become serious rivals to those of Spain and Greece, while inde-pendent travellers will find plenty to explore away from the parasols and jet skis.

• explore the cobblestoned lanes of the lovely old former Greek harbour of Sozopol
• maps
• learn of the Black Sea coast’s rich Thracian, Greek and Roman origins in Varna's Archaeo-logical Museum
• transport
• stroll through the Summer Palace of Queen Marie, the Romanian queen's picturesque seaside cottage summer in Balchik
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Southern Coast, Burgas, Sozopol, Primorsko, Tsarevo, Sinemorets, Central Coast, Pomorie, Nesebar, Northern Coast, Varna, Sveti Konstantin, Bal-chik.

This is the Bucharest chapter from Lonely Planet’s Romania & Bulgaria guide-book.

Romania’s capital gets a bad rap, but in fact it’s dynamic, energetic and fun. It’s where still-unreconstructed communism meets unbridled capitalism; where the soporific forces of the EU meet the passions of the Balkans.

• take in the sheer enormity of former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu’s madhouse, the Palace of Parliament
• maps
• get that coveted Instagram snap of the city’s kookiest statue, the Statue of Emperor Trajan – a naked Roman Emperor Trajan holding a Dacian wolf
• transport
• kick back in Cismigiu Garden, Bucharest’s surprisingly peaceful central park
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: History, Sights, Activities, Tours, Festivals & Events, Sleeping, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, Around Bucharest.

This is the Crisana & Banat chapter from Lonely Planet’s Romania & Bulgaria guidebook.

Timisoara, Oradea and Arad boast wonderful examples of art nouveau architecture, and many buildings are getting a long-awaited facelift. There are spas at Baile Felix, while the pristine Apuseni Mountains are criss-crossed with hiking trails and amazing caves.

• get a riveting lesson in Romanian history at the Museum of the 1989 Revolution in Timisoara
• maps
• explore the city’s stunning and increasingly renovated art nouveau monuments of Oradea
• transport
• enjoy a night of opera, dinner at a fine restaurant and a nightcap on Piata Victoriei or Piata Unirii in Timișoara
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Banat, Timisoara, Crisana, Oradea, Baile Felix, Ar-ad.

This is the Maramures chapter from Lonely Planet’s Romania & Bulgaria guide-book.

Maramures’ tapestry of pastureland, peopled by colourfully garbed peasants, jumps straight out of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Welcome to the heart of folkloric, medieval Romania, where the last peasant culture in Europe continues to thrive.

• chug through the beautiful Vaser Valley on Europe’s last steam-powered forest train at Vi-seu de Sus
• maps
• knock on the door of Budesti’s wooden church – one of the most beautiful (and largest) in Maramures
• transport
• wander through Merry Cemetery, Sapanta’s colourful and humorous forest of painted wooden grave markers
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Baia Mare & Around, Tara Chioarului, Sighetu Marmatiei, Mara Valley, Sapanta, Iza Valley, Viseu & Vaser Valleys, Borsa.

This is the Moldavia & the Bucovina Monasteries chapter from Lonely Planet’s Romania & Bulgaria guidebook.

Moldavia rewards those intrepid enough to seek it out: from glorious medieval monasteries to rugged mountains ideal for hiking, this region combines natural beauty with plenty of action. Moldavia’s bucolic villages and endearing towns feature some of Romania’s friendliest lo-cals.

• admire the artistry of Arbore Monastery and the surrounding painted monasteries
• maps
• gawk at the size and gleam of the Palace of Culture, Iasi’s now fully renovated grand royal palace
• transport
• gaze at the soaring limestone rock formation of the Lady’s Stones, part of the Rarau Mas-sif
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Moldavia, Iasi, Targu Neamt & Around, Piatra Neamt, Ceahlau National Park, Bucovina, Suceava, Bucovina Monasteries, Rarau Massif.

Your journey to Bulgaria starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your adventure: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus in-depth info on festivals and events.

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about skiing, hiking and beaches
• user-friendly country overview ensures you won’t miss a thing

Coverage includes: Romania & Bulgaria’s Top 17, Welcome to Romania, Need to Know, If You Like: Churches & Religious Art, Fortresses & Ruins, Skiing & Snowboard-ing, Beaches, Myths & Legends, Hiking & Climbing, Month by Month, Itineraries, and Regions at a Glance.

Your journey to Romania starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your adventure: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus in-depth info on festivals and events.

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about exploring the country's castles and folk culture
• user-friendly country overview ensures you won’t miss a thing

Coverage includes: Romania & Bulgaria’s Top 17, Welcome to Romania, Need to Know, If You Like: Folk Culture, The Great Outdoors, Castles & Fortresses, Medieval Towns & Villages, Nightlife, History, Month by Month, Itineraries, and Regions at a Glance.

This is the Plovdiv & the Southern Mountains chapter from Lonely Planet’s Romania & Bulgaria guidebook.

Spectacular mountains encircle spiritual sights in this swathe of inland Bulgaria. Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited city, Plovdiv, anchors the region. Quiet winemaking villages snooze in Plovdiv’s surrounds, while the Rodopi Mountains reach south, dotted with ski centres such as Pamporovo.

• stand awestruck among beautiful frescoes in the millennium-old Rila Monastery
• maps
• admire Roman ruins by day, then sashaying into the Kapana quarter’s arty nightlife, in Plovdiv
• transport
• thunder down pistes at Bulgaria’s premier winter-sports town, Bansko
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Rila Mountains, Rila Village, Rila Monastery, Bo-rovets, Pirin Mountains, Blagoevgrad, Bansko, Melnik, Bulgarian Thrace, Plovdiv, Rodopi Mountains, Chepelare, Pamporovo, Smolyan, Devin.

This is the Sofia chapter from Lonely Planet’s Romania & Bulgaria guide-book.

Sofia is no grand metropolis, but overlook it and miss something special – it’s a largely mod-ern, youthful city, with a scattering of onion-domed churches, Ottoman mosques and stubborn Red Army monuments that lend an eclectic, exotic feel.

• take in the scope of Aleksander Nevski Cathedral, with its gleaming gold domes
• maps
• bear witness to the Ancient Serdica Complex, a once-great Roman city
• transport
• admire Thracian craftsmanship going back 6000 years at the Archaeological Museum
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: History, Sights, Activities, Tours, Festivals & Events, Sleeping, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, around Sofia.

This is the Danube & Northern Plains chapter from Lonely Planet’s Romania & Bulgaria guidebook.

Unspoilt mountain landscapes, wild nature reserves and peaceful monasteries await discovery. The mighty Danube River shimmers along most of the country’s border with Romania, and the riverside city of Ruse, famed for its Viennese-style architecture, is the gateway to Bucha-rest.

• clamber over massive sandstone and limestone formations at Belogradchik Rocks
• maps
• peer into the perfectly preserved Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari
• transport
• stroll through the parks and gardens of Ruse, the most elegant Bulgarian city on the Danube
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Vratsa & around, Chiprovtsi, Belogradchik, Ruse, Rusenski Lom Nature Park, Lake Srebarna & around, Silistra.

This is the Danube Delta & Black Sea Coast chapter from Lonely Planet’s Romania & Bulgaria guidebook.

Romania’s Black Sea coastline is remarkably diverse. The Danube Delta is a largely unspoilt wetland that draws bird lovers and seekers of solitude alike. Around Constanta a string of lively beach resorts draws a different kind of wildlife altogether.

• enjoy one of Romania’s most beautiful, unspoiled beaches, Sfantu Gheorghe Beach, with fine white sand, clear water and few visitors
• maps
• test the limits of sun and of your modesty at Crush Beach, one of Mamaia’s trendy beach-es
• transport
• disregard prudence and wallow in the stinky, black (healthful?) mud at Eforie Nord
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Danube Delta, Tulcea, Sulina, Sfantu Gheorghe, Black Sea Coast & Littoral, Constanta, Mamaia, Vama Veche.

This is the Transylvania chapter from Lonely Planet’s Romania & Bulgaria guide-book.

Transylvania’s forested valleys and Gothic castles are forever embedded in the popular imagination. Even before arriving, most visitors can picture this land of dark fairy-tales, where fog drapes like cobwebs over the Carpathian Mountains.

• trip along the cobbled lanes of the medieval town of Sighisoara
• maps
• marvel at lost-in-time citadels surrounded by green meadowland in the region's fortified Saxon villages, such as charming Biertan and Viscri
• transport
• hold your breath in a bear hide, or watch the mighty mammals recuperate, at Libearty Bear Sanctuary
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Prahova Valley, Sinaia, Bucegi Mountains, Predeal, Brasov & Around, Bran, Poiana Brasov, Zarnesti, Harman & Prejmer, Saxon Land, Sighisoara, Fortified Saxon Villages, Fagaras Mountains, Sibiu & Around, Szekely Land, Sfantu Gheorghe, Miercurea Ciuc, Gheorgheni, Odorheiu Secuiesc, Odorheiu Secuiesc, Targu Mures, Southwest Transylvania, Alba Iulia, Deva, Retezat Mountains, Northern Transylvania, Cluj-Napoca, Turda, Huedin Microregion, Apuseni Mountains, Bistrita.

All the info you need on everything in Bulgaria; from history to local food & wine to flights, public transport, climate, money, the internet... you name it. Get tips for women travellers, gay and lesbi-an travellers, travellers with disabilities, and travellers with kids. And get the most out of your con-versations with a handy language guide and glossary.

• a rundown on skiing, snowboarding and hiking Bulgaria’s mountains
• info on the Bulgarian people and history
• full coverage of Bulgarian wines and wineries
• details on the arts and folk culture of the region

Coverage includes: Bulgaria Today, History, Outdoor Activities & Wildlife, Visual Arts, Craft & Music, The Bulgarian People, Bulgarian Wine, Bulgarian Cuisine, Directory A–Z, Transport and Language.

All the info you need on everything in Romania; from history to local food & wine to flights, public transport, climate, money, the internet... you name it. Get tips for women travellers, gay and lesbian travellers, travellers with disabilities, and travellers with kids. And get the most out of your conversations with a handy language guide and glossary.

• a rundown on Dracula and his origins
• info on the Romania’s history and its people
• full coverage of outdoor activities and wildlife
• details on the arts and folk culture of the region

Coverage includes: Romania Today, History, The Dracula Myth, Outdoor Activities & Wildlife, Visual Arts & Folk Culture, The Romanian People, The Romanian Kitchen, Directory A–Z, Transport and Language.

This is the Veliko Tarnovo & Central Mountains chapter from Lonely Planet’s Romania & Bulgaria guidebook.

Forbidding mountains and floral valleys compose Bulgaria’s heart. What unites its perilous hills and colourful villages is revolutionary history, etched into the landscape. The fortress at Veliko Tarnovo, once the capital of the Bulgarian tsars, remains the region’s crowning attraction.

• stride along medieval ramparts and cobbled lanes in Veliko Tarnovo
• maps
• breathe the scent of fresh rose oil in the Valley of the Roses
• transport
• drive between hilltop monuments, golden church domes and a Soviet UFO at Shipka Pass
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Shumen, Madara, Veliko Tarnovo & Around Veliko Tarnovo, Dryanovo Monastery, Tryavna, Etar, Lovech, Troyan, Hisar, Karlovo, Kazanlak, Shipka, Stara Zagora, Sliven.

This is the Wallachia chapter from Lonely Planet’s Romania & Bulgaria guide-book.

Wallachia is rich in early Romanian history. This was Wallachian prince Vlad Tepes’ old stomping ground, and north of Curtea de Arges stands the ruins of what many consider to be the real ‘Dracula’s castle’.

• gasp up the 1480 steps to Poienari Citadel, Vlad Tepes’ ‘Dracula’s Castle’
• maps
• gape at 14th-century frescoes at the Princely Court’s St Nicholas Church in Curtea de Arges
• transport
• enjoy the simple perfection of Constantin Brancusi’s sculptures, including the Endless Column in Targu Jiu, near the place of his birth
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Ploiesti, Targoviste, Pitesti, Curtea de Arges, Craiova, Drobeta-Turnu Severin.