Whether you’re looking forward to exploring ancient Roman ruins, hiking the Pirin mountains, relaxing along the Black Sea coast, drinking with the locals after wandering through timeless cobblestoned streets or marvelling at stunning church frescoes, Bulgaria won’t disappoint. There’s nothing quite like a personal recommendation from someone who’s been there to get you started, so we asked travellers, Lonely Planet authors and staff for their highlights from Bulgaria. This is what they told us.