September is the month of the last summer getaways, the first autumn adventures, and that feeling of wanting to make the most of every beautiful day with one more journey. This month, too, ASTOM blogs took us to interesting places, shared useful ideas, and brought us new stories from the road. Here’s the best of September – happy reading!
Vienna Attractions – What to See on Your First Trip
From Nadezhda Toleva, Family Travel Spirit
Vienna was the first stop on our first road trip through Europe, and it remains one of the cities we remember in the greatest detail. We began at Schönbrunn Palace and its gardens, continued to the Hofburg and the historic centre, and reached the Prater in the evening. We also visited Kreuzenstein Castle, located around 25 kilometres outside Vienna.
The article combines our personal impressions of Vienna’s main attractions with practical information about tickets, opening hours and public transport. We explain which places can be visited for free, where advance booking is advisable and how much time to allow for Schönbrunn. We have also included accommodation suggestions for several areas of the city, making it easier to plan a first visit to Vienna.
Romania’s Christmas Markets: Where, When, and Why You Shouldn’t Miss Them
From Hristina Nabosnyi, CheckinAway
Planning a winter trip? Romania is well worth considering. We share our experiences of the Christmas markets in Bucharest, Craiova, Brașov, Sibiu and Cluj-Napoca. From Craiova’s lights to Transylvania’s historic squares, each city has its own festive character. The guide also includes ideas for what to eat and what else to see during your visit.
Fuji: Without Getting into the Statistics
From Mariya Yotova, nellyvod.eu
Do you know which is the most climbed mountain in the world? Mount Fuji in Japan. More than 2,800 eager climbers make their way up every day, hoping to take a selfie from the summit. And we decided to do our part for the statistics and headed to Japan.
Fuji is a relatively easy mountain to climb. You can make it to the top and back down within a single day — a bit like climbing Cherni Vrah from Dragalevtsi in Sofia. We decided to do it over two days, spending the night in a Japanese mountain hut. Naturally, absolutely nothing went according to plan…
Krivini Folk Gathering – A Celebration of Bulgarian Heritage
From Stanislav Stilyanov, Travel Tasty
Is it enough to know our history? To know the names of our heroes, the dates and the events? Or is Bulgarian identity something much deeper – a sense of belonging that lives in our language, our songs, our embroidery, our customs, our celebrations, and in the way we remember those who came before us?
This is precisely the meaning behind „Krivini Gathering – A Celebration of Bulgarian Heritage“ – to return to our roots not as if they were a museum display, but as something alive. To that sense of belonging that reminds us where we come from and gives us the confidence to move forward.
Climbing Ibar Peak in the Rila Mountains
From Eli Ivanova, en.drumivdumi.com
At 2,666 meters, Ibar Peak is the highest peak in the Ibar section of the Western Rila Mountains, Bulgaria. We set off to climb it on the first Sunday of September, having already explored the area during a previous hike to the iconic Mount Belmeken.
It turned out to be an amazing hike. The route passes through beautiful high-mountain landscapes, with no particularly difficult or dangerous sections, while offering varied and impressive views along the way. However, keep in mind that the trail is only sparsely marked, so good navigation skills are important. For this reason, I would recommend the route mainly to hikers with some mountain experience who feel comfortable navigating beyond well-marked trails.
Stay tuned for „The Best Of“ column next month!