Bulgaria or Estonia
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Anonymous
| Considering a trip to either Bulgaria or Estonia for next summer. We will have a 5 year old in tow. Has anyone been? Which would you suggest? We love wandering around and trying new foods. We also love being out in nature and hiking. The beaches in Bulgaria are a draw but I love how charming Tallinn looks. |
Anonymous
| Why on earth would you take a 5 year old on a trip like that??! |
Anonymous
^^Plus a lot better places in Europe. Maybe try one of those first OP |
Anonymous
That’s not what I asked, thanks. And she’s been to a lot of those “other” countries you’re referring to. Looking for suggestions on Estonia and Bulgaria only. |
Anonymous
| I would love to go to Estonia and have heard good things about Bulgaria too but haven’t been to either m, sorry OP |
Anonymous
| Estonia is a duty free shop for Finns. Not a destination. |
Anonymous
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I vote for Estonia, although the summers can be a bit chilly and rainy. Great nature. They were also amazingly well prepared for covid and are generally very safety focused.
They had a great billboard up in dc during covid. The tag line was “Visit Estonia…later.” |
Anonymous
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That's a tough one. If it rains in Estonia, your trip is ruined. It can rain for days. the old town is charming, but very small.
It does have a lot of nature trails and child friendly activities all within an hour or less of the capital. You won't be driving a whole lot to see things since everything is nearby. Even the airport is in the city center district. I would not go to Estonia just to go there. It's more of a 2-3 day stop while in another European country. |
Anonymous
| Wow- it’s sad how incredibly narrow minded the pps are- heaven forbid someone venture off the beaten rack of Western Europe. I’ve taken my now 7 year old to both Bulgaria and Tallin, Estonia (albeit each just for 1-2 days as a side venture from separate trips elsewhere) and both were great/perfectly kid-friendly and appropriate. Tallin was very charming and definitely stood out more as a highlight than Bulgaria in my opinion, but the old city is quite compact and you can easily cover the main attractions in a day. I’m less familiar with other parts of Estonia and how tourist friendly it is. In Bulgaria, on the other hand, the sites of interest are more spread out so you could easily spend more time there although the logistics/transport infrastructure can be a little more challenging, particularly with a younger kid. I have heard good things about the beaches but we didn’t get a chance to check those out. |
Anonymous
| It depends how much time you have. Both can be great. Bulgaria is larger in area, so there is more to explore. Black Sea is very nice and you could combine with visiting other towns as well. Estonia, is great too and you could probably combine it with Latvia. Both are great options. It would be warmer in Bulgaria in the summer. |
Anonymous
| Thank you all! We have 2 weeks, maybe a little more for the whole trip. If we do Estonia, we'd want to see more than just Tallinn and would maybe add on Latvia and/or Lithuania. In Bulgaria, we'd try and hit some highlights and then relax on the beach. Either trip will end in France before returning home because my DD has an obsession with the Eiffel Tower. Appreciate the responses! |
Anonymous
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I’ve only been to Bulgaria, for work, so no comments on Estonia.
Bulgaria is an interesting place. It felt like nowhere else I’ve ever been, very much so caught between the west and the East. Of every place I’ve ever been, as a country it seemed to be very much a mixture of Russian and EU/American political interests. I was there in the summer and it was definitely warm/hot, but not oppressively so. I mostly stayed in Sofia but went out of town to see a monastery, which was a highlight. Many of the Bulgarians I spoke with ragged on their own beaches as trashy, and preferred to go to Thessaloniki. I think there’s some variation in the Black Sea beaches, for sure. Varna in particular had a bad reputation among Sofians. Food was good, architecture is fascinating, wine is amazing (and so cheap!), and when I did leave Sofia the countryside was very pretty. Like I said, it’s an interesting place. Much, much poorer than other EU countries I’ve been to, so everything to purchase was quite affordable. I would go back, and I had a nice time, but it’s not my favorite place in Europe. That being said, I certainly enjoyed my time there. If I were to go back for vacation, I’d rent a car and go off the beaten track more. It has a rich history and a developed enough infrastructure that getting around isn’t a huge hassle. |
Anonymous
| Oh, and PP here, of course your 5 year old will be fine. Other PP/s are ridiculous. |
Anonymous
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Interesting choices, so different and far apart. I fell in love with Tallin cruising from Stockholm.
Still green for COVID right now, don't know about Bulgaria. Finland is a fascinating country for kids. They're doing well with COVID right now. |
Anonymous
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Estonia and Bulgaria are fine choices. If you visit Estonia, consider a side trip to St Petersburg
Other great destinations in Europe include Portugal, Luxembourg, Iceland and San Marino. All are hidden gems! |