Besides the town baths, Bulgaria has a completely different kind of bathing — small pools and bathhouses in the countryside, made and looked after by the people themselves. They are usually free, sometimes hard to find and always different. Here are some of them.
By the St Varvara chapel, Eleshnitsa
By the road between Eleshnitsa and the village of Banya, on the bank of the Mesta, is the small complex of the Eleshnitsa bath. A rope bridge takes you to the far bank, where beside the St Varvara chapel there is a stone pool fed by its own spring — free and open all year.
Oshtava: the Mud Bath and the Cool Bath
Above Kresna, in the village of Oshtava, local people have made two groups of little baths. The Mud Bath is a small building from 2015 set right over the springs — the water fills the pools from a crack in the rock. The Cool Bath has a women's bath with a marble pool, a men's with a stone pool and dormitory rooms upstairs, and an open-air pool nearby.
The Beden baths
Twelve km from Devin towards Pamporovo is the little Beden bath, rebuilt by volunteers from Breze. The spring is 76 °C, and it is best in winter, when there are only a few steps between the pool and the snow outside.
Bachevo, Gabrovnitsa, Dolni Rakovets
Near Bachevo, in the Razhdavets area, the municipality has fenced two small pools by the spring — reached by a dirt road. In Gabrovnitsa only ruins remain of the bath, but there is a soaking pool by the spring, and in Dolni Rakovets locals have made improvised pools around the nine springs. In Velingrad, next to Radonova Banya, there are open-air pools too.
How to behave
- These places exist because someone looks after them. Take your rubbish home — and a bit more.
- No soap or shampoo in the water. Rinse to the side if there is a spout.
- The roads are often dirt and dangerous in winter. Check the forecast and do not set out in a low car after rain.
- The water is not checked as in public baths. Do not drink it unless you know it is safe.
- Do not stay alone for long in very hot water, especially after drinking alcohol.
Know a pool that is not on the site? Suggest it — we will add it.
