EuroVelo 13 Iron Curtain Trail

Bulgaria

Bulgaria was surrounded by an especially long Iron Curtain due to its borders with Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey. Indeed, the itinerary of EuroVelo 13 passes through a several distinct regions and more than one mountain range. Cyclists can start exploring the Bulgarian section on the border with Serbia, initially passing through the Balkan mountain massif. Going southwards, the route then takes in the Rila, Pirin and Rhopodes mountains and the borders with North Macedonia and Greece. After leaving the Balkan Mountains behind, the route passes through the Thracian lowlands in Greece and Turkey before finally ending on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.

EuroVelo 13 - Iron Curtain Trail is a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2019.
EuroVelo 13 - Iron Curtain Trail is a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2019.
Countries

Legend

Development status
  • Certified Section of at least 300 km that has successfully undergone the certification process in line with ECF’s European Certification Standard. It is the highest quality level on the EuroVelo network
  • Developed with EuroVelo signs Developed route (see category below) with continuous signing along the route, incorporating EuroVelo route information panels.
  • Developed Route developed for cyclists and signed in line with the respective national standard (i.e. it is part of a local, regional or national cycle network). There must also be a website providing information to users. Developed route can be heterogeneous in terms of infrastructure: type of cycling infrastructure, surface, width, gradients, etc
  • Under development Route containing sections that require further development (e.g. stretches on public highways with high levels of traffic). Cyclists are advised to use public transportation to skip these non-developed stretches.
  • Planning Undeveloped route with no detailed information publicly available on the Internet. The itinerary communicated is a proposal for the best possible option currently available. It may also contain dangerous sections. Cyclists are advised to use public transportation to skip these non-developed stretches.
  • Public transport link

Markers

  • Natural Heritage
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Cultural Heritage
  • Culinary Delights
  • Maritime Heritage / The Rhine / The Meuse
  • Other Point of Interest
  • Bus station
  • Train station
  • Mobility info center

National & Regional Information

Bulgarian Association for Alternative Tourism

The website provides basic information and findings from the planning process for the Iron Curtain Trail in Bulgaria and the neighboring countries. A description is available as well as detailed electronic map for the trail itinerary.

+359 883 379 987
Visit site

Bulgarian Cycling Association

BCA works for the popularisation of cycling tourism and lobbies for the planning and construction of cycling lanes. A big ongoing project is the Black Sea Cycling Trail, to complete EuroVelo 6 - Atlantic-Black Sea.

+359898804646
Visit site

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