Bulgaria: Sofia
Tourism in Sofia hasn't picked up since the Balkan Wars, so if you're a bit adventurous you can have the city all to yourself... just you, the Bulgarians, and three other tourists.
From the central train station, walk left until you see the Sheraton Hotel. That's your landmark; just wander from there. If you have to pee, walk downstairs and you'll come across the cleanest and most widely used public toilets in the entire city. Exit from the downstairs and you'll bump smack into the oldest and best preserved building from the Roman Empire. It's a small church. There are gorgeous churches all over the city.
For entertainment, indulge in cheap Bulgarian food and drink. Beware of street vendor pizza -- ours was so nasty, stray dogs wouldn't eat it. There are also an array of casinos to drain your wallet.
Good luck communicating. Bulgaria uses the Cyrillic alphabet, so unless you know what a square O and a backwards R sound like, you're screwed. If you ask someone if they speak English, they'll nod their head. Shaking up and down means 'no' and side-to-side means 'yes.'
If you're looking for a hotel or need help carrying your bags, we recommend wandering through the train station looking very lost. Someone is bound to approach you whether you want them to or not.
