Traveling to Bulgaria 2025

Main Resorts

Burgas

Burgas is Bulgaria’s fourth-largest city, yet it remains green, cozy, and welcoming. Its beaches are perfect for relaxing, and nearby lakes with healing muds and mineral springs offer wellness treatments. The city is rich in parks, gardens, and open-air museums. A local favorite is the Sea Garden—a scenic 7 km park stretching along the coast, ideal for leisurely walks and sea views.

Sunny Beach

Sunny Beach is the largest resort on Bulgaria’s coast, known for its golden sands, scenic dunes, and vibrant atmosphere. The central area features renovated Soviet-era hotels at affordable prices, while the northern part offers modern, upscale resorts. A long seaside promenade connects all areas.

Lively and welcoming, Sunny Beach is packed with restaurants, bars, nightclubs, shops, and attractions—including the popular Action Aquapark. It’s a hotspot for nightlife, drawing young visitors from across Europe. Sports lovers can enjoy beach volleyball, surfing, water skiing, parasailing, and more.

Dyuni

One of the new resort complexes oriented to family recreation. It includes 5* and 4* hotels, a complex of villas and developed infrastructure: restaurants, bars, swimming pools, SPA-center, amphitheater for 1600 people, tennis courts, fitness centers, etc. Sandy beaches are regularly awarded the honorary “Blue Flag” for environmental cleanliness and livability.

Elenite

Elenite is a secluded resort complex featuring 4- and 5-star hotels, all-inclusive restaurants and bars, its own free water park Atlantida, SPA center Victoria, a nightclub, bowling, and an entertainment amphitheater. Nestled at the foot of a mountain range and surrounded by pine trees, it enjoys a unique microclimate and a sheltered, wind-free beach.

Nessebar

One of Europe’s oldest cities, Nessebar has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983. It’s divided into two parts: the charming Old Town with cobblestone streets and ancient architecture, and the modern area known for upscale real estate. Many visit on excursions, but its stunning Blue Flag beach—wide and golden—makes it a favorite for longer stays. Sunny Beach resort is just 15 minutes away.

Pomorie

It is a nationally known balneological center with therapeutic mud. The uniqueness of the resort lies in the fact that in addition to the beautiful beach (fine sand in some places of unusual, almost black color, due to its high content of iron, magnesium, aluminum and magnesia) there is also a super-salt lake, known for its healing mud. Archaeological sites and a cozy historical center are attached.

Obzor

With a history spanning over 3,000 years, Obzor is a peaceful, romantic town that combines charm with a well-developed resort infrastructure. It offers an amusement park, playgrounds, pools, lively shows, and affordable hotels. The wide, sandy beach stretches for about 6 km, and nearby you'll find ruins of ancient Roman and Bulgarian fortresses—perfect for a mix of relaxation and exploration.

Sveti Vlas

Just 6 km from Sunny Beach, Sveti Vlas is a stylish seaside village known for its apartment-style hotels and relaxed atmosphere. It’s home to Bulgaria’s largest yacht marina, a scenic promenade, and a variety of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs—perfect for those seeking a quieter, upscale alternative to the nearby party scene.

Albena

Albena is a secure, pedestrian-friendly resort set within a natural reserve. It boasts a 3.5 km sandy beach with calm, shallow waters—ideal for families with young children. The resort offers excellent childcare services, including kindergartens and mini-clubs with professional educators.

Sports enthusiasts will find plenty to enjoy: seven soccer fields, 13 tennis courts, basketball and volleyball courts, an equestrian center, water sports, plus yoga and golf. Albena also hosts annual creative festivals and sports competitions, making it lively year-round.

Golden Sands

Golden Sands s is a classic Bulgarian resort offering everything the country is known for: a wide Blue Flag sandy beach, a long promenade, lush parks, mineral springs, and balneotherapy. The resort features diverse accommodations—from simple city-style 3-star hotels to luxurious 5-star options. Set within a National Park, Golden Sands places strong emphasis on environmental protection. Visitors can enjoy sports, lively discos, and plenty of playgrounds for children.

St. Constantine and Helena

Established over 100 years ago, this historic resort is built around natural hydrogen sulfide springs. Nestled in a lush park with ancient trees, quiet bays, and light-gray quartz-rich sandy beaches, it offers a unique environment beneficial for lung health. Visitors can enjoy several outdoor mineral pools heated to 48°C, whose healing properties have been trusted for generations.

Climate and Seasonality

Bulgaria’s climate is as diverse as its striking mountainous landscape. The mountains help moderate the weather along the coasts—summers are warm and dry but rarely exceed 30°C, with Black Sea waters warming up to around 25°C. Winters, especially in the north, can bring heavy snow and frost, with cooler temperatures and bigger swings between day and night. This unique climate makes Bulgaria perfect for sun-soaked beach vacations in summer and exciting ski adventures in winter.

Language And Religion

Orthodox Christianity is the dominant faith in Bulgaria, practiced by about 76% of the population, while other religions represent only a small minority. The official language is Bulgarian, part of the Southern Slavic language group, spoken by over 12 million people worldwide. Bulgaria uses the Cyrillic alphabet.

Geographical Background

Bulgaria is situated on the western coast of the Black Sea, bordered by Romania to the north, Greece and Turkey to the south, and Serbia and North Macedonia to the west. Though relatively small, Bulgaria boasts a diverse landscape. Its total border length is 2,264 km, including 680 km of river borders and 400 km along the Black Sea coast. The southern and western boundaries are largely defined by mountain ranges.

Historical Background

A thousand years BC, the Thracians inhabited this land, which later became part of the Roman Empire as Thrace and Mysia, and then the Byzantine Empire. In 863, under Prince Boris, Christianity was declared the state religion, and during Tsar Simeon’s reign, Bulgarian culture flourished with the creation of the Old Bulgarian script. The Ottoman Turks invaded in the 14th century, ruling for nearly five centuries. Bulgaria was partially liberated in 1877-78 and gained full independence in 1908. The modern Republic of Bulgaria was established in 1990, joined NATO in 2004, and became a member of the European Union in 2007.

Cuisine

Bulgarian cuisine shares many flavors with Turkish and Greek food, but also carries influences from Armenian, Hungarian, and Italian traditions. Fresh vegetables, herbs, spices, and fruits are staples. Cheeses like brynza and yellow kashkaval appear in nearly every dish, along with peppers, onions, garlic, parsley, mint, and chaberets.

Don’t miss classic soups like shkembe chorba (tripe soup), kurban chorba (meat broth), and the refreshing cold summer soup tarator. Bulgarian moussaka features minced meat baked with potatoes and eggs, while gyuvech is a slow-cooked meat and vegetable stew. Other popular meat dishes include kavarma, sarmi (stuffed cabbage leaves), and kebabs. Homemade sausages are also a local favorite.

For dessert, Bulgarians enjoy sweets similar to those of the Orient, such as lukum (Turkish delight), halva, and baklava. Bulgaria is known for producing a variety of red and white wines, and locals often toast with rakia or mastic, traditional strong fruit brandies.

Emergency Numbers

• Police - 166
• Traffic police - 165
• Fire brigade - 160
• Ambulance - 150

Medicine

Medical care in Bulgaria is very good, but you have to pay for it. First aid will always be free of charge, but without medical insurance or payment they will not treat you further. Therefore, go on vacation only with medical insurance.

Useful Tips

• All calculations in Bulgaria are made in national monetary units - levs.
• It is customary to drink red wine in the months, in the name of which there is a letter "R", and in the rest - white. That is why in summer in hot weather one drinks cold white wine.
• If a Bulgarian shakes his head from side to side, it means "yes", and when he nods, or rather slightly raises it, it means "no".