Things To Do in Bourgas Region

Tenerife isn’t the only place to find black sand. Drive 20 minutes south of Sunny Beach and you’ll reach this 4-kilometre wonder. The dark sand here is rich in iron and manganese, and some reckon it has healing properties. Plus, there are plenty of family-run restaurants dotted along the seafront.

This supersized natural park is well worth the hour’s drive from Sunny Beach. The ancient forests, steep limestone cliffs and winding rivers are home to loads of animals, including wildcats, golden eagles and gheckos. There’s a network of caves and loads of mineral springs, too. It’s not just about the natural world, though – you can also poke around ancient Roman and Thracian ruins.

You’ll want to block out a whole day for this UNESCO-protected town, a 10-minute drive from Sunny Beach. Wander the narrow cobbled streets of the old town and you’ll come across no end of Bulgarian and Byzantine churches, grand 19th century houses, and the remains of a fortress wall dating back to Roman times. Then make your way to the new town – the hub of bars and restaurants.

Alepou means ‘fox’ and, as you’d expect from the name, this beach is a real wildlife haven. About an hour’s drive from Sunny Beach, it’s got rare birds and insects darting about everywhere, and sand lilies growing in the dunes. In spring, the flowers that pop up along the nearby road would keep Interflora going for years.

Not to be confused with the one in Varna, this huge park stretches out along the coastline. You get great sea views from the Mosta pier, where you’ll likely see a few teenagers practising their diving skills. Elsewhere, there are huge lawns framed by rainbow-bright flower beds, weird-and-wonderful abstract sculptures, and plenty of cafés to refuel in. Plus, there’s a set of steps that’ll take you straight to the beach.

Sunny Beach may get all the attention, but its next-door-neighbour, Nessebar, has an ace up its sleeve – a kilometre-long stretch of sand backed by high dunes. As well as making perfect sunbathing territory, they keep the winds at bay in spring and autumn.

This city isn’t just about the sandy beach. As well as a huge park overlooking the ocean and plenty of swanky cafés, it’s home to a clutch of galleries and museums. The biggest and best is the Gallery of Fine Arts, one of the oldest in Bulgaria. It’s housed in a former synagogue, and has around 2,500 paintings, sculptures and drawings, including works by Bulgaria’s top artists.

Cacao Beach is the name of the main beach in Sunny Beach. This impressive strip of sand is 8 kilometres long, Blue Flag-accredited, and a hub of activity. Beach volleyball courts, massage gazebos and football pitches crown the sand. And the whole stretch is backed by a promenade of bars and restaurants.

This three-day music festival takes place every year in Bourgas. Its regular sponsors include MTV Europe and its headline acts of the past have included The Prodigy and System of a Down.

With 8 kilometres of golden sand, mountain views and over 600 bars and restaurants to boot, Sunny Beach’s main stretch is serious competition for the Spanish Costas. The daddy of Bulgaria’s beaches has a great sports scene, too – you can get stuck in to everything from bowling to hang-gliding.

Drive an hour and a half to Varna and you’ve got some of Bulgaria’s cultural heavyweights at your fingertips. The biggie is the huge complex of Roman baths, which dates back to the 2nd century – some of the grey stone walls stretch up to around 20 metres, and you can still make out the different bathing rooms. Other top sights include the ornate opera house, and the golden-domed Cathedral of the Assumption.

Get ready to get your hands, face and body dirty when you visit Pomorie, about half an hour’s drive from Bourgas. The lake on the outskirts of this seaside town is famous for its therapeutic mud. Thick as chocolate, the mud is nature’s answer to anti-wrinkle cream. You’ll get the full effect when you cover yourself in it from head to toe.

Bulgaria’s coastline is more than 350 kilometres long. To really do it justice, you’ll need to take a boat trip. You can hop on a catamaran in Obzor, Sunny Beach or Nessebar, and spend the day sunbathing at sea. Lunch is usually served on board and most boats have their own snorkelling equipment. For something a bit more up beat, take a booze cruise, where all your drinks are included.

St Cyril and St Methodius were brothers, scholars, and monks who put pen to paper to develop the Cyrillic alphabet. The cathedral in Bourgas named after them was built in 1926 in testament to all their hard work, and it’s in the same place as the ruined ancient city of Veliki Preslav, so you can see them both in one trip.

Tossing a coin is the only way to decide what to do in Varna. Otherwise, you’ll be deliberating all day. For starters, the city is home to the best suburban beach in Bulgaria. The soft white sands here sit on the same latitude line as Biarritz in France, which means it’s just as warm. Elsewhere, you’ll find one of the largest seaside parks in Europe and more than 100 historical buildings and museums.

Clocking up more than a kilometre’s worth of slides, Aqua Paradise is the largest waterpark in Bulgaria. Top of the white knuckle ride rankings here, is the Kamikaze. On this slide you’ll fall almost vertically for 22 metres. As far as relaxing rides go, you can’t beat the lazy river. The park is in Nessebar, and you can catch a bus from Sunny Beach station and be in the water within half an hour.

This festival takes place in the towns of Kazanluk and Karlovo, near the Valley of the Roses. It begins at dawn with flower-picking in the valley. Later, the towns hold traditional celebrations with processions, dancing and folk singing.

Sky-scraping slides are Action Aquapark’s speciality. High-speed classics like Kamikaze and Twister are on its books, as well as a family-sized multi-lane number. Plus, kids get a water tower with miniature slides. Big sun terraces pad out the park – you can even pull up a lounger right beside the supersized Crazy River. It’s all hosted by Aqua Nevis Clubhotel, just a 5-minute drive from the heart of Sunny Beach.

In Nessebar, history is in 3D. You can reach out and touch 3 million years’ worth of history in the old town. Start with walls of the fortress, still standing from Roman times, move on to the cold stone bricks of the Byzantine churches, and finish up with the town houses constructed in the 19^th century. When you’re ready to go back to the future, head to the harbour in the new part of town to spot the super-yachts and speedboats of the rich and famous.

Just 18 miles south of Sunny Beach, Pomorie Beach is a favourite with families. The 4-kilometre stretch of sand shelves gently into the sea and it’s looked over by lifeguards throughout the summer, so little ones can safely play in the shallows.

As you head south from Sunny Beach, Bulgaria’s pulse slows down. Dyuni Beach, near Sozopol, has found a happy medium between nature and nurture. You’ll find sunloungers and watersports here, but there’s plenty of untouched white sand and the whole place is backed by hillside scenery.

The name of this park is a bit of a red herring. There’s no sea in Bourgas’ Sea Garden. This public park is a jigsaw of green lawns, tree-shaded seating areas, and flower beds of blooms from the four corners of the world. During the summer, concerts and festivals are held in the park.

Make time for a bit of Turkish delight on your Bulgarian holiday with an overnight trip to Istanbul. The journey from the Bourgas region takes roughly 6 and a half hours. But once you’re there, you’ll be able to visit the Blue Mosque, the ancient hippodrome, and the Topkapi Palace. Plus, there’ll be time on the second day for a spree in the Gran Bazaar.

An hour’s drive from Sunny Beach, this place takes the title of the Black Sea Coast’s oldest town. As such, archaeologists have had a field day here – their finds include pottery and tools dating back to the Bronze Age. Today, though, it’s become known as Bulgaria’s answer to St-Tropez, with celebs like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie dropping by to check out the sandy beaches and harbourside restaurants.