Burgas (also Bourgas) is a city on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. It is a large industrial centre with many tourist attractions in the region. Built by the sea and surrounded by lakes, Burgas offers relatively mild weather characterized by cooler summers and warmer winters.
Three lakes surround Burgas – Vaya (also known as the Burgas lake), Atanaskovsko lake and Mandrensko lake.
There is historical evidence that the lands that today Burgas occupies have been inhabited since ancient times. However at that period most of the lands that today Burgas covers were small fisherman villages and fortifications. It was hard to flourish under the pressure of the better developed at that period trade centers Nesebar and Sozopol. At the end of the 19th century the city had fewer than 3000 inhabitants.
The Burgas Bay turned out to be very favorable for the navy and the Port of Burgas developed in the beginning of 20th century. The trade and the industry are the driving force of the city even today. The oil refinery was constructed in mid 20th century, and produces many plastic and oil products, as well as gas. More than 300,000 inhabitants live in Burgas today.
The tourism is not particularly developed in Burgas but the city is a stop for the picturesque century-old towns Nesebar and Sozopol. Many large luxury holiday resorts were constructed in the Bay of Burgas. For the lovers of nature there are many camp-sites.
Buses and trains from different destinations in Bulgaria arrive several times per day.
Burgas Central (Бургас Централна гара), 42.4905444°, 27.4726921°, +359 56 845 022, +359 56 844 501. The central train station is in the very heart of the city and next its building is bus station South which is the main point to all small summer resorts and villages in the area like Sozopol or Sunny Beach.<br/>Tickets are sold in the train station building. For reservations call or visit the Bulgarian Railways website. 2021-12-08
Vladimir Pavlov Station (Владимир Павлов), 42.5022882°, 27.4575061°. This station might be a more feasible option, depending where you start in the city. All trains also stop here. 2021-12-08
Regular trains run to Sofia and other major cities in Bulgaria. There are no international connections (anymore). A change in Sofia is required.
There are very convenient buses from every city in the country to Burgas. Most of the buses coming to the city have a few stops before reaching the Central bus station in the south. There are also many buses coming from Turkey and Greece.
Domestic bus lines: Every operating company has their own reservation system. Some of the companies that run bus lines to the city are Union Ivkoni, Kaleya.
International: Eurolines runs regular international bus lines to/from Burgas, e.g. Romania.
Destinations:
Regional: Bulgaria Air offers every day flights to/from Sofia.
International: WizzAir offers flights to London Luton, and seasonal flights to Budapest, Katowice, and Warsaw. S7 flies to Moscow.
Seasonal: In addition during the summer season from May until September charter companies offer flights from UK, Ireland, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, etc. to Burgas. Check the Burgas airport website to receive actual information on departing/arriving airlines operating this season.
UK: There are direct regular flights between Burgas and Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Doncaster Sheffield, Durham Tees Valley, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Gatwick, Glasgow, Humberside, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Stansted in the summer months with 3 new flights added for 2014 from Cambridge, Newquay and Southend.
A ferry operates weekly between Burgas and Batumi, Georgia, operated by PBM. It is basically a cargo ship with extra space for passengers. Depending on the weather the journey takes 2-4 days. Passengers pay €120–140 including 3 meals a day and the cabin. Expect delays and unclear communication about tickets and departure.
Burgas has well developed public bus system. Buses travel also to all resorts and cities along the coastline.
Public transport runs regularly from 05:00-23:00. There are both buses and trolleys. Tickets are sold in the bus by special collectors and you should pay to them. The price for one ride is 1.30 ₪ (April 2018). The Easyway website has more information.
There are also small mini-buses that run regularly and cover some routes of the city. The cost for the ride is 1.10 лв. You should pay to the driver when you get off the mini-bus.
Burgas is best explored on bicycle, especially along the promenade and north to the salt pond.
Hitchhiking is also a very popular and successful means of transportation in the region.
Taxis are a convenient yet pricey way to travel around. There are many licensed operating companies. Be careful with scammers and always keep an eye to their tax-counter machine. Normally tariffs vary from 0.80–0.90 лв/km (August 2009).
The city of Burgas developed after the beginning of the 20th century and most of the buildings in the city centre date from this time. At the center is Troika Square. The city's Gallery of Fine Arts is hosted in a secession style synagogue.
In winter museums closed Saturday and Sundays.
There are many galleries as well, some of them are Bogoridi, Briz - Boiadzhiev, and Petko Zadgorski Art Gallery.
Sea Garden (Morska gradina). The city has this huge park with variety of green species and fantastic view to the Burgas Bay. The garden starts from the central bus and train station. There are small stairs to the sandy beach and in summer the coast is full of cafes and nightclubs. 2021-12-08
Mosta (the Bridge). A t-shaped pier at the sea garden - one branch of the "t" has stairs up to a viewing platform, locals boys practise diving off the other branch. It's a nice place for a walk, or you can sit at the nearby cafe and watch the world go by. 2021-12-08
Flamingos. Especially around August, flamingos can be seen all around the salt ponds and lakes north of Burgas. 2021-12-08
Walking in the garden little by little it becomes wilder and you reach the salt-pans. The 'salt-factories' produce many tons of salt every year. A small train runs across the salt-pans, riding it you can see how salt is made and refined. The salt-pans are part of the Atanasovsko lake waters.
Because the city is a trade centre, it has always been open to new religions and foreigners. The St Kiril and Metodii church is located in the city center. Also visit the Armenian church located next to Bulgaria Hotel.
Three lakes surround Burgas:
In summer you can go surfing and kite-surfing in the bay. There are a few surf and sea sports schools, which you can find on the North Beach. You can also book diving.
Carting Speedway, 126 Stefan Stambolov Bul (Kolodruma), Working time: 11:00-20:30, Speedway - length: 320 m, width: 4 m.
You can do also do some extreme sports like paragliding or moto-paragliding. Courses and tandem-flights are offered as well. Sky Dog Fly Centre, 4 Troykata Sq., fl.2, office 8
Small companies offer a range of activities for tourists and for local people. One of them is PH QUADS which offer an amazing Quad Bike / ATV safari around the hills of Marinka - small village between Burgas and Sozopol with splendid nature. (dead link: January 2023)
Burgas is making its way through the music scene with a few festivals that call international attention.
In winter you can go to see a movie. All movies are subtitled in Bulgarian and rarely there are voiceovers so if the movie is in English, you won't have problems. There are few exceptions for children's movies. Cinema: Trakia cinema (6 Tzar Asen Str.)
Bourgas also has two universities and three colleges.
Shopping area is in the center of the town. It consists of two main streets and a few more small ones. The prices are reasonable. Some of the shops offer local brands while others are international (Benetton, etc.)
Gold shops are pretty popular. Most of the gold jewellery is imported from Turkey.
Silver jewelry is offered on stands on the high street.
A few shopping malls are constructed in the city but the global crunch postponed some of them. The Burgas Plaza Mall is at the end of Izgrev living districts. To get there from the city centre, take bus 211 and get off at the last stop.
International chains like Billa, Carrefour and Metro can also be found in the city.
Burgas has an abundance of eating establishments.
There are many pizza places, pubs serving international food, Chinese restaurants. On the main streets there are kebabs, pancakes, hot dogs and hamburgers for about 2–4 лв.
In summer many open air restaurants and pubs pop up by the sea. The area with the largest number of seaside restaurants and pubs is called Kapanite and it is on the North Beach in the Sea Garden.
Burgas has many cafés and small bars. On the main streets you will bump into their chairs especially in summer.
Broadway and Silver Club are good places for a cocktail and modern dance and pop music.
In summer the Sea Garden is full of cafeterias and beer-places or small pubs. The sandy line is covered with night-bars and discos playing all kind of music.
There are many new hotels in the city. Most of them offer BB for a reasonable price.
You can also stay in the suburb called Sarafovo. It has pretty seaside view and easy access to the city centre with public bus line 15 (in 20 min) and the airport (5 min). Sarafovo has numerous hotels. holiday apartments and guesthouses, as well as shops, restaurants and a serviced beach. It offers a good combination of peace and tranquility with easy access to the bustle and nightlife of the city centre. However keep in mind that the taxi to/from the Burgas city center may get a bit experience.
List of many means of accommodation in the city is offered by the Tourist Information Centre at the Burgas Municipality - 2- to 5-star hotels and shared rooms.
If you need something off the beaten track you can also try the private homestays. Especially in summer many old ladies or gentlemen offer accommodation in their houses. If you get off the train or the bus, you will spot their cardboard signs. Some language barriers exist as not all of them speak English. Usually they are hospitable and are a good equivalent to hostel accommodation. If you understand each other and have a good host, sometimes they will prepare a traditional breakfast.
Apart hotel Trilogia, Alexandrovska Str. 59, +359 876210700. Apartments 300 m from the beach. €25 2020-10-21
Hotel Trilogy (Хотел ТРИЛОГИЯ), Georgy Kirkov Str.3, +359 884563605. Rooms with a/c and kitchenettes. Rooftop terrace.
Sezoni South Burgas, Ivan Vazov Blvd. 79 (When out of the train station (front exit) turn left and follow the street for about 800 m.), +359 56 841703. €25 for a double room
Luxury Apartments, ul. "Apostol Karamitev" 4,, +359 88 736 7076. A/C, wifi, kitchenettes in full apartments. лв48 for 2 people 2021-01-07
Super Central Luxury Apartments, ulitsa "Knyaz Boris I" 2, +359 88 693 3771. Here you can enjoy an air conditioned apartment with kitchen and living area, with a potentially good view overlooking Troika Square. 81 лв 2021-01-07
Old House Hostel, Corner of Sofroniy and Slavyanska, 42.49318°, 27.4777°. A true budget place in the heart of Burgas with limited comfort and not-so-great cleanliness. Small dorms with single beds, shared bath rooms. Private rooms available. Shared kitchen. Manager/receptionist doesn't speak English and may be a bit grumpy, so be patient and get your translation app ready. In March 2021, many of the visitors were long-term tenants staying for a couple of months. Dorm 12 лв 2021-03-15
Burgas and its resort strip have 5G from A1, Telenor and Vivacom. Wifi is widely available in public places.
Burgas is generally safe city. However some common sense guidelines should be kept in mind when you travel especially in summer.
In summer the pickpocketing is more common because a lot of pickpockets from the country come to get advantage of the tourists. Keep your money and purse. Do not leave your property unattended. Often beggars approach foreigners and ask for money. The best will be to pretend that you do not get what they want and walk away. If they keep on following you – get into a shop or sit inside a café to have a drink until they leave you alone. Alternatively if they still don't go, try to speak to a security guard in the shop, café or bank.
There are a number of scam-taxi drivers in summer. Double check the tariff when you get into a taxi.
When you exchange money, double check the rates, ask if there are any taxes and basically the best will be to ask a few times how much Bulgarian leva you will get for your foreign currency. The normal exchange rate for €1 is 1.94 лв. You should be very desperate to exchange under that level, but never allow exchange rate under 1.85 лв.
Be aware of people approaching you on the street offering good exchange rates or anything else.
At night avoid speaking too loudly and avoid too dark areas especially in the Sea Garden.
Avoid conflicts with drunken people. In summer the Sea Garden and the beach are full of cafes and bars and people who drink sometimes way too much and are easy confronted. Stay away from cases like this.
Be aware of people offering you to taste cherries or other fruits in the street. It is not free and if you taste you will be physically pushed to buy an entire bucket, usually at a very high price. Ignore them and say no firmly.
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division