Bourgas Region holidays

Blue Flag beaches, nightlife and towns crammed with history – holidays to the Bourgas region of Bulgaria set the summer break bar high.

Blue Flag beaches

Primarily, it’s the beaches that make the Bourgas region tick. This pocket of land on Bulgaria’s eastern side lays claim to some of the best swathes of sand on the country’s 378-kilometre coastline. Sunny Beach is the place on most tourists’ lips. The Blue Flag beach here is 8 kilometres long and complemented with more than 600 cafés, restaurants and bars. Obzor follows hot on its heels in the popularity stakes. The 6-kilometre sandy beach here sidles up to thatched beach bars, mini golf courses, and fun fairs.

Historical sites

The Bourgas region’s cultural clock chimes loudest in Nessebar. Just 10 minutes’ drive from Sunny Beach, the old part of this town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Three millennia of history are accounted for here. There are Byzantine churches, 19th-century town houses and the ruins of Roman and Middle Age forts.

Nightlife with a capital N

The Bourgas region’s after dark scene gives night owls something to really get their beaks into. No-one keeps time in the bars and clubs in Sunny Beach. The party starts with booze cruises at lunchtime, continues with bar crawls before tea, and ends when the sun rises the next day.

Popular hotels in Bourgas Region

Top things to see and do in Bourgas Region

Beaches

Bumper beaches

Beaches are the Bourgas region’s crowning glory. Strips of sand are runway-long in this part of the world – the most popular resorts have beaches that roll out for up to 8 kilometres. The facilities leave nothing to the imagination, either. Beaches tend to be accessorised with everything but the kitchen sink. Expect fun fairs, beach bars, restaurants, mini golf courses and market stalls.

The big beach

At 8 kilometres long, Cacao Beach, in Sunny Beach, is the biggest beach in the Bourgas region by a long shot. Its size means it pulls in the crowds, so it gets busy, but the atmosphere is great. You’ll want for nothing when you’re here, either. A promenade runs parallel to the sand and it’s lined with everything from flight-simulators and bungee balls to henna tattoo stands and oxygen bars.

The secret beach

Thanks to their size, Bourgas region beaches are hard to hide. If you’re staying around Sunny Beach or Ozbor, you should be prepared to share your sand. But if you head an hour south, you’ll come to Zlatna Ribka, one of the least-busy beaches in the Bourgas region. There are sunloungers on the sand, but it’s backed by trees and greenery, rather than bars and restaurants.

Shopping

Bargain buys

Head to the market stalls in Sunny Beach and you’ll be knee-deep in novelty t-shirts. If you don’t see one you like, you can get your own printed while you wait. There are bargains to be had on Slavianska Street in Obzor, too.

Mid-range buys

The Royal Beach Mall in Sunny Beach is a one-stop shop for high street brands. There are more than 140 shops here, including Adidas, Lee Cooper and Asics. What’s more, there are a few restaurants and cocktail bars for when you need to recharge your batteries. If you’re staying in Obzor, you can catch a coach to Varna for a spree around Mall Varna. This multi-story shopping centre has more than 150 shops including big name brands like Miss Sixty and Levi.

Designer buys

Your bank manager can sleep soundly while you’re in the Bourgas region. Designer boutiques are few and far between. You’d have to make the 5-hour trip to Vitosha Boulevard in Sofia to find names like Versace and Armani. The best place to splash out in the Bourgas region is Nessebar Old Town. There are a few jewellery shops here, which sell platinum, gold and silver.

Nightlife

Laid-back evenings

If you want to escape the neon lights of Sunny Beach, head to the old town in Nessebar. There are a cluster of quiet restaurants here, which serve fresh seafood, like trout and sea wolf. They’re easy to find, but if you need a point of reference, head to Mitropolitska Street. Buses from Sunny Beach to Nessebar run every 15 minutes. If you’re in Obzor, restaurants are dotted all over the centre of town. You’ll find some of the quirkier themed ones around Ivan Raykov street.

Lively evenings

The party doesn’t stop in Sunny Beach. The beach bars serve beers from breakfast, happy hours run round the clock, bar crawls begin before sunset, and the clubs don’t close until sunrise. You can start your night off with live music in the restaurants on Flower Street before heading to the big clubs around Party Square to catch big name DJs.

Food & drink

Mousakka

This steamy, baked mincemeat dish is a usual suspect on restaurant menus all over the country. It differs from Greek mousakka because it doesn’t contain aubergines. It’s usually served with a side order of sour yoghurt

Kavarma

A terracotta pot swimming with kavarma is usually the nucleus of easy-going group suppers in Bulgaria. The saucy dish of chicken, peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes is the centre piece of the table, and friends dip pitta bread into it as conversation flows.

Cheverme

Cheverme is the Bulgarian equivalent of a hog roast. This roast pork dish is made by cooking a whole pig, on a spit, over embers for up to seven hours. The chargrilled meat is then served with a traditional shopska salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, roast peppers and sirine cheese.

Rakia

Rakia is the national drink of Bulgaria. It’s made from fermented grapes or plums, and it tastes similar to brandy. Some Bulgarians brew this potent liquid at home and change its taste by adding herbs, honey and sour cherries to the mixture.

Zagorka

Bulgaria fathers quite a few different brands of national beer, and Zagorka is one of the most popular. It’s light, lemony and refreshing. It’s also budget friendly – some of the beach bars in Sunny Beach sell pints of it for the equivalent of a pound.

Average Weather in Bourgas Region

Facts about Bourgas Region

Currency
Bulgarian Lev
(BGN)
Language
Bulgarian
Time zone
GMT +2
Flight duration
3 hours 15 minutes from Gatwick

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