SocialiteTravel.com Weblog: Beach Holidays in Bulgaria

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Beach Holidays in Bulgaria

Photo: [Sunny Beach, Bulgaria]

Bulgaria has a long coastline along the Black sea bordered by Turkey to the south and Romania to the north. Along this stretch, one can find large international resorts, ancient towns, big cities, and numerous villages. Bulgaria's resorts are not newcomers to the international holiday market. During its 40 years of communism, Bulgaria was the main beach destination for the Soviet bloc countries, greeting hundreds of thousands of Russians, Poles, East Germans and others from that side of the Berlin wall. It took about 10 years after the fall of communism for the tourism industry to reinvigorate, however. For a decade, the resorts experienced almost no development. Then, going along with the global property boom, billions of dollars were poured into Bulgaria transforming its coastline, its ski resorts and its major cities. Now, the country is frequented by British, Irish, German and other tourists from Western Europe along with the traditional tourists from the East. Bulgarians themselves, after period of tough transition with hyperinflation, banking crisis, declining incomes and sky-high unemployment, started traveling again at the turn of the century. Now, the beach resorts in Bulgaria offer a spectacular mixture of cultures from every corner of Europe.

The two largest resorts are Sunny Beach and Golden Sands. Golden Sands is on the north coast, about 20 km from the sea capital of Bulgaria Varna. Sunny Beach is on the southern coast, also nearby a large city - Bourgas. A number of international flights arrive in both Varna and Bourgas from major European cities year round. One can also reach Varna and Bourgas by flying into the capital of Sofia and then taking a bus ride that lasts about 6 hours. Sunny Beach is by far the largest resort, accommodating hundreds of thousands of tourists each summer. It offers 5-star hotels, dozens of three and four star hotels and many apartment complexes where tourists can rent a private apartment. Golden Sands is smaller because its expansion is constrained by the steep hills surrounding its beach. However, the mixture of beach and forest is a major attraction to many tourists. Other popular resorts include Albena situated near Golden Sands, and Duni on the southern coast.

Besides the resorts, the two most famous destinations on the Bulgarian Black sea coast are Nessebar and Sozopol. Both are ancient Greek fishing town, thousands of years old, that have preserved much of their historic character. Nessebar is a UNESCO - protected historical destination. Both towns are splendidly picturesque built on top of large rock overlooking the sea. The architecture of the towns is unique, making for wonderful walks through their cobblestoned streets and along the promenades surrounding each of them. They also offer dozens of accommodation options including hotels and apartments, as well as numerous restaurants, bars, and shops. There is really something for everyone. And indeed everyone seems to come in the high season of July and August. It may therefore not be a bad idea to visit in May, June or September. The weather is still wonderful, all shops and restaurants are open but the crowds are smaller. And prices are significantly lower. Via: Stefan Valev