Places to Visit in Burgas - Bulgaria Tour

On Bulgaria's southern Black Sea coast, Burgas has become a real tourist destination since the early 21st century, with its natural beauty, mild climate and the lakes around it. We believe it's a good choice for anyone who wants both a holiday and to explore nature.

With this post you'll discover much more about the city and experience incredibly beautiful views with us. In our post on places to visit in Burgas, our stops, in order, are as follows..

Sinemorets

The village of Sinemorets, about 100 km from the city of Burgas, means "place of the blue seas". If you're crossing the Bulgarian border from Kırklareli, you can stop by before going to Burgas. Since the road is mountainous, your speed drops a bit, and it can be a little tough on the car. You can also come back here after reaching Burgas city centre. This village, very close to the Turkish border on the İğneada side, also has similar vegetation. It's very famous for its beach; even though the season hadn't opened yet, we chose this village as the first stop on our route. The season had opened for a few charming guesthouses.

We spent the first night in the car and fell asleep watching the stars!.. By around 6.30 in the morning the sun was up for breakfast. On the green hills, with no one, absolutely no one around, we took out the sandwiches we'd prepared the day before from our mini fridge and quickly set up a sweet breakfast table.

For long car journeys we recommend taking food you like with you. This time, both because of the euro's loss in value and so that getting what we wanted at any moment wouldn't be a problem in holiday spots where the season hadn't opened, we set off with a mini cooler and plenty of food. Believe us, the road goes by pleasantly too when you set up tables along the way where you can choose the view with your car. We're already thinking about the campervan idea!

Back to the route :) We were alone with a clean view of beautiful horses up ahead, accompanied by the sea and the lake. Starting the day and our trip here with our sandwiches turned out even more beautiful and greener than we'd expected!

As you head towards Burgas, as soon as you leave the village, the Veleka River, which is right beside you and also runs through the village, meets the Black Sea here. This river also forms the mini lake I mentioned above. Right at this point there's a beach.

If you want to clear your head, silence and calm beaches, it's one of the places to consider for a holiday getaway. Along with the sea, you can enjoy the green hills too. There's not a soul around; it's quiet and full of peace! Only the lovely sound of birds..

North Beach

Primorsko's North Beach, surrounded by the seaside park, is where locals and tourists sunbathe, swim and take part in a range of activities on both land and sea. We'd guess there's beach volleyball and concerts.

The beach is 1700 metres long. As for upkeep, the beach is cleaned every morning. As with the example of Alexandroupoli in Greece and Enez, we strikingly see two different faces of a similar coastline here too. If only we as a country could learn lessons from places like this.

The bars and restaurants along the beach draw a lot of interest. Of course, when we went the season hadn't opened yet, but we put on our flip-flops and took a little walk on the beach. Even though the weather was a bit cool, the trio of sea, sand and sun did us a lot of good.

At the entrance to the beach there are many options for horse riding. Once we crossed to the beach side, there were beach football and volleyball courts, as well as changing rooms and showers for swimmers. Families and couples in particular can comfortably stay here all day and meet all their needs without leaving this beach. We can't even guess how much it changes in season. Even though it looks like an abandoned town now, the many holiday homes and hotels starting very close to the shore are a sign of the seasonal crowds.

Ropotamo River

You shouldn't pass this lake without stopping, about 50 km from the village of Sinemorets! :) We got here after a pleasant 4.5 km drive from North Beach. The river passes through an area called Arkutino. There's no settlement nearby. The river and its surroundings, an area taken under protection in the 1940s, began their story of becoming the Ropotamo Nature Reserve in 1962. .

There are dense elms and hornbeams, and here and there oaks, bay and medlar trees. It feeds and gives a home to all sorts of creatures, like the lovely deer we saw as we drove through the forest. The variety of wild birds and the fauna and flora are protected by Bulgaria. All activities relating to the forest and people, including hunting, fires, camping and even picnics, are banned; hiking is allowed on certain routes

Of course the area that forms the reserve is also full of shrubs, and the river running through it is a whole different biodiversity. It's written that there are more than 50 kinds of fish, and of course fishing is banned too. But tiny little jetties along the river are waiting to keep you company on your breaks.

Heading here through the calm, enormous forest, you'll feel as though you've found peace. If you say a holiday shouldn't be still and you want an adventure, you can get ready to go on a tour in little boats. We can't say whether it will satisfy you, but it's a wonderful forest for hikers.

Sozopol

At first glance the town, made up of holiday homes and apartments, is already lively; it's not hard to guess it gets very crowded in summer. Compared with the Sinemorets side, it's noticeably richer and busier.

We head towards the farthest point of the charming town. First we saw the biggest and most modern Lidl we've seen in a long time. Then we bought some snacks and things to eat. At the entrance to the Lidl there's even a mini museum about the history of Sozopol.

You can actually see how far back the region's history goes even in this supermarket, and we're surprised once again. Remains from a family tomb dating to the first century after the death of Jesus are displayed at the entrance of the supermarket along with their story. This little museum came about as an idea from the family tomb and artefacts found during construction of the Lidl built here in 2016. We loved it!

Then we went on towards the town centre. In the park bordering the sea here, how beautifully the Judas trees were blooming! Thanks to a joint project with Kırklareli, Judas trees cover the area. Of the 100 thousand euro project in total, Kıyıköy Municipality supported it with 51 thousand euros. Another project we came across before the end of the park was supported by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The European Union support fund intends to bring this region into tourism..

We walked towards the beach in very pleasant shade. The open-air theatre in front of the town hall and the church are right on the square. All around, as befits Bulgaria, it's green again.

Martenitsas on the trees too! The martenitsa, or Martinka, is an old Bulgarian tradition. White and red threads are twisted together; the white symbolises peace and the red symbolises life. In March it's tied around wrists with good wishes, and when the first stork is seen, it's hung on the first blossoming branch of spring. In this lovely celebration of the sun and spring, these handmade bracelets are made for the whole family and for friends, and given as gifts. Maybe that's my favourite part of it!

I set you free, my little martenitsa

From my heart, my soul, my skin...

Sozopol, a Black Sea resort 35 km from Burgas, has a history going back to the Thracians. At the entrance to the Old Town, underground excavations and ruins greet you. There's a charming restaurant here where you can eat something facing this archaeological site and the sea.

You can join mini tours to see the restored medieval walls of the town. If you go in summer, you can cool off at the small rocky coves in the town and on the gorgeous beach of Piasachni Diuni.

The traditional carved wooden buildings in the Old Town look so much like ours! Life goes on in buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. In this area only just opening up to tourism there aren't many hotels; there are more restaurants and mini shops. The locals still seem unused to tourists on the streets.

Getting lost in these streets, you can discover interesting pieces of the town's old past. The very cute colourful cloth covers were the sweetest products I saw as souvenirs. They look like the Rize cloth from our Black Sea; I'm adding a photo of them with very sweet rag dolls.

Deultum

On the west shore of Lake Mandrensko, the village of Debelt, which bears Thracian traces but rose in Roman times, is also among the places worth visiting.

The Deultum excavation site is described as a great treasure for amateur historians. Deultum was a free Roman colony founded in the 1st century by retired legionaries. Over time it became one of the richest cities in the Balkan region, especially after the move from Rome to Constantinople. As far as we understood, work is still going on. Its supporter is the American Research Center in Sofia.

The most interesting part of these ruins is the bath remains, where a large part of a complex heating system can be seen. You can see them when you look up close, and it's astonishing that it was thought of back then. But if you're not into history, you could skip it. As someone from Thrace, having come all this way, we came here wondering, "What did our Thracians do?" :)

Poda Protected Area

We said parks are famous around here. Poda, another park to visit, is in the southern part of the city, between saltwater and freshwater lakes and the sea and Lake Mandrensko. People often come to visit this park, which has a rich variety of birds. Although the park covers a relatively small area, a total of 265 different bird species have been seen, 46 of them in Poda.

Burgas Sea Garden

Even though it was our first time in Bulgaria, we'd heard that Bulgarian coastal towns are very lively and very different from the interior of Bulgaria. There really is enough of a difference to agree with those who said so.

In Burgas there's a huge waterfront where entertainment, sports facilities, gardens and cultural spaces come together. During your stay, you'll keep wanting to go to the Sea Garden here. And we find ourselves missing such a park in our own city. When will Istanbul get a city park? Neither Koşuyolu, nor Bebek park, nor Gülhane is enough for us...

The huge park, covering almost 72 decares, has fountains, playgrounds, cafés, ice-cream stands, an open-air theatre, tennis courts and gorgeous walking paths. It reminded me of Gorky Park, which we enjoyed so much when exploring Moscow. For the curious, I've left the link here.

In this magnificent park there's also an area with sand sculptures. We rushed over to see the giant sand pyramid sculptures, but sadly it was renovation time. Since 2008, every summer in July, sculptures have been made here with 2500 tonnes of special rain-resistant sand! The lovely spots in the park are endless; for us and for children, there's something new to learn at every corner. The Birdclock is one of them! Have you ever listened to the birds' songs, or told the time by birdsong?

It's not always at the same time, since it depends on sunrise, but they always sing in the same order: the redstart leads the choir, sir; after the first 10 minutes the show belongs to the nightingale, then the crow comes to wake you! :) And wouldn't the wren murmuring after it suit well, then the cuckoo and after it the great tit, the chaffinch, the sparrow and the starling! What lovely information; I'll try to hear it one morning :)

Flora

Flora is a flower festival held every year since 1985. Flora takes place in the northern part of Burgas, usually between April and May. We really wanted to go, and when our plan slipped a week later than usual, we happened to land right in festival week!

The festival's slogan also caught our attention: "nature-human-harmony". Many of the plants seen at festival time are very rare varieties.

Alongside all this beauty, stands had opened selling local products too. We wandered round lots of stands, and on one side, child participants had been asked to design their own mini gardens. In the cheerful crowd we said we were so glad to have come across the festival's colourful corners. It's here every year in the first weeks of May.

Stretching about 300 metres into the Black Sea from the tree-lined side of the Sea Garden, Burgas Pier offers photo-worthy views. With its distinctive T shape, it's one of the city's landmarks. It will take locals and tourists of all ages on romantic walks, and they'll explore the coast thanks to the raised viewing platform.

The Pier - Mosta

In summer, apparently, there are scenes here to rival our Istanbul shoreline. With the weather warming up, we too witnessed people opening the season :) People were jumping into the sea from the pier. In summer it may not give you the pleasure of the spring months, but it still won't be packed, and you can spend your time as you like.

Mud Bath

On the Burgas coast there's a SPA where you can take a mud bath. The area is made up of salt pools used in the days of industrialisation. One of the pools is pink, and when you float on the water you'll feel wonderful. Although it isn't in much demand among locals, we tourists showed a lot of interest. :)

But about the salt and mineral properties of the real mud baths, let us say this: black mud is very good for your skin and joints. Let yourself go in the mud pools and wash yourself off by sinking into the warm water!

Ethnographic Museum

Since I haven't yet been to an ethnographic museum in Turkey, I thought it would be unfair to go in here, so we didn't. Anyway, culturally we're not very far apart. One side of me has Bulgarian roots too. :)

We learned a lot without going into the museum. The museum is in a grand house built in the 19th century for the local legend Dimitar Todorov Brakalov. The ground floor of the house has kept its original character, so here you can see a textile exhibition along with upper-class women's fashion.

Upstairs, the traditional costumes of each ethnographic group are on display. As well as costumes worn for religious occasions, everyday clothes are also shown.

Nessebar

35 km from Burgas, Nessebar turned out to be a town on the UNESCO list that brings together all the fun of the seaside with immense historical richness.

On the cobbled streets of old Nessebar, an old church will greet you at almost every turn. The oldest church here dates to the 500s; St. Sofia has been in ruins since the 1700s, and most of its walls still stand firm thanks to their Byzantine arches.