Experiences in Burgas
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Burgas
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Burgas: Tours & Experiences
1 experiences and tours
Frequently asked questions
Many visitors only pass through Burgas on their way from the airport to the beach resorts. That is a mistake. The city sits on a strip of land between the Black Sea and three large lakes, and few places in Europe put you this close to so much water and so many birds.
In the city you can walk the long seafront park, swim from the city beach and see the sand sculptures of the summer Sand Festival. From the port, boats go to St. Anastasia Island, a small rock with a monastery, a lighthouse and a past full of prisoners and pirate stories. Burgas is also the best base for the southern coast: the old towns of Sozopol and Nessebar are each less than an hour away.
About Burgas
Burgas, the fourth-largest city in Bulgaria and one of its main ports, lies at the inner end of the Gulf of Burgas, the largest bay on the Bulgarian coast. People lived here in antiquity, and the Romans used the hot springs at Aquae Calidae, a few kilometres outside the city. But the modern city grew mainly in the 19th and 20th centuries, around its port and its railway.
Three lakes surround Burgas: Vaya (Lake Burgas), Atanasovsko and Mandra. They lie on the Via Pontica, one of Europe's main bird migration routes. In late summer and autumn, large flocks of storks, pelicans and birds of prey pass over the city. Atanasovsko Lake is also a salt lake, and its pink salt pans are used for salt and mud treatments.
Out in the bay, St. Anastasia Island is the only inhabited island on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Monks lived on it for centuries. Later it served as a prison, and local stories tell of pirate treasure buried in its rocks. Today it has a restored monastery church, a lighthouse, a small museum and a restaurant.
What to expect on a Burgas experience
Most time in Burgas goes on three kinds of trip:
- The city and the sea: the Sea Garden park and the long pier, the city beach, the cathedral of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, and in summer the sand sculptures of the Sand Festival.
- Out on the water: boat trips across the bay to St. Anastasia Island, and visits to the lakes for birdwatching, especially at the Poda nature reserve south of the city.
- Along the coast: day trips to the old towns of Sozopol and Nessebar, to the salt lake and salt museum at Pomorie, and inland to the forests and villages of Strandzha.
Best time to visit
June to September is the season for the beach, the boats to St. Anastasia Island and the Sand Festival. July and August are the hottest and busiest months. September is a good month for most visitors: the sea is still warm, the crowds are smaller, and the autumn bird migration over the lakes starts. In winter the city is quiet, many boat trips stop, and the lakes become the main reason to visit.
Getting around
You can walk almost everywhere in central Burgas. The station, the port, the main pedestrian street and the Sea Garden are all within a short walk. City buses and taxis are cheap. Burgas Airport is about 10 km north-east of the centre, on the road to Pomorie and Nessebar. Trains and buses link Burgas with Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna, and regular buses go to the towns along the coast. Boats to St. Anastasia Island leave from the port in the city centre, in summer only. Bulgaria uses the euro, and cards are widely accepted.
