Top 5 Bulgarian Black Sea vacation spots

Summer is fast approaching. Still undecided about your vacation plans? You love the seaside? Here's a few recommended spots at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.

Sunny Beach



Slunchev Bryag, better known outside Bulgaria as Sunny Beach, is the undisputed party center of the Black Sea coast. Each year the resort attracts thousands of tourists from around Europe, mainly young people. Its notorious reputation has done little to push visitors away – on the contrary, their number keeps rising. After all, cheap booze, casinos, world-famous DJs, and fancy beach clubs will always have strong leverage in the summer tourism sector.

The iconic Cacao Beach is considered as Bulgaria's Copacabana, stringing together a number of chillout bars during daytime, which turn into a brightly lit electronic dance scene during the night. Sunny Beach's ideal location, between the main port cities of Burgas and Varna make it an extremely accessible destination.

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Nessebar



Just 3.6 kilometers south of Sunny Beach, the loud thumps of club beats are substituted by the sound of waves gently splashing against the stony walls of Nessebar's old town. This ancient city of over 3,000 years history is a UNESCO heritage site. Originating as a Thracian settlement, its vibrant passage through time has seen the coming and going of Byzantines, Romans, and Ottomans. Nessebar's territory is one of the most densely populated by churches, with over 40 holy sites dating back to antiquity and the Middle Ages.

It is not all about history in Nessebar, however. The new town offers some modern-style hotels, restaurants, and bars, as well as very pleasant beach-side alleys. Throughout the summer season, Nessebar is host to a number of festivals, such as the Vintage Cars Festival, the Balkan Festival of Children's Cinema, and the Sea Strings Music Festival.

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Golden Sands



Zlatni Pyasatsi (Golden Sands) is the oldest of Bulgaria's major Black Sea resorts. Its construction began in 1956. Golden Sands offers a wide selection of activities, from aqua parks, through amusement parks, a mini golf course, to the nearby nature park with a variety of flora and fauna. Its 3.5km coastline makes it one of the longest beaches in the country, with exquisite sand. Many of the hotels boast splendid sports facilities. Visitors of all ages and experience can also enjoy horse-riding at the nearby equestrian club.

The resort, 17km north of Varna, also hosts many annual events, meetings, and seminars. The amphitheater is a place of cultural importance with a selection of performances. Golden Sands is both family-friendly as well as adapted to the needs of younger visitors.


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Lozenets



From a small seaside village in the Tsarevo Municipality, Lozenets has rapidly grown into an elite summer destination – not so much in size, as in class. Famous Bulgarian film stars, musicians, athletes and other celebrities have bought vacation villas in Lozenets, while others have simply chosen it as their preferred holiday spot. For the time being, Lozenets has withstood the influx of huge hotel centers and one would not feel pressed in a concrete jungle.

The resort is perhaps best known for its selection of chillout bars. Each prides itself with a unique design of hammocks, tents, interior arrangement, and of course cocktails. All of them share one thing however – a symbiosis of artful touch and elegance.

Lozenets has four beaches. Coral (which is also by the camping site “Coral”) lies among natural sand-dunes and a wild forest. It also offers bungalows for rent. Oasis (part of Resort & SPA Oasis) is attuned for those with more elaborate preferences, such as sun beds, tents, and even couches on the beach. To have a drink at the Oasis beach bars, you may need to dig deeper in your pockets, but you are bound to be pampered accordingly.

The Tarfa beach is very small and hidden in a gulf, which makes its waters very calm. If you prefer to mingle with a bigger crowd and to enjoy jet skis, surfing lessons and other attractions, the Central beach may be your best pick.

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Balchik



Often neglected for its northern geographic location, tourists who have visited Balchik have rarely been left disappointed. Its cultural value and heritage is immense, and remnants of the town's history are all around to be seen. This ancient town was named Dionysopolis (after the Greek God of Wine Dionysius) in the 6th c. B.C. Later, it became a flourishing port city under the Roman Empire.

“The Castle”, as it is simply known, is the most famous site. It was the summer complex of the Romanian Queen – Marie of Edinburgh (reign. 1914 – 1927). On the castle's territory also lies the famous botanical garden, founded in 1955 by the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. The town also hosts a number of art, theater, and children's festivals.

Balchik captures the anachronistic mind with its white rock walls and tiny stone-paved alleys positioned on a hill overlooking the fishing port. You will feel like time has stopped there – a pleasant travel in time, away from the daily commotion and the bustling nightlife.

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