Tourism in Bulgaria
Encyclopedia
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
is a country with a historical and cultural heritage, and attractive natural landscapes, one of the most visited tourist destinations in Southeast Europe
Southeast Europe
Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe is a relatively recent political designation for the states of the Balkans. Writers such as Maria Todorova and Vesna Goldsworthy have suggested the use of the term Southeastern Europe to replace the word Balkans for the region, to minimize potential...
. Tourism, as an industry, has been an important source of economic growth. In 2008 Bulgaria was visited by 8.9 million tourists, measured as outlined by the World Tourism Organization. Tourists from three countries - Greece, Romania and Germany - account for 40% of visitors. The country has historical cities and towns, summer beaches, and mountain ski resorts. New types of tourism, including cultural, architectural and historic tours, eco-tourism, and adventure tours, are expanding the range of visitor experiences.
Hiking and skiing
Winter tourist centres, such as Borovetz, BanskoBansko
Bansko is a town and a popular ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains at an elevation of 925 m above sea level....
, Pamporovo
Pamporovo
Pamporovo is a popular ski resort in Smolyan Province, southern Bulgaria, one of the best-known in Southeastern Europe. It is set amongst magnificent pine forests and is primarily visited during the winter for skiing and snowboarding. It is also a popular tourist place in summer. The hub of...
and Vitosha
Vitosha
Vitosha is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the tourists symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Convenient bus lines and rope ways render the mountain easily accessible. Vitosha has the outlines of an enormous...
are picturesque and popular ski resorts.
Sea resorts
The Bulgarian summer resorts along the Black Sea coast, include destinations, such as the summer resorts: SozopolSozopol
Sozopol is an ancient seaside town located 35 km south of Burgas on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Today it is one of the major seaside resorts in the country, known for the Apollonia art and film festival that is named after one of the town's ancient names.The busiest times of the year...
, Nessebur, Golden Sands
Golden Sands
Golden Sands is a major seaside resort town on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, adjacent to a national park of the same name in the municipality of Varna....
, Sunny Beach
Sunny Beach
Sunny Beach is a major seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, located approximately 35 km north of Burgas in Nessebar municipality, Burgas Province. It is the biggest and most popular holiday resort in Bulgaria, and is home to over 800 hotels with more than 300 000 beds. There are...
, Sveti Vlas
Sveti Vlas
Sveti Vlas is a town and seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, located in Nesebar municipality, Burgas Province. As of July 2007, it has a population of 3,869....
, Albena
Albena
Albena is a major Black Sea resort in northeastern Bulgaria, situated 12 km from Balchik and 30 km from Varna. Albena is served by the international airport of Varna....
and Saints Constantine and Helena. Some guests, such as the Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
ns or Scandinavians
Scandinavians
Scandinavians are a group of Germanic peoples, inhabiting Scandinavia and to a lesser extent countries associated with Scandinavia, and speaking Scandinavian languages. The group includes Danes, Norwegians and Swedes, and additionally the descendants of Scandinavian settlers such as the Icelandic...
favour the summer beach resorts, while winter tourism, and the ski resorts, are the favorites of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Night life
Bulgaria is popular with its night and disco clubs attracting tourist in the sea resorts and also in the capital SofiaSofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
(to which Vitosha mountain is near).
Ethno, cultural and historical tourism
Tourist activities, such as "ethno-tourism" and "architectural-cultural" tourism, are gaining ground, catering to specialized tastes. These are new types of tours, which involve interaction with and living amongst the local people, in mountain villages.For the more adventurous, active recreation, involving mountain hiking and bike tourism, provides a close connection with nature. Climbers scale the granite mountains of Rila
Rila
Rila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m...
, Pirin
Pirin
The Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren the highest peak, situated at . The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide. Most of the range is protected in the Pirin National Park...
and the Balkan. Hikers
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
enjoy the mountains of Vitosha
Vitosha
Vitosha is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the tourists symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Convenient bus lines and rope ways render the mountain easily accessible. Vitosha has the outlines of an enormous...
and the Rhodopes. Mountain biking, and bicycle racing are also recreations, and Bulgaria is one of only six countries to annually host the official 1,200 km Randonnees - ultra-marathon bicycle rides patterned after Paris–Brest–Paris.
Situated at the crossroads of the East and West, Bulgaria has been home to many civilizations - Thracians
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
, Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, Slavs, Proto-Bulgarians, and Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Bulgaria is rich in historical artifacts, but museus to keep them is up to be built (central historical and art museum is now being developed in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
), many of the museums and monasteries still need to be properly advertised and maintained, and some of the most interesting heritage sites may not be easily accessible, due to poor infrastructure. Yet, some visitors regard such "underdevelopment" as desirable - those who prefer to experience history first-hand rather than look at artefacts behind glass.
Top 10 International Visitors in Bulgaria
Data Source| Rank | country | 2010 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kingdom of Romania |
917,950 |
| 2 |  Greece |
905,083 |
| 3 |  Germany |
713,980 |
| 4 |  Russia |
378,382 |
| 5 | 309,906 | |
| 6 |  United Kingdom |
289,156 |
| 7 |  Poland |
253,962 |
| 8 |  Serbia |
205,796 |
| 9 | 204,103 | |
| 10 |  Czech Republic |
166,395 |
Destinations
- Summer Resorts
- AlbenaAlbenaAlbena is a major Black Sea resort in northeastern Bulgaria, situated 12 km from Balchik and 30 km from Varna. Albena is served by the international airport of Varna....
, AhtopolAhtopolAhtopol is a town and seaside resort on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is located on a headland in the southeastern part of Burgas Province and is close to the border with European Turkey...
, BalchikBalchikBalchik is a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort in the Southern Dobruja area of northeastern Bulgaria. It is located in Dobrich Oblast and is 42 km northeast of Varna...
, DyuniDyuniDyuni is a holiday town and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, 40 km south of the Bulgarian city of Burgas and 7 km from Sozopol...
, Elenite, Golden SandsGolden SandsGolden Sands is a major seaside resort town on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, adjacent to a national park of the same name in the municipality of Varna....
, KitenKiten, BulgariaKiten is a seaside resort town on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, part of Burgas Province. It is situated on the small Urdoviza peninsula, near the mouth of the Kiten River, and has two beaches: Atliman and Urdoviza....
, LozenetsLozenetsLozenets may refer to:* Lozenets, Burgas Province, a village in Bulgaria* Lozenets, Dobrich Province, a village in Bulgaria* Lozenets, Yambol Province, a village in Bulgaria* Lozenets, Sofia, a municipality of Sofia, Bulgaria...
, Nessebar, ObzorObzorObzor is a small town and seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. It is part of Nesebar municipality, Burgas Province.The Thracian and ancient Greek name of Obzor was Naulochos, a small port on the coast of Thrace, a colony of Mesembria. The ancient Romans named it Templum Iovis ;...
, PomoriePomoriePomorie is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, located on a narrow rocky peninsula in Burgas Bay on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is situated in Burgas Province, 20 km away from the city of Burgas and 18 km from the Sunny Beach resort. The ultrasaline lagoon...
, PrimorskoPrimorskoPrimorsko is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, part of Burgas Province. A well-known resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, it is located on a gore 52 km south of Burgas and has a beach strip of about 1 km². The average temperature is 27°C in July, often reaching...
, Riviera, RusalkaRusalkaIn Slavic mythology, a rusalka was a female ghost, water nymph, succubus, or mermaid-like demon that dwelled in a waterway....
, SinemoretsSinemoretsSinemorets is a village and seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, located in the very southeast of the country close to the border with Turkey, where the river Veleka flows into the sea. Sinemorets is part of Tsarevo municipality, Burgas Province, and has a population of 216...
, SozopolSozopolSozopol is an ancient seaside town located 35 km south of Burgas on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Today it is one of the major seaside resorts in the country, known for the Apollonia art and film festival that is named after one of the town's ancient names.The busiest times of the year...
, St. Constantine, St. Vlas, Sunny BeachSunny BeachSunny Beach is a major seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, located approximately 35 km north of Burgas in Nessebar municipality, Burgas Province. It is the biggest and most popular holiday resort in Bulgaria, and is home to over 800 hotels with more than 300 000 beds. There are...
, TsarevoTsarevoTsarevo is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, an administrative centre of the homonymous Municipality of Tsarevo in Burgas Province. It lies on a cove 70 km southeast of Burgas, on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast at the eastern foot of Strandzha mountain...
- Albena
- Winter resorts
- BanskoBanskoBansko is a town and a popular ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains at an elevation of 925 m above sea level....
, ChepelareChepelareChepelare is a town and ski resort in Smolyan Province in Southern Bulgaria. It is situated in the central part of the Rhodopes, on the banks of Chepelare River. Chepelare is a popular winter resort with one of the longest ski runs in Southeastern Europe. It is located near Pamporovo, one of the...
, Borovetz, PamporovoPamporovoPamporovo is a popular ski resort in Smolyan Province, southern Bulgaria, one of the best-known in Southeastern Europe. It is set amongst magnificent pine forests and is primarily visited during the winter for skiing and snowboarding. It is also a popular tourist place in summer. The hub of...
, UzanaUzanaThis article is about the ski resort. For the Burmese monarchs, please see Uzana .The winter resort Uzana in Bulgaria is located at the foot of Ispolin peak near the Bulgarka Nature Park and the Central Balkan National Park in the Starina Planina. It consists of large meadows surrounded by...
, VitoshaVitoshaVitosha is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the tourists symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Convenient bus lines and rope ways render the mountain easily accessible. Vitosha has the outlines of an enormous...
- Bansko
- Cultural tourism
- Veliko TarnovoVeliko TarnovoVeliko Tarnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred to as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Tarnovo is located on the Yantra River and is famous as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, attracting many tourists...
, Nessebar, SozopolSozopolSozopol is an ancient seaside town located 35 km south of Burgas on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Today it is one of the major seaside resorts in the country, known for the Apollonia art and film festival that is named after one of the town's ancient names.The busiest times of the year...
, PlovdivPlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, BanskoBanskoBansko is a town and a popular ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains at an elevation of 925 m above sea level....
, Ethnographic museum Etara, KoprivshtitsaKoprivshtitsaKoprivshtitsa is a historic town in Sofia Province, central Bulgaria, lying on the Topolnitsa River among the Sredna Gora mountains. It was one of the centres of the April Uprising in 1876 and is known for its authentic Bulgarian architecture and for its folk music festivals, making it a very...
- Veliko Tarnovo
- Rural tourism
- ElenaElena-Fictional characters:* Elena Fisher, a character in the Uncharted series* Elena Gilbert, from The Vampire Diaries* Elena of Turks, from Final Fantasy VII* Elena , from Street Fighter III...
, Arbanasi, RibaritsaRibaritsaRibaritsa is the name of two Bulgarian villages:* Ribaritsa, Lovech Province* Ribaritsa, Sofia Province...
, BozhentsiBozhentsiBozhentsi , officially but not commonly Bozhentsite , is a village and architectural reserve in Gabrovo municipality, Gabrovo Province, in central northern Bulgaria. The village lies in the middle part of the Balkan Mountains, 15 km east of Gabrovo and just north of the Shipka Pass...
, Kumani, Ethnographic museum Etara, Shiroka LakaShiroka LakaShiroka Laka is a village in the very south of Bulgaria, located in Smolyan municipality, Smolyan Province. It is a proclaimed architectural and folklore reserve and lies in the central Rhodope Mountains, 23 northwest of Smolyan, 16 km from Pamporovo and 22 southeast of Devin.The dominant and...
, TryavnaTryavnaTryavna is a town in central Bulgaria, situated in the north slopes of the Balkan range, on the Tryavna river valley, near Gabrovo. It is famous for its textile industry and typical National Revival architecture, featuring 140 cultural monuments, museums and expositions...
, ZheravnaZheravnaZheravna is a village in central eastern Bulgaria, part of Kotel municipality, Sliven Province. The village, set in a small valley at the southern foot of the eastern Balkan Mountains, is an architectural reserve of national importance consisting of more than 200 wooden houses from the Bulgarian...
, OrehovoOrehovoOrehovo is a settlement in the Sevnica municipality in central Slovenia. It lies on the left bank of the river Sava to the northwest of Sevnica. The area was traditionally part of Lower Styria. The municipality is now included in the Lower Sava statistical region.-External links:*...
, MadzharovoMadzharovoMadzharovo is a small Bulgarian town in the Eastern Rhodopes, part of Haskovo Province, situated on the banks of the river Arda. It has a population of only 590, as of December 2009, making it one of the smallest in the country...
, DragoynovoDragoynovoDragoynovo is a village in central southern Bulgaria, in the Parvomay municipality of Plovdiv Province.- Geography :The region of Dragoyna is located where the Maritsa valley merges with the high mountains of the Rhodopes. The Dragoyna peak has two summits - Golyama and Malka Dragoyna, with an...
- Elena
- City tourism
- PlovdivPlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, Veliko TarnovoVeliko TarnovoVeliko Tarnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred to as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Tarnovo is located on the Yantra River and is famous as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, attracting many tourists...
, SofiaSofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, VarnaVarnaVarna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, BurgasBurgas-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
, RousseRousseRuse is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is situated in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, from the capital Sofia and from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast...
, PlevenPlevenPleven is the seventh most populous city in Bulgaria. Located in the northern part of the country, it is the administrative centre of Pleven Province, as well as of the subordinate Pleven municipality...
, VidinVidinVidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
, LovechLovechLovech is a town in north-central Bulgaria with a population of 36,296 as of February 2011. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The town is located about 150 km northeast from the capital city of Sofia...
- Plovdiv
- Hiking
- Balkan Mountains, PirinPirinThe Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren the highest peak, situated at . The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide. Most of the range is protected in the Pirin National Park...
Mountains, RilaRilaRila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m...
Mountains, Rhodopi Mountains, StrandzhaStrandzhaStrandzha is a mountain massif in southeastern Bulgaria and the European part of Turkey, in the southeastern part of the Balkans between the plains of Thrace to the west, the lowlands near Burgas to the north and the Black Sea to the east. Its highest peak is Mahya Dağı in Turkey, while the...
Mountains, SakarSakarSakar is a mountain in southeastern Bulgaria, between the rivers Maritsa, Tundzha, Sokolitsa and Sazliyka and close to the borders with Greece and Turkey. The mountain's highest peak is Vishegrad at 856 m....
Mountains, VitoshaVitoshaVitosha is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the tourists symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Convenient bus lines and rope ways render the mountain easily accessible. Vitosha has the outlines of an enormous...
Mountains
- Balkan Mountains, Pirin
- Paragliding
- Central Balkan Mountains
- Monasteries
- Rila MonasteryRila MonasteryThe Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, better known as the Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River at an elevation of above sea level...
, Bachkovo MonasteryBachkovo MonasteryThe Bachkovo Monastery , archaically the Petritsoni Monastery or Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bulgaria is an important monument of Christian architecture and one of the largest and oldest Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Europe...
, Rozhen MonasteryRozhen MonasteryThe Rozhen Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God is the biggest monastery in the Pirin Mountains in southwestern Bulgaria. It is one of the few medieval Bulgarian monasteries well preserved until today....
, Drianovo Monastery, Sokolsky Monastery, Troyan MonasteryTroyan MonasteryThe Monastery of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God or, as it is more commonly called, the Troyan Monastery is the third largest monastery in Bulgaria...
, The Assumption Monastery in Kardzhali town, Pomorie Monastery
- Rila Monastery
- Most picturesque Bulgarian villages (according to National Geographic, January 2005)
- OrehovoOrehovoOrehovo is a settlement in the Sevnica municipality in central Slovenia. It lies on the left bank of the river Sava to the northwest of Sevnica. The area was traditionally part of Lower Styria. The municipality is now included in the Lower Sava statistical region.-External links:*...
, NarechenNarechenNarechen is a village in the Plovdiv Province, central Bulgaria. it has 924 inhabitants. It is set amid pine forest on the Assenitsa river in the Rhodopean mountain. The village is notable for its hypothermal mineral springs which have transformed it into an important spa resort.Narechen Glacier...
, DragoynovoDragoynovoDragoynovo is a village in central southern Bulgaria, in the Parvomay municipality of Plovdiv Province.- Geography :The region of Dragoyna is located where the Maritsa valley merges with the high mountains of the Rhodopes. The Dragoyna peak has two summits - Golyama and Malka Dragoyna, with an...
- Orehovo