About Bulgaria Official name Narodna Republika Balgaria Capital Sofia Area 110.910 sq km Biggest towm Sofia, 1.192.000 inhabitants Population 7.900.000 Language Bulgarian Currency Bulgarian Leva Religions 85% Christian-orthodox Form of government Democratic Situated in south eastern Europe Bulgaria takes up the north eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. In the north one can find the “Donausletten” with fertile soils, and here wheat and maize are grown. In the southern part of the plain, the Balkan Mountains are situated; a ridge covered by woods where corn and potatoes are grown as well as sheep and cattle are bred. Here one can also find the most important occurrence of iron, zinc and copper. South of the Balkan Mountains there is an area with plains in which the river of Maritza flows. Here they grow tobacco, cotton, rice and flowers. The Rhodopi Mountains in the south are in an area for cattle breading.  The neighbouring countries are: Macedonia and Serbia Montenegro in the west, Rumania in the north, and Greece and Turkey in the south. The three large mountain ranges, which run through the country (Stara Planina – The Balkan Mountains, Pirin and The Rhodopi Mountains), offers good facilities for skiing in the wintertime. The Bulgarian border is 2245 kilometres wide, an area of 1181 kilometres of the border is land frontier, 686 kilometres is river frontier, and the last 378 kilometres borders to the sea.

Sunny Beach

Nessebar

Bansko Ski Resort

Sunny Beach           

Sunny Beach is the largest resort in Bulgaria. It has the longest beach in all of Bulgaria, and a countless number of hotels are spread along the shores and the dunes. The Sunny Beach resort is approximately 35 kilometres north of Bourgas, and the resort also contains a beautiful bay shaped as a semicircle. South of Sunny Beach one can find the historical peninsula Nessebar. This peninsula has beautiful architecture and an exciting history, and furthermore it enters into the cultural heritage of both Bulgaria as well as the world. One can easily come to Sunny Beach by bus but also by ferries from Bourgas and Varna, which is about 95 kilometres from Sunny Beach.

The bathing conditions at Sunny Beach are at their peak. In the summerime the water is warm and the nice sandy bottom has a gentle fall, which makes it very child-friendly. As many Bulgarian beaches in general, Sunny Beach has been awarded the EEC Blue Flag Award. In this exact area 1700 hours of sunshine is yearly registered in the period from May to October. The average temperature of the air is approximately 27 degrees in the summertime.

Sunny Beach has more than 100 hotels, two camping sites and more than 130 restaurants and amusement premises. This includes various restaurants, tap rooms with folk dancing, bars with dance shows, night-clubs, casinos, discotheques and cafés, which all give the area an entertaining and cheerful atmosphere. There are also several shopping centres and various bazaars with local applied art.

At Sunny Beach there is a wide range of sporting activities. This includes: Surfing, water-skiing, parachute jumping, hanggliding, banana rides, boat trips, pedal boats, water-scooters, rowing boats, tennis, beach volleyball, playgrounds, grazy golf, bowling, rides, fitness centres and sport tournaments for amateurs and professionals. The area is very child-friendly because of the many games, playgrounds, children’s swimming pools, roller coasters, bouncy castles and sport schools.

Sunny Beach offers various cultural events such as: The international Golden Orpheus festival for Bulgarian pop singers, folk music and symphony concerts and the Miss Sunny Beach competition. Smaller trips which go both into the country as well as abroad are often arranged.

The popularity and the significance of the resort have grown steadily in the last couple of years – especially among foreign visitors. In the last couple of years there has been invested close to 500 million Euros in Sunny Beach. Luxurious apartments and hotels have been built. As a result of this, Sunny Beach is now one of the most visited areas in Bulgaria. The combination of the warm bathing water, the nice sandy beaches, the sunny weather and the manageable prices give Sunny Beach a fine prospect for the future.

Balchik

The town Balchik is situated on the coast of the Black Sea about 36 kilometres north east of Varna. Balchik lies partly along the beach and also partly by Dobroudzha and the plateau of Frangen. The area of Balchik is expected to become one of the most popular golf areas in Bulgaria. At this point in time there is one golf course but two more are on the way. One of them is designed by Gary Player “The Black Knight”, who is the world’s most travelled athlete, a Grand Slam winner and a designer of more than 200 golf courses world-wide.

Balchik is more than 2600 years old. Throughout the town’s history it has been known under several names: The prehistoric Greek colony Krouni, the Greek and Byzantine fortress Dionyssopolis, the Bulgarian Middle Age town Karvouna and the Ottoman and Bulgarian town Balchik.

Now a day Balchik is a small and very romantic town lying by the coast. Because of its white rocks and beautiful landscaping, Balchik is a preferred place for relaxation for scientists and people with interests in art and culture. There are visitors from all over the world. The town has narrow romantic streets.

The beach is about 30 kilometres long, which is very important for the town seeing that it wishes to preserve the development of the area in regards to tourism and recreation. The area is very rich on mineral springs and underground water-reservoirs. These are the main sources to the modern water supply system, which holds a capacity of approximately 1000 litres in the second. Furthermore there is a harbour for the use of medium sized passenger and trade ships.

One of the most interesting places in the town is the Palace “Peaceful nest” – a modest building built on three terraces, combined with elements from the style of Moor, the architecture of the Middle Age and a typical Bulgarian house. The place was built by the Italian architects Amerigo and Agustino in the period 1920 to 1936. It functioned as summer residence for the Rumanian queen in the period when Rumania occupied the southern Dobroudzha. The place is mainly known for its botanical garden, which is the largest and the most various in Balkan. Flowers and trees from the islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Pacific Ocean, the Black Sea, the southern Asia and America greet the visitors. The garden has more than 3000 species, placed between waterfalls, brooks and beautiful canals.

The area Touzlata is situated about four kilometres east from the town and it is well known for its curative mud. The area receives patients, who suffer from bone diseases. There has been built a big recreation centre, villas, bungalows and a camping site in the area. In the area there is a hotspring with a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius.

Sozopol

Sozopol is one of the most enchanting historical seaside towns in Bulgaria. According to the legend the town was founded by Greek colonists in the year 610 BC under the name of Apollonia. Throughout many years it was an independent Greek state town. However, when the Romans gained control over it, the town declined, and with the ottoman’s invasion in the fourteenth century the town’s great period was finally over. In the fourth century the town had changed its name into Sozopol, which means the town where one can find refuge in. It was probably because of the town’s harbour.

Today Sozopol has – just as Nessebar north of Burgas – an old and a new part of the town. The old part of the town lies on a small peninsula with a promenade all the way around. Here one can find many lovely restaurants with ocean view and cosy eating places in the patios. Artists, craftsmen and photographers love the town’s narrow paved streets, the historical churches, the weather-beaten eaves and the house’s old wooden fronts.

The new part of the town starts and ends more or less where the peninsula becomes mainland. The contrast between the two parts of the town is a good starting point for a comparison between the old and the new Bulgaria. In the new part of town small hotels have been built. Here there are lots of shopping possibilities, markets, cafés, etc. The two beaches, which the town holds, lie in the new part of town.

Bansko

Bansko is situated by the Pirin National Park, which is listed in the World Register of Natural Heritage. The area has a relatively short but warm summer and a long mild winter with a large amount of snow, usually up to two metres. The city of Sofia is only about 150 kilometres away, and here lies the international airport. In wintertime the roads surrounding the area are kept free from snow. Bansko is applying to be the host of the Winter Olympics in 2014. It is expected that Bansko not only will become Bulgarian’s most attractive skiing area but also the most attractive skiing area in Eastern Europe. The total range for skiing is 55 kilometres and plans for an enlargement to 75 kilometres in 2007 have been made. The conditions for skiing are perfect. One can find both pistes for beginners and also for experienced skiers. Bansko is also worth a visit in the summertime where one has impressive views of lakes, waterfalls, caves and historical sights. This makes the area interesting to everybody.

Golden Sands

The largest resort on the northern coast of the Black Sea is called Golden Sands. The place is situated about 17 kilometres from the city Varna. It is a wonderful resort with beautiful woods covered hills, a golden white sandy beach and a clear blue sea. There are many historical mineral springs. The beach is about 3,5 kilometres long and a few places it is about a 100 metres wide. In the summertime the average temperature of the air is 27 to 30 degrees Celsius and the sea’s temperature is 25 to 28 degrees Celsius. Golden Sands is for everybody; both people who love the sun and the beach but also for people who are interested in sight seeing. Because the place is so close to Varna, which is the third largest city of Bulgaria, there are many interesting places to experience.

The nature surrounding the resort is full of bushes and trees, which make the area seem like a park. Golden Sands is a so-called “jewel” in the Black Sea by Bulgaria’s coast, because it holds mineral water. The water runs through and out of water pipes several places on the beach and in the lovely green wood, which borders to the plateau of Frangen.

There are several opportunities when it comes to different water sports in the area. The capacity of the yacht harbour is for more than 100 boats. Qualified practice courses in tennis, go-cart, diving and navigation can be arranged for both children and adults. Those who like sports can participate in beach volleyball, street ball, tennis, table tennis and regatta.

At Golden Sands one can also find: a casino, many bars, crazy golf courses, carriages and carts, water chutes and fine facilities with equipment for water sport’s activities. A number of famous events take place at Golden Sands: A competition of winning the title “Strongest man”, The Miss and Mister “Golden Sand’s” competition, The “satellite” tennis tournament, a rally race, the international festival for standard- and sport dance and etc.

Golden Sands has a number of first class restaurants, tap rooms and bars, snack bars and cafeterias spread all over the area and along the beach, where anyone can find meals to favourable prices. There are meals prepared in traditional stile, European stile and in exotic stile. North of Golden Sands lies the town Kranevo and south of Golden Sands is the holiday village Chaika. Golden Sands is situated in connection with St. Constantine and St. Elana and also the Riviera resorts. The area is known to have some of the finest sand of the coast of the Black Sea.