Bourgas Holidays

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The fourth largest city in Bulgaria and largest port on the Black Sea, Bourgas is a lively, compact city, its pedestrianised boulevards and outdoor cafes giving it a distinctly untouched Mediterranean ambience.

It is a great base to explore the nearby resorts, and for bird-watching at the peaceful lakes. Bourgas also boasts a long beach, with Marine Park alongside it, being a popular strolling area. Its trendy shoe shops, hip fashion stores and brand new arcades prove the economic development of the region, and restaurants and bars means that Bourgas is popular year-round.

The season kicks in around early June, from when the city fills up and hotels are full, and winds down by late September. Although not renowned as a beach destination, Bourgas is exceptionally popular as a seaside city, with plenty of attractions and entertainment. The port of Bourgas is the biggest sea port in the country.

Many people use Bourgas as a base to explore the gleaming resorts, like Sunny Beach, 30km (19 miles) north and quaint Sozopol, 34km (21 miles) south, and UNESCO-protected historical town Nesebar, 20km (12 miles) north.

Weather

Bourgas experiences a temperate climate, with mild weather year-round. The average daily temperature in the winter months of November to April is 4.5�C (40�F)and in the summer months of May to October it is around 26�C (78�F), which is also the busiest and best time to visit. August is the hottest, and also most humid, month of the year with highs of 30�C (86�F).

Attractions

What attracts people to Bourgas is undoubtedly the clear blue sea. The city is a starting point for visiting the seaside resorts in the area - the Slantchev Bryag resort (Sunny Beach) and the Elenite Holiday Village to the North and the Duni Holiday Village, renowed for it's unique architectural composition, to the south.

The Sea Garden Park in Bourgas is a lovely place where tourists can sit and relax amongst the beautiful nature of Bourgas. It is situated on a high shore, flecked with colourful flower beds, trees and sculptures. A casino, a small zoo and the open-air theatre are also within the park. The park which is also called Promorski Park is always popular with families. Kids will love the merry-go-round, bouncy castle and helter-skelter.

Bourgas is a well-known festival centre in Bulgaria every summer the Seaside Park�s open-air theatre houses the Bulgarian Popular Song Festival entitled Bourgas and the Sea, acknowledged as an event at which musical hits are inevitably �born� every time. The open-air theatre also hosts the ever intriguing Annual Summer International Folklore Festival, the Beer Fest, the Bulgarian Rock Music Festival Rock-Explosion, a Blues festival and the wonderfully named On the Beach Theatre Festival!

Bourgas along with Sofia is one of the few places that has kept it's Bulgarian musical identity in a post-communist era. Concert gigs are particularly active over the summer season, when the sea becomes the main drawing point for culture and the Bulgarian bohemia.

One of Bourgas's main draws is it's Central Beach which is in front of the beautifully quirky Sea Garden Park. The beach is a low-key place for swimming and strolling. Where everyone hangs out during the long summer months. The strong winds make good conditions for windsurfing, although there are few places to rent equipment. Kite-surfing is possible on the less crowded northern end of the beach.

Map

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Weather

January 5°C
February 7°C
March 11°C
April 16°C
May 21°C
June 25°C
July 28°C
August 27°C
September 24°C
October 19°C
November 13°C
December 8°C

Info

About Bourgas

Visas: No visa is required for British, Other EU, American, Australian or Canadian visitors, for a stay of up to 90 days. Other nationals should refer to embassy information. British Citizen's must show a passport which is valid for three months beyond length of stay, hold a return or onward ticket and have sufficient funds for their stay. Visitors must carry their passport at all times as you need to be able to show some sort of ID if required.
Timezone: GMT + 2
Language: Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census). Most tourist areas should have a good understanding of English.
Jabs: Always check with your GP or travel nurse in plenty of time before departure as the situation can change, but it is recommended that you will need up-to-date Tetanus, Diphtheria, Hepatitis A. Sometimes Rabies and Typhoid are required depending on the season and region visited. Vaccinations against Hepatitis B and Tuberculosis are sometimes advised. In an emergency situation, all state hospitals should accept EHIC cards for emergency treatment and this will reduce some of your expenses, but you are still advised to take out full medical insurance.
Electricity: Bulgaria uses type C and F electrical plugs with a voltage of 220V at 50Hz.
Currency: The Bulgarian national monetary unit is the Lev (BGL), divided into 100 stotinki.

Nightlife

During the high season the city steps up a few gears and the streets are lively with a Mediterranean feel. Much is based around promenading, especially along Ulitsa Bogoridi, which links the huge ulitsa Aleksandrovska towards the Sea Gardens.

Most bars and clubs are clustered around the junction of these two streets. Barcardi Bar is recommended (51 Alexandrovska Str) for it's late night live music policy, not just because it sells Barcardi!

Eating out

Like the busiest nightlife venues, most places for eating out are focused around the southern end of ulitsa Aleksandrovska and ulitsa Bogoridi. Most places have a decent selection of traditional Bulgarian dishes, typically a hearty salad to start, grilled pork or lamb, or the traditional kavarma (pork casserole).

Along the beach are decent bar restaurants serving seafood and pizzas like Bistro Tropicana (southern end of beach). Where the cosmopolitan people of Bourgas gather to watch the sunset.

Culture

The small old town of Bourgas with its pedestrianised streets makes it easy to explore, with a few pleasant museums and galleries dotted around. Petko Zadgorski Art Gallery (ulitsa Metropolit Simeon 24), housed in the old synagogue, has three floors of paintings including 17th-century religious icons and Bulgarian contemporary artists.

Its exhibition has been arranged in a former Jewish synagogue, now listed as a cultural monument. The frescos inside the gloomily-lit Sveti Sveti Cyril and Methodius (ulitsa Vuzhrazhdane) are stunning. There are more than ten art galleries in Bourgas, so art lovers cannot fail to keep themselves amused.

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