● Kilometres from the port

Burgas is the fourth largest city in Bulgaria, located on the Black Sea Coast, at the eastern border of the European Union. The natural treasures of Burgas are undoubtedly one of the reasons for the city to be a preferred place of relaxation for people from around the world. Wherever you look at it, Burgas is surrounded by water – both sea and fresh. To the east is the Black Sea, to the west of the coast there are three lakes – Burgas, Atanasovsko and Mandrensko Lakes – the form the larges complex of seaside lakes in Bulgaria and are declared protected natural territories. The Burgas Bay has one of the longest beach strips with a fine golden sand, gradually deepening sea level, a calm and clean water, light and pleasant breezes. 15 km away from the city centre is another natural treasure – the Burgas Mineral Springs – one of the oldest mineral springs with water temperature of 41.5 C. To the south of Burgas is the largest Bulgarian nature park – Strandzha.

The unique archaeological findings are proof of the millennia of history in the area – ancient village mounds from the Neolith, Thracian sanctuaries and tombs, remains of roman cities, ethnographic complexes, churches and monasteries. Some of the biggest battles of the Bulgarian State against the Byzantine Empire took place in the area of Burgas. The victories of Khan Tervel (8th century) at the Anhialo Field in 708 and of Khan Kardam (rules between 777 and 802) at the Karnobat Fortress Markeli in 792 were the ones which established Bulgaria as a state. During the Ottoman rule, the city developed as an educational and spiritual centre. In 17th century, the port of Burgas became the largest one to the south of the Balkan Mountain. Burgas won its Liberation from the Ottoman rule on 6 February 1878. In the beginning of the 20th century the city goes through a period of fast growth and modernisation and quickly earns the reputation of a commercial-industrial centre, a cosmopolitan centre which is connected by air, land and sea. Burgas has an international airport, a maritime station, train station and two coach stations. A highway links the city to the capital – Sofia. There are good road connections between Burgas and all other Bulgarian coastal cities.

Top five must-see destinations:

•   Nessebar is situated 35 km. north of Burgas. The abundance of historic buildings prompted UNESCO to include Nesebar in its list of World Heritage Cities in 1983. Nessebar is a rich city-museum defined more than three millenniums of ever-changing history. Often referred as the “Pearl of the Black Sea”, Nessebar is older than Rome and Istanbul. There are 80 temples so far on this small peninsula the area of which is only 24 hectares.
•  Sozopol is an ancient seaside town located 30 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 (which takes place in early September) that is named after one of the town’s ancient names. The first settlement on the site dates back to the Bronze Age. Undersea explorations in the region of the port reveal relics of dwellings, ceramic pottery, stone and bone tools from that era. The current town was founded in the 7th century BC by Greek colonists. The symbol of the town – the anchor, present on all coins minted by Apollonia since the sixth century BC, is proof of the importance of its maritime trade. The rich town soon became an important cultural centre. The ancient icons and magnificent woodcarving iconostatises are a remarkable accomplishment of the craftsmanship of these times. The architecture of the houses in the old town from the renaissance period makes it a unique place to visit today.
•  Aqua Khalide (15 km) (Latin: Aquae Calidae, translated in hot water) is a historic town in the city of Burgas, on the lands of the quarters Vetren and Banevo. In the Middle Ages it was mentioned with names Terma and Termopol. It has been shown that the mineral baths are visited by Philip II of Macedonia, the Roman Emperor Justinian I and Constantine IV, Bulgarian Khan Tervel, and Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. A Thracian V-IV century B.C. burial site is among the most spectacular discoveries. The biggest mausoleum is believed to house the remains of a local Thracian ruler. Well-preserved remains of the thermal baths have been discovered, including four large pools. Archaeologists found a large medieval building 200 m from the baths, which was an inn from the 5th to the 13th century. On September 18, 2015 was opened the restored museum complex, which includes a bath of Suleiman the Magnificent multimedia program fountains with mineral water, open stage with glass floor over excavations.
•  Zheravna (117 km) 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 National Revival period (18th and 19th century), and a quickly developing tourist destination. Zheravna is an easy location to travel, situated 32 km from the Petolachkata junction on the road from Sofia to Burgas. The distancy to the city of Burgas is 110 km. There are many uninhabited houses in Zheravna. Much of the uninhabited houses were bought and restored, in order to attract tourists and they are categorized as guest houses. Each year, Zeravna is visited by more than 20,000 tourists. The village emerged between the 12th and 14th century and grew to become a cultural and handicraft centre in the 18th century. The times of the village Revival period is preserved in the local museums: the House of Sava Filaretov; the Home of Yordan Yovkov, the St. Nicholas Church, the Old school – now an art gallery. The architectural appearance of the village is shaped by one- or two-storey wooden houses surrounded by stone walls and cobblestone alleys.
• St. Anastasia is a Bulgarian island in the Bourgas bay in the Black Sea. It is located 6.5 km southeast of Burgas. The island is a popular tourist attraction. There are regular connections with tourist boats that leave from the “Magazia 1”, a second passenger terminal of the “Port of Burgas”. The complete restoration of the island was carried out by the Municipality of Burgas with funds under EU Operational Program “Regional Development” 2007-2013. The earliest human presence on the island is evidenced in the era of late antiquity (IV-VI century). The monastery’s church, named “Assumption” is a small, but stable stone construction, reinforced with wooden props. This oldest part of the church was later converted into an altar. Between it and the later expansion of the monastery church is located a remarkable wooden iconostasis of 1802. On the island are situated museum complex, restaurant and cafe.