Bourgas in Summer: the Industrial City with a Feel of a Seaside Resort

The coastal city of Bourgas, fourth largest in Bulgaria, is often overshadowed by its busier northern neighbor Varna. However, it has a lot to offer and would come as highly recommended to those who are looking for alternatives to the conventional tourist routes.
Despite being the country’s largest port and an important industrial centre that houses the largest oil refinery in the Balkans, Bourgas manages to keep the looks of a seaside resort and, according to some locals, is currently experiencing a revival.
The Coast is the Place to Be
The coast of Bourgas, just like that of Varna, is lined by the long Maritime Park full of outdoor cafes, ice-cream and snack vendors, sculptures, fountains, amusement rides, all under the refreshing shade of trees. A summer concert hall and the culture centre Sea Casino are both here too. The latter one this summer (2012) is hosting an impressive exhibition of the biggest Thracian treasures – the silver one from Rogozen and the gold one from Valchitran. The terrace next to the culture centre is equipped with a few sets of binoculars – for those who like to focus even more than the naked eye allows onto the picturesque views of the sea.
Sandwiched between the Maritime Park and the beach, there is a busy path shared by pedestrians and cyclists. On both sides of it there is no shortage of food and drink options. The beach sands and the sea can be seen on one side of the path and fragrant fig trees smelled on the other.
To the left from the Sea Casino culture centre, when you are facing the sea, is the Bourgas Pier, although some of the locals insist on calling it bridge. The pier offers a walk far into the sea without getting your feet wet and also serves as a base for fishermen and as an illegal diving spot for local teenagers.
The Bourgas beach is broad and clean and has more infrastructure as you go to the North, including stalls offering water sports equipment for rent. According to some locals, all the parasols and sun beds on the beach are free for everyone to use – but that does not stop a few smart ‘beach attendants’ to collect a few levs’ ‘fee’ from the unaware visitors. The water of the Black Sea is not particularly salty but if you want to rinse it off after a swim there are some fresh water showers available along the beach – again, the likelihood of a properly functioning shower increases as you go towards the North. The beach is staffed with guards and it pays to listen to their commands as the waves can get pretty rough on windy days.
About a kilometre away from the Northern end of the city beach there is a salt refinery plant. Right behind it there is a place loved by the health-conscious locals and little known by foreigners: two salt water pools, one of them of a bright orange colour and thermal, and a mud bath. Although both salt pools are quite shallow, in the non-thermal one because of its high salinity it is possible to float on the water surface, just like in the Dead Sea.
During the summer the Maritime Park and the beach are full of life for obvious reasons. Not only during the day: on a weekend night the coast offers entertainment for various tastes, be it a trendy electronic music beach bar, a crowded chalga discotheque or a restaurant.
Some Charms Away from the Beach
Bourgas city centre is of tourist interest too. The two pedestrian streets are called Aleksandrovska and Aleko Bogoridi. The first one leads through Troykata Square with a fountain and a monument for the Soviet Army (represented by one soldier with his left arm raised for a salutation) all the way to the city’s bus and train stations. The latter one crosses the Aleksandrovska and leads to the beach. Both streets are full of shops and cafes, and their houses are freshly painted. The city’s Cathedral of St. Cyril and Methodius is currently in the middle of a construction site but is still possible to access through a nearby restaurant – during the restaurant’s opening hours.
Close to the Central Railway Station is the Armenian church of the Holy Cross – one of the oldest churches in Bourgas. The city has a significant Armenian community (among the most numerous in Bulgaria), and the evidence of its existence can be seen also as the nearby Armenian restaurant.
Finally, there are the famous Bourgas Lakes, the biggest concentration of lakes in Bulgaria and the home to around two thirds of the country’s bird population. What are collectively called lakes, are actually a collection of salt and fresh water lakes plus wetlands. The territory is officially a nature reserve and is well-known among the bird watchers.
On the way to the Atanasovsko Lake, the Ezero Park is the home to the annual Bourgas Sand Sculptures Festival, normally taking place during July and August. Giant sand structures are built by international artists in accordance with that year’s theme (e.g. cinema characters in 2011).
Take a Side Trip to Sozopol
Some visitors use Bourgas as a base for side trips to the neighbour historical towns Sozopol and Nessebar, both just over 30 kilometres away from Bourgas, to the South and to the North respectively. While Nessebar is the more popular one – and also loved by tour buses from the Sunny Beach and beyond, Sozopol is one of the oldest town on the Bulgarian coast, founded by Greek colonists in 7th century BC, and not less impressive. Recently, some news about ‘vampire’ graves discovered in Sozopol have attracted extra attention which means the town may no longer remain the quieter one of the two.
Sozopol’s historic neighbourhood is situated on a small walled peninsula and includes some traditional Bulgarian buildings from the National Revival era. There is a cosy atmosphere in the peninsula’s narrow hilly streets, reminding of that in small Mediterranean towns. The streets are cobbled, the houses neat and decorated with flowers; waiters in crispy white shirts are smilingly welcoming passers-by to their restaurants (not yet very typical in Bulgaria) and the town’s older people selling green fig jam (that seems to be a local delicacy), honey, handmade souvenirs from the street stalls next to their houses. If you only want to see the old town of Sozopol, a short few hours’ visit should be enough, but it is possible to stay longer as the modern day Sozopol has also got a new town and can offer activities like scuba diving.

Text: tmbulgaria.com