Information about Bulgaria
About
Bulgaria
Located in South
Eastern Europe ,
Bulgaria is bordered by
Greece and
Turkey to the South,
Romania to the North and
Macedonia and
Serbia to the West. Its Eastern Border is formed by the beautiful
Black Sea
Coast . Apart from its being situated on crossroads,
Bulgaria is also known for its picturesque nature. In spite of its relatively small territory (110 912 km2), the country has a varied landscape where the scenery changes from vast plains, to hilly areas and high mountains.
From its spectacular mountain ranges, its fabulous scenic golf courses, to the long white sandy coastline of the
Black Sea coast,
Bulgaria has enough natural beauty to captivate anyone from the moment they arrive on their first visit. The country also offers a wealth of Balkan culture and history, wonderfully decorated churches, tranquil mountain monasteries, and perfectly preserved rural villages. If anyone arrives with the thought of 'Eastern Block Communism', this is quickly dispelled.
Despite all of the country's recent publicity and investment interest the cost of living remains incredibly low and makes it easy to take full advantage of all that the country has to offer. Traditional restaurant food such chicken kavarma costs no more than £5, a bottle of Todoroff cabernet sauvignon rarely exceeds £4 and locally produced Zagorka beer can be bought for 50p per pint.
Taxi fares and public transport costs make the
UK look extortionate with a 40 minute taxi ride in the centre of
Sofia recently costing £3 and the 160km train journey from
Sofia to Bansko costing £3.60. Buses are the most frequently used form of transport over long distances with the return fare from
Sunny
Beach to
Sofia costing just over £16. Hire cars can be rented from £28 per day.
The Black Sea Coast has over 380 kilometres of beaches along the eastern coast of
Bulgaria from
Romania down to
Greece which are amongst some of
Europe 's cleanest and safest. Many of them gently shelve into the sea and have been awarded the prestigious 'Blue Flag' status. The region enjoys average summer temperatures of between 25-30 degrees and in excess of 1700 hours of sunshine throughout the summer season which extends from April through to October. Access to the region is rapidly becoming easier and more frequent through the main airports of
Varna and Bourgas with further gateways planned near to Balchik in the north and to Sozopol in the south.
Sunny-Beach is located 42km north of Bourgas on a wide semi-circular bay and is named after the 8 km
long beach strip which dominates the area. The beach is between 30-60m wide and consists of fine golden sand and natural dunes. Considered by many to be the new
Marbella , the resort has transformed itself from a communist seaside destination of the 1950's to one of the fastest growing tourist resorts in
Europe . In recent years many restaurants, bars, clubs, casinos and waterparks have sprung up to compliment the new apartment complexes and hotels which cater for the ever increasing number of tourists that visit the resort.
Satellite resorts have developed at each end of Sunny-Beach to cater for those that are happy to be close by but not in the middle of such a bustling area. St Vlas to the north is a purpose built resort with its own marina that is due to be completed later this year and Ravda to the south offers beautiful beaches and intimate coves. Set on a peninsular between Sunny-Beach and Ravda is the UNESCO protected cultural town of
Nessebar . With its own spectacular beach, distinctive 16th to 19th century architecture, many churches and narrow cobbled streets Nessebar is on every visitors must see list.
Bansko is located 160km south of
Sofia in south-western
Bulgaria at the foothills of the
Pirin
Mountain which peaks at 2746m above sea level. Considered by many to be Bulgaria's number one ski resort, it has recently received a multi-million euro investment to enable it to have the most modern ski facilities in the country and is a well-established destination for winter sport enthusiasts from all around the world. Bansko also has the best snow record and longest ski season which officially lasts from mid December through to the end of April but in reality lasts for longer.
The old town of Bansko at 925m above sea level and beautifully encircled by the Pirin, Rila and Rhodope ranges has not been disturbed by the construction of the new hotels and complexes which are under development to the south and west. Dominated by The Sveta Toitsa (Holy Trinity) Church built in 1835, the town still has a local population which provide the charm and atmosphere of 'old
Bulgaria '. Almost every house has its own tavern (called a "Mehana"), which offers typical Bulgarian cuisine and good selection of Bulgarian wines as well as traditional live music and folklore programs.
6km north of Bansko, Razlog is fast developing into a resort in its own right. A championship golf course designed under the signature of Ian Woosnam and due for completion in Spring 2007 has provided the focus for the development of a new area at the base of the Pirin mountains. Golfers of this, and another planned golf course to be situated in the direction of the ski lift will enjoy spectacular views all year round. Interest in the area is at an all time high as the golf combined with the skiing offers true all year round rental income together with high capital growth.
Balchik is located on the coast, 31 km north of
Varna . Originally inhabited in the 5th century BC it was subject to a series of invasions during the
Roman Empire eventually falling under the Bulgarian rule of the Boyar Balik from where the name 'Balchik' is derived. After the Balkan War in 1913 the area was included in the territories of
Romania and struck by the natural beauty of the place Queen Maria built a magnificent palace and botanical garden for the Romanian aristocrats. Returning to Bulgarian rule in 1940, Balchik has since become a beautiful fishing town with a large harbour area.
Some 8km away from Balchik there are a total of three championship golf courses either already under construction or due for construction. Two Gary Player designed courses and an Ian Woosnam signature course are set to vastly increase interest, investment and tourism to this part of
Bulgaria . Two of the courses are set on a hillside with spectacular views over the
Black Sea and the third is a beachside course which will provide challenging links golf.
