Burgas is the second largest seaside city in Bulgaria, just after Varna, and the “capital” of the Southern Black Sea Coast. It is a city with its own atmosphere, interesting locations and a vibrant calendar of cultural activities. It has been the winner of the annual poll for the Best City to Live in Bulgaria by Darik Radio several times.
In this article, I will take you on a journey through the must-see things to do in Burgas and nearby, and show you the top attractions there. Most of the places, described below, can be visited almost any time a year. I’ve been several times to Burgas and the writings below are based on my personal impressions. If you’re heading to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, don’t skip over Burgas.
Apart from the sea, Burgas is washed by three lakes – Atanasovsko, Vaya (Burgas Lake) and Mandrensko Lake. One of the things you will learn below is a panoramic place from where you can observe both the sea and the three Burgas lakes.
Contents
Top things to do in Burgas
How to get to Burgas
Where to stay in Burgas
Final thoughts
Burgas quick tips
Accommodation options
- Hotel Aqua Burgas ⭐⭐⭐⭐, rating 8.6;
- Hotel Bulgaria ⭐⭐⭐⭐, rating 9.1;
- Hotel Residence Promenade ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, rating 9.5;
- Villa Promenade ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, rating 9.7.
Best Burgas Tour
Boat Trip to St. Anastasia Island.
Airport transfer
Avoid the long lines for taxis on arrival and pre-book a private transfer here.
Top things to do in Burgas
Straight to the point, here is my list of the best things to do in Burgas.
Pass over the Burgas Bridge and enjoy the sea
The Burgas Bridge is one of the emblems of Burgas and perhaps the most romantic place in the city. It extends 300 meters into the sea, providing an opportunity for pleasant walks with distant sea views and roaring waves below. It was built in 1936 and later reconstructed.
You can reach the bridge along the coastal promenade or from the Sea Garden by going down the stairs in front of the Sea Casino.
Take a walk in the Sea Garden
The Sea Garden is another symbol of Burgas. It is organized along the sea, and its length is 5 km. There you will walk along well-maintained alleys with flowers and greenery and with views of the sea. During your walk in the Sea Garden, you will also see other landmarks of Burgas. Here are some of them.
The Pantheon
The Pantheon is a massive concrete monument from the time of socialism. It was built in 1981 as a memorial to the fallen anti-fascists and for many years was among the emblematic monuments of Burgas. Before the political changes in 1989, an “eternal flame” burned in its central part.
The Pantheon is located in the center of the Sea Garden. If you enter it from the central pedestrian street “Aleko Bogoridi”, to get to it, you will have to take one of the alleys to the left (in a northerly direction).
The Fountain with colored lights
The fountain is very close to the entrance to the Sea Garden from Aleko Bogoridi Street. You will find it on Google Maps under the name “Central Fountain of Burgas”. It will enchant you with the interesting shapes of its water jets and the beautiful colored lights in the evening.
The Sea Casino building
The Sea Casino is among the iconic buildings of Burgas. It is located on the coastal promenade and offers an impressive view of the entire Burgas Bay. It was built in the period 1936 – 1938. After its grand opening on 7.08.1938, the casino became a favorite place for entertainment for Burgas residents. Nowadays, the Sea Casino building functions primarily as a cultural center.
Explore the pedestrian streets in the center
It is among the must do things in Burgas in order to feel the spirit of the city. The pedestrian zone in the center of Burgas is quite extensive. The two main pedestrian streets are “Aleko Bogoridi” and “Aleksandrovska”. In addition to the many shops and restaurants, various landmarks have been built and separated along them. Some of them are:
- The gramophone on “Aleko Bogoridi” street;
- The compass on “Aleksandrovska” street;
- The monument to Alyosha on “Troykata” square, “Aleksandrovska” street. It is also a huge concrete monument from the time of socialism. Here in Bulgaria, such monuments are no longer revered, but for foreigners they are interesting.
The compass on “Aleksandrovska” street 
Alyosha monument on “Troykata” square 
Troykata square – the Courthouse
Two churches in the city center of Burgas I recommend you to visit.
Church of St. Cyril and Methodius
The church is located on the square of the same name and is a massive three-aisled basilica. It was built in the period 1897 – 1907 according to plans by the Italian architect Riccardo Toscani.
Holy Cross Church (Surp Khach)
This is an Armenian church. It is located right next to the Bulgaria Hotel in the center of Burgas. From a plaque on the facade of the church we understand that it was erected in this form in 1853 by the Armenians in Burgas. Before that, there was an older church on the same site. In 1878, a thanksgiving prayer service was served in the church on the occasion of the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman slavery. The service was personally attended by the commander of the Russian troops in Burgas, Major General Alexander Lermontov.
A monument is erected in the courtyard of the church in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Visit exhibitions at the Regional Historical Museum
Established as a private museum in 1912, today the Regional Historical Museum in Burgas is the largest museum in Southeastern Bulgaria. It consists of 4 main expositions, each of which is located in a separate building. That is why each of them is called a museum. These are:
- Archaeological exposition with archaeological finds from the time of the Thracians, the Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast, and the Roman era. A special place is given to exhibits related to the earliest history of shipping on the Black Sea. The Archaeological Museum is located on the central pedestrian street in Burgas “Aleko Bogoridi”. If you are walking along the street, be sure to pay attention to the museum, even if you do not enter it. Right next to the building is exhibited an authentic dolmen from Strandzha Mountain, transported in the late 1950s from the land of the village of Belevren.
- Ethnographic exposition with the richest ethnographic collection in Southeastern Bulgaria.
- A historical exhibition, where you will see exhibits, photographs and documents from significant events and personalities in the history of the city.
- A natural history exhibition presenting the geohistorical development and contemporary natural diversity of Southeastern Bulgaria.
The working hours of each exhibition are every day from 10:00 to 18:00. The ticket price for each museum is 6 BGN, and for people using a discount – 3 BGN. If you decide to visit all four exhibitions, the ticket for them will cost 18 BGN.
You can find more information on the Burgas’ museum website.
Take a walk along the promenade to Atanasovsko Lake
Atanasovsko Lake is one of the three Burgas lakes. Its southern parts fall within the city limits. It is a super-saline coastal lake, divided into two parts by the Burgas-Varna road. Its northern part is a maintained reserve, and the southern part is a protected area. The lake is impressive in size – it is about 9 km long, over 4 km wide, and its area is about 17 sq. km. At the same time, it is quite shallow – its average depth is only 30 cm.
There are many photos of Atanasovsko Lake with pink water on the Internet. If you want to catch it like this, keep in mind that this phenomenon occurs under specific conditions. One of the reasons for this color is the magnesium salts in the water. But this alone is not enough. When we were there at the salt pans, one of the staff explained to us that in order to get this color, it is very important that the air temperature is high and the water is quite heated. In addition, the color is enhanced by a special type of algae that thrives there and blooms in July and August, so that is the best time to see the pink-red waters of Atanasovsko Lake.
Atanasovsko Lake is known for three main things – its rich biodiversity, huge salt concentration, and healing sand lye. These have given rise to the three main activities associated with the lake – bird watching, salt extraction by natural means, and mud baths.
The salt production enterprise “Chernomorski Solnitsi” AD is located in the southern part of the lake. Next to it are the sand lye pools. The bird watching trails are along the western shore of Atanasovsko Lake. I will not dwell on them in detail here.
Let me share how to take a walk to the lye pools. How do you get to them on foot? In short – you start from the northern part of the Sea Garden along the coastal promenade towards Sarafovo. You walk along it for about an hour. First you will pass by the salt factory, and after it are located the pools themselves. The walk is always by the sea and is accompanied by sea views and a pleasant breeze. You can also go by bike. There are not many benches along the promenade.
Visiting the lye pools is paid – it costs 8 BGN, and their working hours are from 8 to 19:30. At the entrance there is a large information board about the healing lye and some precautions to follow if you decide to dive in. The place can also be reached by car, but the approach is from the Burgas-Varna highway.
Go to the highest point of Burgas for magnificent views
This is probably the less known thing to do in Burgas. It is called Shiloto Peak. The place will offer you beautiful panoramas in all directions. From Shiloto Peak you can see all three lakes near the city – Atanasovsko, Burgas Lake, and Mandrensko, as well as the entire Burgas Bay. Pomorie town and the island of St. Anastasia are quite well visible. The view reaches from the Stara Planina Mountains in the northeast to Cape Atia in the southeast.
Shiloto Peak can be reached by car. It is on Google Maps. A huge metal cross, 15 meters high, has been built on the summit.
Head to the beach
Burgas is a seaside city and if you are there in the summer, it is quite natural to think about sunbathing. The central beach will offer you a spacious strip 2 km long and reaching a width of up to 30 m in places. It is located meters from the city center, next to the Sea Garden and the port.
The city also has other beaches. Listed from north to south, these are Sarafovo beach, Solnitsite, Northern beach, Central beach (mentioned above), Kraimorie beach.
See also my article about the picturesque Ropotamo beach, not far from the town Primorsko.
Walk to the Burgas Sea Station and Port
The Marine Station is part of the Public Access Area of the Port of Burgas and serves mainly cruise ships. Its building is strange, from the side it looks as if it is tilted, with its surrounding walls being parallelograms. Its official opening took place at the end of 2013. The Burgas Port area is a very nice place to walk and to have a brunch or dinner in restaurants there.
The Public Access Area is accessible both by car and on foot. It borders the Central Beach of Burgas from the south.
The Burgas Lighthouse is the first Bulgarian port lighthouse. It was lit in 1899. Access to the lighthouse is free. You can walk to it on foot, approaching from the Public Access Area of the Port of Burgas. It is also interesting to see the lighthouse from the sea from a small boat.
Explore local fishing traditions at Chengene Skele
Chengene Skele is a small bay near Burgas, part of the large Burgas Bay. It is also known as Tsingene Skela – Gypsy Bay. The area of the coast, around the top of the bay and a large part of it itself is a protected area. It was declared as such in order to preserve the natural habitats of protected and rare bird species included in the Red Book of Bulgaria and the list of endangered species in Europe.
Of tourist interest is a small part of the bay, where there is an authentic fishing village that has preserved its old fishing traditions. A tourist complex with exhibitions, demonstrations and a restaurant has been built next to the village.
The fishing village of Chengene Skele is nicknamed the “Bulgarian Venice”. It consists of three boat slips and four streets where the fishermen’s houses are located. The village itself can best be explored by boat. The exhibitions in the complex are also very interesting. I would also like to highlight the delicious fish soup that we had in the restaurant when we were there.
The fishing village of Chengene Skele is located about 20 km southeast of the center of Burgas and can be reached by car. There is a large parking lot on site. The entrance ticket is 6 BGN, and for people using a discount – 4 BGN.
Go on a day trip
If you have more than a day in Burgas, I strongly advise you to go for a day trip to explore the South Bulgarian seaside and to collect more impressions and good moments. One of the best day trips from Burgas is to the nearby island of St. Anastasia, which is the only inhabited Bulgarian island.
✨ Book a boat to the St. Anastasia island here.
See my other recommendations for day trips from Burgas here.
How to get to Burgas
There are plenty of direct flights available from various European cities. Some popular routes include Vienna, Budapest, Dublin, Warsaw, Krakow, Bratislava, and London.
Burgas is situated 382 kilometers east of the Bulgarian capital Sofia. You can get to Burgas either by car, or by public transport – by plain, by train from Sofia, and by bus.
Where to stay in Burgas
There are many options for accommodation. On our last visit ин Бургас, we stayed at the Hotel Aqua Burgas and were very satisfied. This is a good city hotel, in a quiet and peaceful location, with a cozy atmosphere and excellent service. The hotel is a suitable choice for both business clients and tourists and visitors to the rich program of cultural events in Burgas. Also, the hotel will offer you a very good ratio between price and quality.
✨ For availability, prices and reservations, see here.
Here are the hotels with a rating above 9 on the Booking website. All three are in the center of Burgas.
- Hotel Bulgaria ⭐⭐⭐⭐, rating 9.1;
- Hotel Residence Promenade ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, rating 9.5;
- Villa Promenade ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, rating 9.7.
The last two are at a very high discount if your stay takes place until the end of this September.
Final thoughts
In this article I have presented you the most important sights and things to do in Burgas. If you have not been to Burgas or have only been in transit through the city, I advise you to change that and set aside a few hours at least for a walk around the city. Whether you’re into nature walks, street festivals, or just want to enjoy a good coffee by the sea, there’s plenty to keep you busy and smiling.
