Bulgaria

Bulgaria is a fascinating country of ancient culture, scenic beauty and friendly people.
Situated in South Eastern Europe, it occupies the central part of the Balkan Peninsula and shares a border with Romania to the north, Turkey and Greece to the south, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia to the west and the Black Sea to the east.

The country has 4 main airports including Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv and Bourgas and has an estimated population of 7 million 517,97 (July 2004).

The Black Sea

The Black Sea coastal stretch faces east and extends over 378 km. Air temperatures in the summer vary between 23°C and 27°C and sea temperatures between 17°C and 25°C, warmer than the Mediterranean. There are more than 240 hours of sunshine in May and September, and more than 300 in July and August.

The beach resorts of Bulgaria are divided in Northern and Southern areas:

Northern resorts - Around the city of Varna (Bulgaria's biggest city on the Black Sea). The famous resorts are Varna, Golden Sands, Albena, Riviera, Rusalka, St. Constantine and Elena.

Southern resorts - Near the city of Bourgas. The famous resorts on the South are Sunny Beach (the biggest Black sea resort), Sveti Vlas, Nessebar, Primorsko, Sozopol and Lozenetz.

Mountain Resorts

Bansko

The resort is situated in South-western Bulgaria at the foothills of the Pirin Mountains a Unesco World Heritage site. It has the best snow record and the longest ski season (15 Dec - 15 Apr) of all Bulgarian ski resorts and during the last couple of years this resort has received massive investment process with new hotels and resort facilities being under construction.

As a result the resort has received a huge amount of publicity recently in the British press.  A recent article in Daily Mail February 11^th 2006

“What began in the eighties as a one-lift ski resort in the Pirin Mountains, two and a half hours south of Sofia has been transformed by a £95 million cash injection into the best ski resort in Eastern Europe."

The mountains here are perfectly shaped for snow sports with the kind of awe-inspiring terrain that befits a future Verbier.  At present, Bansko has a vertical drop of 1,600m which makes it comparable to Banff at Norquay in Canada.  There are seven fast lifts, with more planned, including a second gondola.”

“The investment has been sufficient to encourage the building of a British-designed golf course and the five-star Kempinski Grand Arena Hotel.”

Borovets

The oldest Bulgarian winter resort is Borovets with a history from 1896. Today Borovets is the biggest and most modern resort in Bulgaria. It is situated in the Rila Mountain range and is 1390 metres above the sea level (with highest pistes at 2600 m)

There are 45 kilometres of slopes varying in difficulty and the resort is a regular host of various winter sports competitions. It has twice hosted World Cup competitions in Alpine skiing and its biathlon track is one of the best in Europe.

Pamporovo

Pamporovo is a modern ski resort in the heart of the Rhodopi mountain and is the most southern skiing resort in Europe. It is the sunniest Bulgarian mountain resort and situated on 1650 m above the sea level at the foot of peak Snejanka (1926 m). It is 240 km far from Sofia and 85 km from Plovdiv.

 

The Capital – Sofia

Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria with a population of 1,376,742 (15 February 2006 calculations). It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the mountain massif Vitosha, and is the administrative, cultural, and industrial centre of the country.

The history of Sofia dates back to the 7th century BC, when Thracians established a settlement there. It has had several names throughout its history, and remnants of the old cities can be seen today.

Transport

Direct international flights from the UK (2.5 hrs) are available to the capital Sofia all year round with BA from London Heathrow www.ba.com  and Bulgaria Air from Gatwick  www.air.bg.

There are also daily internal flights to the Black Sea cost all year round from Sofia with www.hemusair.bg

Direct charter flights to the Black Sea (Varna or Bourgas) operate from various UK airports during the peak summer months.

 Low Cost Airlines

From June 2004, Hungarian airline Malev begun direct flights to Varna www.malev.com

Wizz air has also begun services from London Luton Airport to Sofia via Budapest visit www.wizzair.com for further details and fares.

Currently an 'open skies' agreement is needed to allow budget airlines to service Bulgaria. Due to the privatisation of Bulgaria's national carrier Balkan Air, this will not be adopted until just before EU membership.

When Bulgaria joins the EU in 2007 it is expected that other low cost airlines such as Ryan Air and Easy Jet will service routes to Sofia and the Black Sea