Burgas (Burgas)

Member Name: REALTRAVELLER

Product:	Burgas
Date:	08/08/09 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice park by the sea

Disadvantages: Beach no good

Burgas is a costal city in Bulgaria with a population of 220,000 people and it is a large port on the Black Sea.

I visited it on 2 occasions in April and in June. In July and summer I have read and heard that the promenade and the area facing the sea are loaded with people enjoying the sun and showing a good deal of flesh, women in particularly. I did not see this in June, even if it was relatively wamr and pleasant.

During Communism times the area around Burgas was very popular with holiday makers from the Eastern Block, after the fall of the wall of Berlin, Burgas, like the rest of Bulgaria, developped itself and opened itself to international tourism.

Both times when I visited I was there on business, so did not have time for too much sightseeing. However, I remember the church of St Cyril and St Methodius, with frescos on the walls and there is a large archeological museum too.

The centre is surprisingly small, you will be able to go around walking, unless the weather is bad, like it was in April, when it was raining. There is a very nice park along the sea and the beach is probably better left alone, since the sea is surely not the cleanest you can find on the cost, due to the proximity to the port.

There are lakes not far from Burgas, I recall seeing the local agencies offering trips for the day, they are popular with bird lovers and nature lovers in general.

I stayed on both occasions at the Hotel Plaza which has got a great location, an impressive lounge and decent rooms. I paid in the region of 70 Euros for a room, but bear in mind that our travel agency strike good deals, so you may have to pay more.

For food, as usual in Bulgaria, you cannot go too wrong, particullarly if you avoid place with the menu in multiple languages, however, for the best views on the city and the sea, there is nothing better than the restaurant on top of the Hotel Bulgaria. Food was also good. For Bulgarian standard it is very expensive at around 40 Euros per head.

As I said at the beginning, as a tourist you are most likely to come to Burgas in summer, however, as abase to explore the neighbouring region, Burgas does well. There is much more than beaches in Bulgaria and few historic towns are acutally not far from Burgas and particularly if you can rent a car, it may be worth spending 2-3 days there if you plan some time in Bulgaria

Summary: Nice city