Bulgaria has a total of almost 400 km of beaches and multiple resorts on its Black Sea coast. Choosing the right place for your holiday depends on many factors. There are places more suitable for families with kids, others for endless parting or some off the grid beaches for adventurers. Whatever you are into, Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast has it!
If you are looking for inspiration for your next summer and want to explore a less popular destination in Europe, but you still struggle with questions like – Where to go for a beach holiday in Bulgaria? What is the best beach in Bulgaria? – you are in the right place.
Let me introduce you to the best resorts and help you find the perfect one for your next summer holiday!
What You'll Find In This Post:
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Where to fly to for your Bulgarian beach holiday
The Black Sea coast in Bulgaria is divided by the Balkan Mountain into South and North part. When flying in, there are also two airports available – Burgas for the south and Varna for the north coast. The northern part is characterized by a lot of very long and straight beaches, whereas the coast in the southern part is more rugged, with many peninsulas, bays and smaller beaches. The seawater is usually a bit warmer on the southern coast.
Here is a Google Maps overview with the best beach resorts, from north to south.
Krapets – Best for nature-lovers
Krapets
is one of the few places still untouched by construction on the coast. It is a small fishermen village, about 90km north from Varna, near the border with Romania. The place is perfect for you, if you are looking for a resort off the grid and close to nature. On the other hand, if you like luxury holidays, stay away, because you won’t find any all-inclusive hotels and fancy restaurants. The endless beaches to the north and south of Krapets attract visitors with their low accessible shore, fine golden sand and shallow sea bed. On their official website, you can find more info about the beaches and lakes in the region, as well as list of all the accommodations with description.
Albena – Best for sports enthusiasts or families
Albena is a small resort, 30km north from Varna. It stretches along a 6km long beach. Its hotels and villas are scattered in the forest directly adjacent to the beach. The beach itself is wonderful, with crystal clear shallow water, silky sand and many water attractions. The resort is very green, quiet, and it invests in sustainability and renewable energy. Moreover, in 2019 Albena was chosen as the European resort of sport, because of its abundance of facilities for various sports – tennis, hockey, football, golf and even horse riding. If it sounds like something for you, check their official website – it is very detailed and available in 4 languages.
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(Albena beach) by www.bdmundo.com / CC BY-SA 2.0
Zlatni pyasatsi (Golden Sands) – Best for partying
Golden Sands is an internationally famous resort, that is situated just 17km north of Varna and is directly adjacent to a national park. The town boasts many hotel complexes with pools and all-inclusive packages, as well as, numerous bars, clubs and restaurants. However, it still managed to a large extent to avoid being overdeveloped, as other large resorts were in the 2000s. Some villas and a camping are also available. Golden Sands is renowned as a green and mainly pedestrian resort. Its 3km long beach is said to have the purest quartz sand on the coast.
Shkorpilovtsi – Best for a wild beach holiday
Shkorpilovtsi is a small village with a name we even struggle to pronounce in Bulgarian, but it made this list because of its vast 12 km beach. It is located 45km south from Varna and about 1-2km from the shore. Although the village has not much to offer, there are a few hotels, bungalows and camping grounds along the beach. In front of the hotels there are sun lounges available, otherwise the largest part of the beach is wild, with huge untouched sand dunes. The place is exceptionally peaceful and perfect for relaxation.
Obzor
Obzor is a small town, 60km south from Varna and 70km north from Burgas. The beach of the resort is about 10km long. The sand is grained and golden. Obzor was one of the first ancient settlements on the coast and some remains, like their little Colosseum, can be seen nowadays. Obzor offers various entertainment options for kids and adults – restaurants, bars and water attractions.
Camping Gradina – Best for camping and partying
Camping Gradina is very famous in Bulgaria and with its beautiful long sand beach – rightly so. It is located just 30km south from Burgas, between the two big resorts, Sozopol and Chernomorets. Many caravans, bungalows are scattered along the 4km beach. You can find everything – from very basic accommodations to glamping. Bringing your own tents is also an option, of course. The beach is not only perfect for sunbathing, but also for surfing. The camping attracts mainly young people and that’s why there are numerous beach bars, that organize parties on a regular basis. It really is a great place to be if you love the beach, the outdoor lifestyle and beach parties.
Arkutino – Best beach
Arkutino is a stunning sand beach with crystal clear water. There isn’t a village nearby, just a couple of hotel complexes. I would recommend it, if you like the idea of spending a lot of time on the beach and in an all-inclusive hotel. Otherwise, you could stay at some of the nearest towns (Primorsko, Kiten or Sozopol) and pay the beach a visit, because it is really lovely. Locals even drive from Burgas (40km) on weekends just for this beach.
(Perla beach, Primorsko) by Sinkuchi / CC BY-SA 4.0Primorsko – Best for families
Primorsko is a small town, about 50km south from Burgas, that is located on a peninsula. From both sides, it is surrounded by kilometres of fine sandy beaches. Particularly, the Perla beach (the most northern part of the North beach) has pristine sand and clear and calm water. Numerous beach and sports activities are offered in Primorsko, such as jet ski, banana boat and water slides. In the town there are many guest houses, small family hotels and all-inclusive hotels with pools to choose from. Moreover, there is a water park in town – Aqua Planet. I think, this makes it a great place for a beach holiday with kids. The town itself might not be rich in history, but it offers great beaches and nice walks around the harbour.
Sinemorets – Best for a stunning view
Sinemorets is the southernmost resort, located 80km south from Burgas. It is quite a small town with many guest houses, but also a few bigger hotel complexes. What is spectacular about this place, are its two beaches. The closer one, Butamya, is a rather small, but wide beach with a few restaurants and sun lounges. The best thing is, that it isn’t as crowded as the ones in most of the other resorts. The second beach, Veleka, has one of my favourite views. A river flows into the sea, so that the beach stretches between the sea and the river for the most part. You can swim in both the sea and the river. As the beach is more remote, it isn’t your typical beach with sun lounges. It is a bit wild, there are often nudists and fisherman along the river. The sea is always rough, and it gets deep quite fast, so it isn’t optimal for small kids or unsure swimmers. However, Sinemorets beach Veleka is an incredible place and well worth a visit.
What to pack for a beach holiday in Bulgaria?
Packing in the summer is much more pleasant than in winter, isn’t it? You can fit way more outfits in your luggage. However, make sure you have some space left for gifts or local products you might want to take home.
- Enough T-shirts/ tops/ dresses/ shorts for the whole period of your stay (bear in mind that on very hot days you will need to change at some point during the day)
- A few party outfits if you want to go to a nightclub
- A jacket or cardigan for those cold evenings by the sea
- A jumper and long jeans to be prepared for a cold day
- A pair of sandals, flip-flops and sneakers! (very important for a rainy day)
- Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and aftersun lotion
- Mosquito repellent and heat pen (insect pen)
- Swimsuit, beach towel, beach bag
- A good book/ tiny card or board games for the beach
- Swimming props (they can also be bought in every resort)
I hope you will have an unforgettable holiday experience in Bulgaria!
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