ESC Burgas2027
The Seven Rila Lakes seen from above the cirque
Photo: Anthony Ganev / Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 3.0

Discover Bulgaria

Burgas is the host city, but the country around it is the reason to stay a week longer: two mountain ranges, the oldest gold on earth, Roman theatres still in use, and grapes grown nowhere else.

The Seven Rila Lakes seen from above the cirque
Photo: Anthony Ganev / Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 3.0

The mountains

Rila, Pirin, the Rhodopes — three hours from the sea

  • The Seven Rila Lakes seen from above the cirque
    Seven Rila LakesA staircase of glacial lakes above 2,100 m, walked in a single day from the Pionerska lift.
  • The striped arcades of Rila Monastery
    Rila MonasteryBulgaria's largest monastery, UNESCO-listed, striped arcades under the Rila ridge.
  • Snow on Vihren and Kutelo in the Pirin mountains
    Vihren, PirinThe country's second-highest summit, marble and snow well into summer, above Bansko.
  • The Wonderful Bridges rock arch in the Rhodopes
    The Wonderful BridgesTwo natural rock arches carved by a lost river in the western Rhodopes.
Old houses above the water in Sozopol, south of Burgas
Photo: Neven Myst / UnsplashUnsplash License

The Black Sea

Old towns, wide sand and the cliffs to the north

The entrance to the Thracian tomb of Kazanlak
Photo: Izvora / Wikimedia CommonsPublic domain

The Thracians

Gold, tombs and the oldest worked treasure on earth

  • The entrance to the Thracian tomb of Kazanlak
    Tomb of KazanlakPainted 4th-century BC frescoes in the Valley of the Thracian Kings.
  • The bronze head of Seuthes III from the Golyama Kosmatka tomb
    Seuthes IIIThe bronze head from Golyama Kosmatka, a portrait of a Thracian king.
  • Gold from the Varna necropolis, 4600–4200 BC
    Varna goldThe world's oldest gold hoard, buried on the coast around 4,500 BC.
  • The rock-cut city of Perperikon in the Rhodopes
    PerperikonA whole city cut into the rock of the eastern Rhodopes.
The Roman theatre of Philippopolis above Plovdiv
Photo: Dennis G. Jarvis / Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 2.0

The Romans

Theatres, forums and thermal baths still in use

  • The Roman theatre of Philippopolis above Plovdiv
    Theatre of PhilippopolisPlovdiv's Roman theatre, 2nd century, still hosting concerts.
  • The brick vaults of the Roman baths in Varna
    Roman Thermae, VarnaThe largest Roman baths on the Balkan peninsula.
  • The Roman forum of Augusta Traiana lit at night in Stara Zagora
    Augusta TraianaThe forum of Stara Zagora, lit at night in the middle of the city.
  • The 4th-century St George Rotunda in central Sofia
    St George RotundaSofia's oldest building, a 4th-century brick rotunda.
The wine village of Melnik under its sandstone cliffs
Photo: kirichkov / Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 3.0

The wine

Mavrud, melnik and rubin — grapes grown nowhere else

  • The wine village of Melnik under its sandstone cliffs
    MelnikA village of sand cliffs and cellars, home of the broad-leaved melnik grape.
  • The eroded sandstone pyramids above Melnik
    The Melnik pyramidsEroded sandstone towers above the vineyards, best at dusk.
  • Glasses of Bulgarian rakia on a table
    RakiaFruit brandy, poured before the meal rather than after it.
  • Old houses above the water in Sozopol, south of Burgas
    Black Sea whitesThe coast around Burgas grows chardonnay and traminer in a maritime climate.
A Bulgarian table: grilled meat, garnish and lyutenitsa
Photo: EvelinaRibarova / Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0

The kitchen

What a Bulgarian table actually looks like

  • A shopska salad under grated white cheese
    Shopska saladTomato, cucumber and pepper under a snowdrift of white cheese.
  • A coiled banitsa fresh from the oven
    BanitsaCoiled filo with brined cheese and egg, eaten warm for breakfast.
  • Grilled kebapche on a plate
    KebapcheMinced meat grilled over charcoal — the default order at any grill.
  • A bowl of lyutenitsa with peppers
    LyutenitsaRoasted pepper and tomato relish, jarred every autumn.

Distances are honest: the mountains are a three to five hour drive from the coast, best as an overnight rather than a day trip. The coastal stops are all inside ninety minutes of Burgas.