Tourism in Bulgaria

Boyana Church

Madara Rider

Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo

Kazanlak

Nessebar

Rila Monastery

Sveshtari

Pirin

Srebarna

Location of World Heritage Sites within Bulgaria

Tourism in Bulgaria is a significant contributor to the country's economy. Situated at the crossroads of the East and West, Bulgaria has been home to many civilizations - Thracians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Slavs, Proto-Bulgarians, and Ottomans. The country is rich in tourist sights and historical artifacts, scattered through a relatively small and easily accessible territory. Bulgaria is internationally known for its seaside and winter resorts.

In 2014 Bulgaria was visited by 9.4 million tourists. Tourists from four countries - Greece, Romania, Turkey, and Russia - account for nearly 50% of all visitors.^[1] The sector contributed to 15% of GDP and supported 150 000 workplaces in 2014.^[2][3]

Tourist attractions

UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Intangible Cultural Heritage List

There are nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria. The first four properties were inscribed in the World Heritage List in 1979, and the last in 1985. Bulgaria currently has fourteen additional properties on the Tentative List.^[4] Nestinarstvo, a ritual fire-dance of Thracian origin,^[5] is included in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Rila Monastery  Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak  Boyana Church  Madara Rider  Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari  Rock-hewn Churches  Ancient City of Nessebar  Pirin National Park  Srebarna Nature Reserve  Nestinarstvo  Chiprovtsi carpet  Surva, Masquerade games

Ethnic, cultural and historical tourism

The Bulgarian cultural heritage has many faces and manifestations - archaeological reserves and monuments, museums, galleries, rich cultural calendar, preserved folklore and magnificent architectural monuments.

Historical monuments and sites

Tsarevets and Veliko Tarnovo  Alexander Nevsky Cathedral  Shipka Memorial  Perperikon  Baba Vida  Balchik Palace  Dyavolski most  Nicopolis ad Istrum  Aleksandrovo Thracian tomb  Belogradchik Fortress  Dohodno Zdanie  Preslav  Red Church  Covered Bridge, Lovech  Asen's Fortress  Euxinograd  1300 Years of Bulgaria  Cherven fortress  Villa Armira  Buzludzha  National Palace of Culture  Vrana Palace  Tsarska Bistritsa  Shumen fortress

Museums

National Historical Museum  National Gallery for Foreign Art  National Museum of Military History  National Museum of Natural History  National museum "Vasil Levski", Karlovo  National Transport Museum  Dorkovo Museum  Pleven Panorama  Agushevi konatsi, Mogilitsa  Museum of the rose, Kazanlak  Rozhen Observatory  Wine Museum  House of Humour and Satire  Varna dolphinarium  Mining museum, Pernik  Varna Archaeological Museum  Museum of Socialist Art, Sofia

Thracian treasures

Panagyurishte Treasure  Rogozen Treasure  Valchitran Treasure  Golden mask of Teres I  Bronze head of Seuthes III found in Golyamata Kosmatka  Lukovit Treasure  Letnitsa treasure  Yakimovo Thracian Treasure  Ravnogor Thracian Treasure  A thracian golden necklace found in Arabadjiiska Mogila  Sinemorets Gold figurines  Thracian helmet found in Pletena  Vazovo Thracian Pegasus  Kralevo Treasure  Golden treasure found in the Sveshtari Mound  King Cotys I's Borovo Treasure  Odrysian Wreath of Cersobleptes, Zlatinica-Malomirovo  Mogilanska Mogila funeral offerings

Rural tourism

The Bulgarian town house is an embodiment of the owner's social status, craft and traditions. Many old buildings that demonstrate this type of architecture—e.g. in the villages of Arbanasi, Leshten, Kovachevitsa, Melnik—have been preserved to the present day.

Koprivshtitsa  Troyan  Etar  Dryanovo  Elena  Tryavna  Lovech, Varosha  Bozhentsi  Kovachevitsa  Zheravna  Arbanasi  Zlatograd  Shiroka Laka  Melnik  Leshten  Dolen  Brashlyan  Stefanovo

City tourism

Sofia  Plovdiv  Varna  Ruse

Monasteries

Rila Monastery  Bachkovo Monastery  Troyan Monastery  Drianovo Monastery  Sokolski Monastery  Cherepishki Monastery  Shipka Monastery  Zemen Monastery

Festivals and events

Rozhen National Folklore Fair  Epiphany's horo in Kalofer  Festival of the rose, Kazanlak  Spirit of Burgas  Kavarna Rock Fest  July Morning, at Kamen Bryag  Paneurhythmy dances at the Seven Rila Lakes

Resorts and nature tourism

Seaside resorts

The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast is picturesque and diverse. White and golden sandy beaches occupy approximately 130 km of the 378 km long coast. The temperatures during the summer months are very suitable for marine tourism and the water temperature allows sea bathing from May to October. Prior to 1989 the Bulgarian Black Sea coast was internationally known as the Red Riviera. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, however, its nickname has been changed to the Bulgarian Riviera.

Rusalka  Primorsko  Kavarna  Albena  Kiten  Golden Sands  Constantine and Helena  Irakli  Ahtopol  Sinemorets  Kamchia  Dyuni  Sozopol  Pomorie  Shkorpilovtsi  Byala  Sunny Beach  Balchik  Obzor  Sveti Vlas

Hiking and skiing

The country has several ski areas which offer excellent conditions for skiing, snowboarding, ski running and other winter sports.

Bansko  Borovets  Pamporovo  Osogovo  Razlog  Malyovitsa  Vitosha  Uzana

National and natural parks

Pirin National Park  Rila National Park  Central Balkan National Park  Belasitsa Nature Park  Bulgarka Nature Park  Vitosha Nature Park  Golden Sands Nature Park  Persina Nature Park  Sinite Kamani Nature Park  Strandzha Nature Park  Rusenski Lom Nature Park  Shumensko Plato Nature Park

Caves and waterfalls

Devil's Throat Cave  Bacho Kiro cave  Devetashka cave  Ledenika  Magura Cave  Prohodna  Saeva dupka  Snezhanka (cave)  Uhlovitsa  Babsko Praskalo  Borov Kamak  Emen  Raysko Praskalo  Etropole Waterfall  Karlovsko Praskalo  Krushuna Falls  Popinolashki waterfall  Skakavitsa Waterfall

Nature landforms and formations

Seven Rila Lakes  The Stone Mushrooms  Belogradchik Rocks  The Stone Desert  Trigrad Gorge  Stob Pyramids  Zlatnite Mostove  Marvelous Bridges  Iskar Gorge  Ritlite  Melnik Pyramids  Rock wedding, Kardzhali

Top 10 sources of international visitors to Bulgaria

Most visitors arriving in Bulgaria on short-term basis as of 2015 came from the following countries of nationality:^[6]

Rank	Country	Number
1	Romania	1 499 854
2	Turkey	1 237 841
3	Greece	1 024 527
4	Germany	826 142
5	Macedonia	506 052
6	Serbia	501 091
7	Russia	493 989
8	Ukraine	310 777
9	Poland	285 455
10	United Kingdom	250 038

External links

• Official Bulgaria tourism website
• Media related to Tourism in Bulgaria at Wikimedia Commons

References

1. Bulgarian Tourism in Facts and Figures (January–December 2014) National Statistical Institute
2. 2013 GDP - National Statistical Institute
3. Statistical references 2013 - National Statistical Institute
4. "UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Tentative List: Bulgaria". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
5. MacDermott, Mercia (1998). Bulgarian Folk Customs. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. p. 226. ISBN 1-85302-485-6. Retrieved 20 December 2011. While dancing round fires and jumping over fires forms part of many Slav customs, dancing on fire does not, and it is therefore likely that nestinarstvo was inherited by the Bulgarians from the Hellenized Thracians who inhabited the land before them.
6. Arrivals of visitors from abroad to Bulgaria by months and by country of origin