Tourism in 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, Eastern Romans or Byzantines, Slavs, Bulgars, 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.
Bulgaria attracted nearly 12 million foreign tourists in 2017, according to the World Bank.[1] Tourists from five countries (Romania, Turkey, Greece, Germany and Russia) account for approximately 50% of all visitors.[2] The sector contributed to 15% of GDP and supported 150,000 workplaces in 2014.[3][4]
Tourist attractions[]
UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Intangible Cultural Heritage List[]
There are ten UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria. The first four properties were inscribed in the World Heritage List in 1979, and the last in 2017. Bulgaria currently has sixteen additional properties on the Tentative List.[5] Nestinarstvo, a ritual fire-dance of Thracian origin,[6] is included in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Rila Monastery
Boyana Church
Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari
Rock-hewn Churches
Ancient City of Nessebar
Pirin National Park
Srebarna Nature Reserve
Primeval Beech Forests of the Central Balkans[7]
Nestinarstvo
Chiprovtsi carpet
Surva, Masquerade games
Koprivshtitsa folklore fair
Ethnic, cultural and historical tourism[]
This section contains an unencyclopedic or excessive gallery of images. |
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
Bulgaria National Assembly
Shipka Memorial
Plovdiv Roman theatre
Perperikon
Balchik Palace
Nicopolis ad Istrum
Covered Bridge, Lovech
1300 Years of Bulgaria
Cherven fortress
Vrana Palace
Thracian Tomb of Tatul
Museums[]
National Historical Museum
National Archaeological Museum
National Gallery for Foreign Art
National Museum of Military History
National Museum of Natural History
Sofia History Museum
National museum "Vasil Levski", Karlovo
National Transport Museum
Dorkovo Museum
Agushevi konatsi, Mogilitsa
Museum of the rose, Kazanlak
House of Humour and Satire
Varna dolphinarium
Mining museum, Pernik
Varna Archaeological Museum
Museum of Socialist Art, Sofia
Thracian treasures[]
Thracians made beautifully ornate golden and silver objects such as various kinds of vessels, rhytons, facial masks, pectorals, jewelry, weapons, etc. They used to bury rich hoards of precious objects both to hide them in times of enemy invasions and unrest as well as for ritual purposes. To date, more than 80 Thracian treasures have been excavated in Bulgaria which was the cradle of the Thracian civilization.
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.
City tourism[]
Sofia
Plovdiv
Varna
Burgas
Ruse, "The Little Vienna"
Veliko Tarnovo
Svishtov
Monasteries[]
During the 13th and especially during the 14th centuries the construction of monasteries thrived. Due to the troubled times many monasteries resembled fortresses. They usually had rectangular shape, the buildings surrounded a yard in which the main church was located. From the outside they had high stone walls reinforced with counterforts, and from the inside there were galleries with several stores which led towards the dwellings of the monks.
Rila Monastery
Rozhen Monastery
Bachkovo Monastery
Troyan Monastery
Drianovo Monastery
Sokolski Monastery
Cherepishki Monastery
Shipka Monastery
Transfiguration Monastery
Churches[]
Boyana Church
Rock-hewn Churches
Churches of Nessebar
Church of the Nativity of Christ in Arbanasi
Church of Sveta Arhangeli Mikhail & Gavril, Arbanasi
Church of St Peter, Berende
Saint Nicholas, Slokostitsa
Festivals and events[]
Epiphany's horo in Kalofer
Festival of the rose, Kazanlak
Paneurhythmy dances at the Seven Rila Lakes
Tsarevets Sound and Light
Surva, Masquerade games
Koprivshtitsa folklore fair
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.
Hiking and skiing[]
The country has several ski areas which offer excellent conditions for skiing, snowboarding, ski running and other winter sports.
Bansko
Borovets
Osogovo
Razlog
Vitosha
National Parks[]
Bulgaria has 3 national parks, 11 nature parks and 55 nature reserves.[8] The first nature park in Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula is Vitosha Nature Park, established in 1934.
Pirin National Park
Rila National Park
Central Balkan National Park
Vitosha Nature Park
Sinite Kamani Nature Park
Strandzha Nature Park
Rusenski Lom Nature Park
Shumensko Plato Nature Park
Caves and waterfalls[]
As of 2002, there are around 4,500 discovered underground formations in Bulgaria.[9] The earliest written records about the caves in Bulgaria are found in the manuscripts of the 17th century Bulgarian National Revival figure and historian Petar Bogdan. The first Bulgarian speleological society was established in 1929. The caves in the country are inhabited by more than 700 invertebrate species and 32 of the 37 species of bats found in Europe.
Nature landforms and formations[]
Belogradchik Rocks
Stob Pyramids
Ritlite
Rock wedding, Kardzhali
Statistics[]
Arrivals by country[]
Most visitors arriving in Bulgaria on short-term basis came from the following countries of nationality:[2][10][11][12]
Rank | Country | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Romania | 2,161,004 | 2,035,606 | 1,943,436 | 1,743,697 | 1,499,854 |
2 | Turkey | 1,628,231 | 1,534,809 | 1,437,276 | 1,312,895 | 1,237,841 |
3 | Greece | 1,277,610 | 1,290,313 | 1,272,997 | 1,157,062 | 1,024,527 |
4 | Germany | 948,492 | 1,063,502 | 1,046,219 | 1,003,030 | 826,142 |
5 | Serbia | 679,336 | 632,902 | 541,303 | 490,668 | 501,091 |
6 | North Macedonia | 605,348 | 609,591 | 583,026 | 562,365 | 506,052 |
7 | Ukraine | 596,993 | 487,400 | 388,645 | 342,214 | 310,777 |
8 | United Kingdom | 508,342 | 424,384 | 352,054 | 281,777 | 250,038 |
9 | Russia | 460,770 | 522,085 | 565,754 | 589,844 | 493,989 |
10 | Poland | 445,316 | 474,984 | 424,724 | 388,833 | 285,455 |
11 | France | 250,014 | 260,099 | 231,348 | 195,571 | 171,305 |
12 | Israel | 246,404 | 245,567 | 209,304 | 183,846 | 155,276 |
13 | Czech Republic | 214,550 | 236,265 | 209,218 | 219,349 | 160,978 |
14 | Austria | 214,179 | 217,541 | 216,986 | 204,489 | 175,024 |
15 | Netherlands | 176,122 | 193,362 | 183,755 | 147,882 | 125,378 |
16 | Italy | 167,658 | 181,770 | 177,250 | 152,078 | 143,446 |
17 | Belgium | 155,367 | 170,146 | 152,739 | 119,429 | 100,777 |
18 | Hungary | 111,132 | 102,956 | 111,405 | 118,805 | 102,189 |
19 | United States | 109,283 | 101,220 | 90,963 | 82,465 | 81,979 |
20 | Slovakia | 87,227 | 101,887 | 81,318 | 78,167 | 74,770 |
Total[13] | 12,368,363 | 11,596,167 | 10,604,396 | 9,316,624 |
See also[]
- List of World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria
References[]
- ^ "Worldbank Tourism in Bulgaria". Worldbank.org. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
- ^ a b "Arrivals of visitors from abroad to Bulgaria by months and by country of origin - National statistical institute". Nsi.bg. Archived from the original on 2017-11-23. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
- ^ http://www.nsi.bg/bg/content/2206/[dead link]
- ^ "Statistical references 2013 - National Statistical Institute" (PDF). Statlib.nsi.bg. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-12. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
- ^ "UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Tentative List: Bulgaria". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "UNESCO World Heritage Centre - New Inscribed Properties (2017)". Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
- ^ "Register of protected areas in Bulgaria". Executive Environment Agency. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
- ^ География на България. Физическа и социално-икономическа география. „ФорКом“. 2002. p. 64. ISBN 954-464-123-8.
- ^ "Tourism figures : Purpose of visit" (XLS). Nsi.bg. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
- ^ http://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/data/timeseries/TUR_1.3_For_en.xls
- ^ http://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/data/timeseries/TUR_1.4_For_en.xls
- ^ https://infostat.nsi.bg/infostat/pages/reports/result.jsf?x_2=203
External links[]
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bulgaria. |
- Official Bulgaria tourism website Archived 2021-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
- Media related to Tourism in Bulgaria at Wikimedia Commons
- World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria
- Tourism in Bulgaria
- Tourism in Europe by country