Tourism in Bulgaria | Туризъм в България

The Bulgarian Landmarks in the UNESCO List


Kazanluk Tomb.

A Thracian tomb, dated to the late 4th-early 3rdcentury B.C. The murals in the burial chamber and in the corridor areof exclusive artistic value. The tomb is located in the Tyulbeto Hillnear the town of Kazanluk.

Ivanovo Rock Churches.

A rock monastery compound ofthe Holy Archangel Michael, with partially preserved churches. Themurals in the Church of the Holy Virgin have been described as some ofthe most significant achievements of 14th century Bulgarianmedieval art. The churches are located about 20 km away from the cityof Rouse, east of the village of Ivanovo, in the rocks of the RousenskiLom Nature Park.

Boyana Church

It has unique murals from 1259,considered among the masterpieces of medieval European painting. It is at a distance of about 8 km from the centre of the city of Sofia (in the Boyana residential district), in the foothills of Mount Vitosha.

Madara Horseman

A rock relief, cut into theMadara rocks on the northern slope of the Provadiisko Plateau at aheight of 23 m. This is the most significant monumental piece of artfrom the early Middle Ages, unique of its kind in European culturalhistory. It is close to the village of Madara, about 16 km away fromthe city of Shoumen.

Rila Monastery

The most impressive monastery compound in Bulgaria of exceptional architectural and artistic merits. Founded in the 10th century, rebuilt in the 13th-14th century, a literary centre in the 15th century and completed in its present-day striking appearance during the 19thcentury. A spiritual centre of the Bulgarian people, it is located inthe Northwest part of the Rila Mountain, about 20 km from the town ofRila and about 120 km from Sofia.

Nessebur, the old part of the town

An architectural, historical and archaeological reserve at the BlackSea coast with valuable archaeological relics from different periods,original churches from the 5th to the 17th century and authentic National Revival Period houses.

Sveshtari Tomb

A Thracian tomb from the first half of the 3rd centuryB.C. The central burial chamber has exceptionally lavish decoration andimpressive caryatides in high relief. It is located close to thevillage of Sveshtari, 7 km northwest of the town of Isperih.

Sreburna Reserve

A biosphere reserve in the valley of theDanube, including the Sreburna Lake and its surroundings. It has been established for the preservation of rare plant and animal species. It is 16 km west of the town of Silistra.

Pirin National Park

It is part of the scenic Pirin Mountain. Located in the high partsof the Northern Mount Pirin, it is characterized by a specific reliefand an inimitable plant and animal world. It also incorporates theBayuvi Doupki-Dzhindzhiritsa Biosphere Reserve and the Yulen Reserve.

^^ nice. Good thing someone realized we didn't have the most important thread. I mean this is the perfect place to promote your country. I was about to open it later today.

Something that gets very popular here these days - golf tourism.
Some of the upcoming golf projects in BG:

thanx to bgrs and his update from "Transportation and tourism" thread


Pravets Golf Resort (near Sofia)

Opening date: 2010

* 2,000 sq.m. spa and wellness centre at the Golf Club
* Jacuzzi, fitness centre, saunas, heated swimming pool, and many other facilities
* Classic Par 72, 18-hole golf course with a total length of 6,510m
* 4-star hotel with 240 units
* Restaurants, cigar bar
* Hotel casino
* Night club
* Open-air Olympic-size swimming pool
* Sports complex with soccer fields, 4 basketball and volleyball courts, 3 tennis courts







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Imperial Golf club (near Bansko)

Opening date: 2008

* a helicopter pad
* a café and a restaurant on the seventh floor with views of the golf course
* an indoor and an outdoor pool
* a Spa and wellness center
* 30 underground parking spaces
* bank service
* shuttle buses
* a billiard room
* 3 shops and a cinema
* private terraces
* lobby bar
* panoramic lifts .







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Thracian cliffs (near Kavarna)

Opening date: August, 2008

* 5-star 150-key hotel with 32°C natural mineral water
* average temperatures from around 24°C to around 30°C between May and September
* residential villages with different types of villas and apartments
* old traditional style marina village centre with commercial and residential components
* 18-hole Championship Golf Course designed by the legendary Gary Player with driving range
* 20 Years exclusive Golf membership for owners









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Pirin golf country club (near Bansko)

Opening date: 2008-2009

* Gated private plot of 1,500,000 square meters (exclusive);
* 2 private golf courses with 27 (36) holes (exclusive);
* PGA academy, driving range, putting greens (exclusive);
* Stylish clubhouse, half-way clubhouse , Proshop (exclusive);
* Own pine forest with open-air leisure facilities, BBQ's (exclusive);
* Own riding and equestrian centre (exclusive);
* 4 tennis courts, minifootball pitch, voleyball and basketball playgrounds;
* Heated ski storage facilities;
* Spa & Wellness centre with variety of saunas, baths, jakuzzi etc;
* Heated indoor and and open air swimming pools;
* European and local style restaurants, cafes;
* Selected brand shops;
* Own medical centre , childcare facilities;
* 24 - hour CCTV security , gated guarded access;
* 24 - hour shuttle link to Bansko ski lifts and town and more...









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Lighthouse Golf and Spa resort (near Balchik)

Opening date: 2008-2009









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Black Sea Rama

^^

One more.


Golf & Spa Resort

Stara Zagora


An 18 hole golf course
Between 500 and 1000 unique and very high quality villas



http://www.zagoragolf.com/golfindex.html

The Zagora Golf project is a huge development planned for an area close to the existing Stara Zagora Mineral Spa resort. It is the brain child of Evelina Cole (Bulgarian) and Stephen Cole (British) who are resident in Bulgaria.

It has taken over two years to source and buy large enough tracts of land to build an eighteen hole golf course and between 500 and 1000 unique and very high quality villas. Contracts and agreements have been sought and put in place for all the necessary services - electricity, sewerage, water and so on.

The development consists of 23 individual villa zones as above, surrounding the 18 hole golf course. The villas are available in a number of different styles - Mediterranean, Bulgarian and Eastern and purchasers can customise their villa to their own requirements, including using on site manufacturers to put in, for example, a copy of a Roman mosaic floor as a centre piece or stone work for a fireplace or on the patio. Purchasers can finish the walls with a choice of colours and floors can be stained or polished wood. All bathrooms and shower rooms and kitchen floors are tiled and the bathrooms come fully fitted and the main bathroom in each villa has marble flooring. Doors and banisters can be finished in white or natural effect wood, windows are PVC or aluminium and can be white or in a selection of colours. Each property has central heating and a traditional luxury fire place and water filtering systems. Outside there will be a built in barbeque and an intercom system. Gardens will be finished with landscaped areas and external lighting.

The zones will have completed roads and pavements and 24 hour security.

The villas even come with a fully stocked wine cellar with wines specially selected from regions of Bulgaria.

Each villa will have high speed internet access, satellite TV and all the conveniences of modern day living.

And only those who have bought a villa through this development will be able to play on the golf course. There will be no pay and play as there are at most of the golf courses being built around Bulgaria, membership of this golf course will be exclusively for owners of the villas in this development and their guests. Although details have yet to be decided upon it is likely that all villa owners will get the first year of golf membership free or some other discount/special offer. Those who wish to rent their villas out will be able to provide licenses to their guests to play on the course. Plus another great bonus for those renting out their villa, is that the guests simply swipe their credit card into an automated utility provider and then at the end of their stay they are charged for the electricity and water etc that they have used.

On site there will be restaurants, shops, swimming pools, beauty treatments, cosmetic dentistry centre, coffee shops, a spa treatment centre and children's play areas. It is much more than just a golf resort.

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One Bedroom Mediterranean Villa

These one bed, one bath villas cover a floor space of 97 sqm, including the patio area. On top of that there is a garden of around 60 sqm.

The villas are sold fully furnished in either a traditional or a contemporary style. They come with fully fitted kitchens and luxury bathrooms.

Price: From 67,855 Euros

Payment Plan: 30%, 40%, 30%








Two Bedroom Mediterranean Villa

The ground floor consists of a fully fitted corner kitchen, open plan dining area and lounge area and toilet with access to patio and internal stairs to second floor. On the second floor there are two bedrooms, main bathroom, cupboard space and small office area and both bedrooms have access to the terrace.

The villas are sold fully furnished in either a traditional or a contemporary style. They come with fully fitted kitchens and luxury bathrooms.

The total living space is 186 sqm including the patio area. There is a garden of around 60 sqm.

Price: 130,420 Euros

Payment Plan: 30%, 40%, 30%






Three Bedroom Mediterranean Villa

The three bedroom villa has a total build area of 213 sqm which includes a 38 sq meter Living & Dining Space, large patio, separate kitchen, wine cellar, hall, toilet and second bathroom on the ground floor which can be used as a study if required and 3 large bedrooms and bathroom on the second floor.

The villas are sold fully furnished in either a traditional or a contemporary style. They come with fully fitted kitchens and luxury bathrooms. There is a garden of around 60 sqm.

Price: 150,795 Euros

Payment Plan: 30%, 40%, 30%






Two Bedroom Bulgarian Style Villa

Every Villa has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, terrace and patio complete with 37 sq meters of internal open plan living space and up to 32 sq meters of outside living area. The master bedroom is around 22 sqm and there are walk in wardrobes. Second bedroom is around 16sqm also with walk in wardrobes. Each bedroom has a large ensuite bathroom. There is also a cooled wine cellar.

Total build area is from 136 to 186 sqm including the patio and a garden of around 100sqm.

Each villa will be fully furnished in Contemporary or Modern designs. Each has luxury fitted kitchens and bathrooms, air conditioning, high speed internet access, security monitoring and central heating.

Price: 176,311 to 232,225 Euros depending on position of villa and size

Payment Plan: 30%, 40%, 30%






One to Six Bedroom Eastern Style Villas

Every villa is in a front line golf location with commanding views over the valley and golf course. The patio's provided outstanding panoramic views and there are facilities for parking your private golf buggy.

The Villas have two distinct areas, one side offering light enriched living space and the other a relaxed area with bedrooms and bathrooms. The signature galleried entrance hall separates the two areas and has a defining display area with podiums leading to a master plinth for statues and ornamental eye catching displays such as fountains or mature bonsai. There is also an optional leisure and pleasure floor that contains a wine storage room, study, gymnasium, cinema/play room, library and technical resource room containing all the villas automatic systems.

The Eastern theme villas are deigned for space, bedrooms being an average of 40 sq meters with split level sleeping and relaxing areas. There is a large open plan living room with relaxation suite, a spacious dining area easily accessed from the fully fitted kitchen. There is also a separate cool space larder adjacent to the washing and drying room. From the Galleried Hall there is a Spa Suite with jacuzzi and a sauna room with separate shower.

From the Lounge there is open access to the Patio with built in barbeque and optional swimming pool or plunge pool. The Patio extends around the villa encapsulating the side area to the Dining Room. All the gardens are landscaped with naturally selected plants and maintained by the EskiZara maintenance team if required.

In the bedroom area there are large walk-in wardrobes with dressing space, fully fitted bathrooms and seating area in every bedroom that opens to a balcony overlooking the gardens. There is a choice of one to six bedrooms with total area varying between 200 sq meters and 600 sq meters

Price: 375,000 to 600,000 Euros

Payment Plan: 30%, 40%, 30%

Very nice projects, especially that they are integrated with other tourist facilities. I noticed this is somehow a rule in Bulgaria. I wish our seaside had similar integrated projects, with a touch of local architecture. :cheers:

Le Clerk said:

I noticed this is somehow a rule in Bulgaria.

Click to expand...

Yes, there is one simple rule - there are no rules. That's why our seaside suffers from overconstruction and inadequate infrastructure.

Oh come on, it's not that bad!
Our seaside is developping very fast and of course there are many problems but it's normal. Personnaly I think many other coutries could be jealous even some well known destinations

I think that there should be a separate thread about golf course developments and golf tourism in Bulgaria.

Why, then we should have separate about winter tourism, summer tourism, spa tourism (which is also big) etc. And we'll have a big mess just like before - some tourist stuff went to Black sea projects and construction thread, other to transportation and tourism ,other to economical news and so on.

Ivanski said:

Why, then we should have separate about winter tourism, summer tourism, spa tourism (which is also big) etc. And we'll have a big mess just like before - some tourist stuff went to Black sea projects and construction thread, other to transportation and tourism ,other to economical news and so on.

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Because golf is all about development right now. And there is tonnes of it going on right now. The actual golf tourism is not even functioning yet.

KRUM said:

Oh come on, it's not that bad!
Our seaside is developping very fast and of course there are many problems but it's normal. Personnaly I think many other coutries could be jealous even some well known destinations

Click to expand...

One should differentiate between fast development and reasonable development. And don't feel happy with the idea that someone could envy us. I don't give a shit. In fact, we can't be on equal footing with Spain or Greece. Both countries have larger seaside and better infrastructure, moderate density and strict construction regulations. Spain saw some demolition of hotels but nowadays properties in Bulgaria are being sold to people, some of whom haven't even seen them, and demolishing a building with so many owners is not an easy thing. I've been to some parts of Costa del Sol and, believe me, we have a long way to go. Our greatest plus is that we are a small country and distance doesn't matter. Still, we are too far from the quality we claim to offer.

I have lived in Nice (french riviera) for three years and another year in Barcelona. I have some idea about tourism as that's what i'm studying. Big problems of bulgarian tourism will be solved in a few years or so. Don't forget that in Spain before starting to destroy some (and very few) hotels they have constructed a LOT, much more than us. It's ridiculous to speak about overconstruction in Bulgaria when you see the corn fields along the coast. Of course regulation is needed and it's coming. There wasn't good regulation in Spain or France in the begining of their touristic development it came after it. Infrustructure is also easily acquired once a destination becomes interesting.
I'll keep optimistic until I see the so exposed by medias "runaway" of foreign tourists. So far not a sign of it!

Anyway Spain nature is f#cked up since the time of the Great geographical discoveries and ours isn't. And we should prevent and preserve it with any cost. And also target at a little more wealthy tourist than drunk Irish dockers and crane operators , old German dudes etc.
As for the overconstruction there's one here that's for sure. Not to mention that some of it is in restricted areas. Building control and state agencies are really corrupt on this issue. I hope it's just a bad mark of the fresh capitalism and it'll pass away after a few years.

Hmmm...do not agree. Here are some photos of mine from Costa del Sol:

Not exactly ruined nature though the infrastructure is much better than ours. Do you see a 1x1 road with thrash all over? no. Do you see piles of construction materials on fenced sites all over? no.





Architecture is not so wild&crazy, the streets are good and clean, no cars parked illegaly everywhere:



A yacht port...no oil in the water, no thrash floating above. BTW you can see lots of fish inside, they use it as a proof that their marina is not polluting the sea:



This is how they preserve the greenery around historical sites:



And this is inside a resort, the size of Primorsko. Much greener, much cleaner, despite the fact there were in fact construction sites (working during the season) you almost don't hear anything, no shouting, machinery sounds only around 11-14h and everything is kept clean, no mud, no dust everywhere:




BTW, the spanyards do not start construction works before road, water, sewer, electric infrastructure is build. The fares for construction sites that pollute the roads with mud and dust are severe and the control is strict.


Way to go before we reach their level I think.

And yes, lots of eurotrash there, very rich people in the marinas and 5 star hotels and the usual eurotrash everywhere, just like here in Bulgaria. Our only advantage in that case....are the low prices, not the nature, not the QoS...

Look at the hills behind -naked with some bushes planted ..
as for the Eurotrash.. I think that we could attract wealthier tourist with the right actions taken.
The good thing for now is that at least we get more really hot chicks from MidEurope

that's what I mean talking about nature:







I found it a little better than Mad Max Spain landscape.

^^ This is because they are in the subtropic climatic range. AFAIK with the global warming, southern Spain is slowly becoming a desert because of the decrease of rain. Anyway, the flora in that climatic range is lower, mostly bushes. The same is in southern Greece, Turkey and Middle East.

Anyway we have one of the best forests in Europe , the sad thing is that some illegal firms are destroying them. Not just around the Black sea cost.

bgrs said:

Hmmm...do not agree. Here are some photos of mine from Costa del Sol:

Not exactly ruined nature though the infrastructure is much better than ours. Do you see a 1x1 road with thrash all over? no. Do you see piles of construction materials on fenced sites all over? no.

A yacht port...no oil in the water, no thrash floating above. BTW you can see lots of fish inside, they use it as a proof that their marina is not polluting the sea:

This is how they preserve the greenery around historical sites:

Click to expand...

Puerto Banus & Alhambra de Granada - 2 of my favourite places in Andalucia. :cheers:

And yes, forests are not that abundant in Spain, however, people there can turn the desert into forest while some capable people here can do the otherwise.

Bulgarian hotel makes it to Forbes' getaways list

A Bulgarian hotel has earned the recommendation of Forbes, the US business magazine addressing affluent readers. In its section on Eastern Europe's extravagant getaways, the magazine features Yastrebets Wellness & Spa hotel in Borovets winter resort.

The blurb features the hotel as the best year-round destination, where one can ski in winter, play tennis in March, fish in summer and hunt in autumn.

The luxury hotel is the sole Bulgarian hotel that is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World international chain.

Its interior is furnished using only natural materials – oak furniture, silk, cotton. It has a 15m swimming pool, a fitness centre and Technogym apparatus, courts for volleyball, tennis and football, as well as an open-air playground, according to its website.
The magazine's full list can be read on its website.