Black Sea Coast (bourgas) holidays - travel guide - activities & sights

Varna, on Bulgaria's beautiful Black Sea Coast, is thriving as an impressive new dive resort. With awe-inspiring dive sites, including several excellent shipwrecks and a magnificent submerged Roman port city, the accompanying pristine beaches and temperate waters will ensure this fast becomes one of the most popular dive centres in Europe.

Bulgaria has around 600 natural mineral springs, with water temperatures ranging from 20 to 60 degrees celsius, whose baths and health spas are famous tourist attractions. Bottled spring water presents wonderful under explored opportunities as well. The spring water is rich in mineral elements and often runs unattended.

By the far the best beach on the coast has to be Sunny Beach. Awarded the EU blue flag, this broad stretch of fine sand runs for 8 km. Further north, both Albena and Golden Sands boast spectacular long, clean beaches.

If you're here in May or June, the Valley of the Roses will make an uplifting day out. This beautiful rose-gardened valley in Bulgaria's south east lies between the Balkans and Sredna Gora mountains. Every spring, it blossoms into a riot of colour, fragrance and festivity. In a tradition dating back to the 17th-century, when the roses here supplied the French perfume industry, the fresh petal essence is extracted to create the region's 'attar of roses' or rose oil, which is used worldwide to make perfumes.

Nature lovers will want to take in the refreshing air and stunning scenery of the country's National Parks. Largely made up of spectacular, forested mountain ranges studded with sparkling lakes, caves and waterfalls, Bulgaria has as many as ten national reserves, all offering myriad activities such as hiking and walking trails, mountain biking, white water rafting and caving. Closest to the Black Sea coast is the Strandzha Park, an idyllic area of deep forests, rife with birds and wildlife. Nearby is the Ropotamo Reserve, famous for its water-lilied river, bird sanctuaries and bays, and further north is the Golden Sands National Park, where if you're lucky you can spot wild deer, boar and falcons.