Burgas

Burgas sits on a bay with four wetlands around it, Atanasovsko, Burgasko, Mandrensko and Poda, which together make the area one of the most important bird sites in Europe, sitting under the Via Pontica flyway with very large numbers of pelicans, storks and raptors passing in migration. The city itself has a long sea garden running along the coast with a pier, a pedestrianised centre of nineteenth and early twentieth-century buildings, and a set of small museums. It is the working counterpart to the resorts further up the coast, with the largest Bulgarian port and a refinery, and it is used mainly as a base and a transport hub rather than a destination, which keeps it cheaper and more ordinary than Varna.

History

People have lived here for 3,000 years, and the Thracians left the richest traces, the sanctuary of Beglik Tash, the baths of Aquae Calidae and the fortress of Tyrsis; Greeks from Apollonia built a market to trade with them, and in AD 70 Vespasian founded the veterans' colony of Deultum nearby on the Via Pontica. In the Middle Ages a small fort called Pyrgos, probably a watchtower, stood where Burgas is now, the name Burgas appears in the 13th-century poet Manuel Philes, and under Ottoman rule a settlement called Ahelo-Pirgas grew here in the 17th century, later Burgas again, with about 3,000 people (Wikipedia, Burgas).

What you'll find

• Four wetlands around the city - one of the best bird areas in Europe.
• The sea garden and pier - the park running along the coast.
• Via Pontica migration - pelicans, storks and raptors overhead in autumn.
• The pedestrianised centre - early twentieth-century streets and squares.

When to go

April to October, with August to October for migration, which is the strongest reason to come. A day in the city, more with the wetlands. Museums close on some Mondays.

Before you go

The city is functional rather than attractive and the industrial fringe is heavy. Beaches in the city are ordinary. The wetlands need transport and a telescope to get much from. It is mainly a base.

Nearby

Lake Atanasovsko is on the northern edge; Pomorie and Nesebar lie north.