Bulgaria: Black Sea, Sofia, Rila Monastery, Plovdiv, best time to travel and costs in 2026

Bulgaria suits you if you want to combine beach days on the Black Sea with monasteries, fortresses and Roman ruins. UNESCO lists ten World Heritage Sites in the country, seven cultural and three natural (as of September 2026). In winter there is also Bansko in the Pirin mountains; the Ministry of Tourism gives December to March as the ski months.

When it comes to paying, a lot is new in 2026: the euro has applied since 1 January, and since 1 February as the only legal tender. For drivers there have been new vignette prices since 1 August 2026. And since 2026 the Danube Limes, the Roman frontier on the Danube, has also been on the Tentative List for UNESCO World Heritage.

Bulgaria suits you less for a beach holiday in spring or from October: the Ministry of Tourism gives June to September as the beach months. You also need time if you travel by train between the capital and the coast: even the fastest direct train from Sofia to Varna, a night train, takes 7 h 50 min (timetable end of September 2026).

Getting there from Germany

Of the 22 main German airports, exactly 1,146,423 passengers departed in 2025 with a last known destination in Bulgaria, ranking 18th among 211 destination countries. Passengers changing planes abroad are not included. Of these passengers from Germany, 725,188 flew to Sofia, 312,447 to Varna and 108,766 to Burgas. Sofia and Varna thus rank 35th and 89th among foreign destinations (cities and islands with several airports counted together).

Most of them departed from Frankfurt (209,109), followed by Munich (163,198), Berlin (127,553) and Dortmund (104,601). Only 22 of them flew to Plovdiv. The source of the figures is the Federal Statistical Office; totals and rankings are own analysis. According to the Ministry of Tourism, Plovdiv also has an international airport, and in summer charter flights go direct to Varna and Burgas.

Sofia: by metro to the centre

It is around 10 km from Sofia airport to the centre. The metro station connects to the east end of Terminal 2, and on line M4 you are in the city centre after about 20 minutes. The barrier deducts the fare of €0.80 (as of September 2026) from your contactless bank card or your phone. The Central Railway Station and the Central Bus Station are on the M2; you can change at Serdika.

According to the summer timetable, valid since 27 July 2026, the first metro leaves the airport on weekdays at 5:21, the last at 23:38. A free shuttle bus runs around the clock from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2, every 40 minutes from 20:00 to 8:00. For taxis the airport refers to its contract partner “Yellow!” with desks in both arrival halls and advises against rides that are offered to you in front of the terminal.

Varna: bus 409 or taxi

From Varna airport, 8 km west of the city, bus 409 takes around 50 minutes to Golden Sands and less than 20 minutes to the centre. You can board in front of the arrivals of Terminal 2 and buy the ticket on the bus (as of September 2026).

From Terminal 2, Triumf Taxi, the official partner, runs around the clock. According to the airport website, the ride to the centre costs an estimated €11 and to Golden Sands €27 (tariff since 1 May 2026); the final price is shown by the taximeter.

Burgas: line 15 to the bus station

To reach the seaside resorts north and south of Burgas, take a bus or minibus from the central bus station. Line 15 goes there from the airport, which is 11 km north-east of the city. Eko Taxi operates day and night, and its yellow cars wait in front of Terminal 2 (as of September 2026).

Regions and destinations at a glance

All details in the table are as of September 2026.

Around Varna, Golden Sands has 3.5 km of beach, and Albena has over 40 hotels with around 15,000 beds in total. On the southern coast, Sunny Beach, with more than 10 km of beach, is the largest seaside resort in the country. Nessebar is over 3,000 years old: Thracians settled there first, and at the beginning of the 6th century BC the town became a Greek colony. In Sozopol's old town, a reserve since 1974, there are over 180 houses from the National Revival period.

In Sofia, Boyana Church at Vitosha is known for its frescoes of 1259; photography is prohibited inside. To get to Rila Monastery from Sofia you take the E79; from the turn-off at Kocherinovo it is still around 25 km. The monastery was founded in the 10th century, most of today's buildings after a fire, built from 1834 to 1862; the oldest building is Hrelyo's Tower of 1335.

Plovdiv's ancient theatre was built under Emperor Trajan and had room for 5,000 to 7,000 people. “Ancient Plovdiv” has been on UNESCO's Tentative List since 2004, but it is not a World Heritage Site.

From the end of the 12th century Veliko Tarnovo was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, protected above all by the fortress on Tsarevets hill. The reserve is open daily, from April to September 8:00 to 20:00, in October 9:00 to 18:00, from November to March 9:00 to 17:00 (as of September 2026). On Tuesdays there is maintenance from 9:15 to 11:00.

Best time to travel

WMO climate normals 1991–2020 for Sofia (586 m) and Varna (39 m), by month: mean high and low in °C, precipitation in mm.

In Varna August is the warmest month and, at 29 mm, the driest; rain of at least 1 mm then falls on only 3 days. Sofia gets the most rain in June (79 mm). For hiking, the Ministry of Tourism recommends early autumn, late spring and the start of summer.

Getting around the country

Train and bus

BDZ has no fixed fares, and some trains cost more at weekends. The 2nd-class examples come from a query on 27 September 2026 for journeys from 28 September to 4 October 2026:

• Sofia–Plovdiv: ICF 8611, 6:30 to 9:14, €5.62, Saturdays €7.16, plus €0.51 reservation; with the group fare for 3 to 6 people €4.81 per person.
• Sofia–Burgas: ICF 3621, 6:10 to 11:59, €11.71, Saturdays €14.32.
• Sofia–Varna: ICF 8651, 10:15 to 18:55, €14.67, at weekends €17.90, plus €0.51 reservation; at night ICF 2627, 23:00 to 6:50, €14.67.
• Sofia–Veliko Tarnovo: only with a change, fastest 4 h 33 min.

Because of roadworks on the network, BDZ expects timetable changes; even with a ticket bought early you should check the train again before the journey (as of September 2026). Operators show prices for long-distance coaches only in their booking forms, so none are given here.

Car and roads

On Bulgaria's national roads you need an e-vignette for cars up to 3.5 t and for every motorhome, including heavier ones; motorcycles travel without one. Since 1 August 2026 it costs €5.30 for one day, €6.60 for the weekend, €10.00 for one week, €19.90 for one month, €35.90 for a quarter and €64.50 for the year.

The weekend vignette is valid from Friday 12:00 to Sunday 23:59, the day vignette for 24 hours from purchase. You can buy it online up to 30 days in advance; you pay cash at counters at the main border crossings and by card at 464 machines (as of 31 July 2026).

Speed limits: 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 outside them, 120 on expressways, 130 on motorways and 140 where signposted. The limit is 0.5 per mille, and headlights are compulsory all year round, including in the daytime. Bulgarian traffic lights have no amber phase between red and green. A German driving licence is enough; according to ADAC you do not need an international one (as of September 2026).

Domestic flights

For domestic flights to Varna or Burgas you go to the inner gates of Terminal 2; according to the airport you should allow two hours before departure (as of September 2026).

Money and costs

Bulgaria has belonged to the eurozone since 1 January 2026, and the fixed conversion rate is 1.95583 lev to the euro. Since 1 February 2026 only the euro has been legal tender. You should still carry cash, because according to ADAC small shops, restaurants and many businesses in the countryside often do not accept cards.

In the municipality of Nessebar the accommodation remits the tourist tax per overnight stay to the municipality and must show it separately on your invoice. Since 2025 it has been €0.33 up to 3 stars, €0.38 for 4 and €0.61 for 5 stars. No rates could be verified for other municipalities.

Practical information

Bulgaria is in the Eastern European time zone, and the clock runs one hour ahead all year round. The official language is Bulgarian, the emergency number is 112, the country code +359. According to ADAC the mains supply is 230 volts and 50 hertz, so you do not need an adapter. Because Bulgaria belongs to the EU, “Roam like at home” applies there (as of September 2026).

Public holidays are 1 January, 3 March, 1 May, 6 May, 24 May, 6 September, 22 September and 24 to 26 December, plus Good Friday to Easter Monday according to the Orthodox calendar. Public holidays that fall on a weekend are made up on the following working days; this does not apply to Easter. That is why in 2026 Monday 28 December is also a day off, because 26 December is a Saturday (own calculation).

What applies to entry, safety and health is set out in the travel and safety advice of the German Foreign Office.

Who Bulgaria is not for

• Anyone who wants to swim outside summer: the beach months are June to September according to the Ministry of Tourism, and in Varna the mean high in January is 6.6 °C.
• Anyone who wants to get around quickly without a car: from Sofia to Varna, around 545 km, the three direct trains take 7 h 50 min to 8 h 50 min (timetable end of September 2026).
• Anyone who dislikes driving on unsafe roads: in 2025 Bulgaria had 71 road deaths per million inhabitants according to provisional EU figures, against an EU average of 43 and 34 in Germany.
• Anyone who wants to pay by card everywhere: in the countryside, in small shops and in restaurants it is often cash only.
• Anyone expecting unspoilt World Heritage Sites: UNESCO sees Nessebar as burdened by tourism and investors, and in Bansko hotels stand right up to the boundary of Pirin National Park.
• Anyone who wants to avoid winter cold: in Sofia the mean low in January falls to −3.9 °C, and on 18.9 days a year more than 10 cm of snow lies on the ground.