Sunny Beach is one of the two most popular holiday resorts in Bulgaria, which attracts crowds of vacationers every year. There is no wonder, after all, such a convenient location at the center of the Bulgarian Riviera, perfect weather, clean water, soft sand and a rich accommodation and catering base encourages tourists from all over Europe to come.
Sunny Beach is only 35 kilometers away from the airport in Burgas and can easily be reached by private buses.
What is definitely the biggest magnet attracting vacationers for a vacation in Sunny Beach is a long (8 km) wide and sandy beach, separated from the green by sand dunes.
Sunny Beach is an ideal place for a vacation, which is why it is also the most popular resort chosen for family holidays. Both in travel agencies and when it comes to vacation planned on their own.
Sunny Beach is a perfect place for a holiday stay!
There will be young, active people who look for entertainment and interesting activities on vacation, as well as couples who want to spend their holidays in a nice and romantic atmosphere, in a place where there are plenty of tourist attractions and interesting places to visit.
Sunny Beach is also a great place for holidays for families with children and it is with them in mind that two aquaparks have been created here, and many hotels have prepared amenities for their youngest guests.
What about hotels, lodgings or apartments for tourists?
Accommodation in Sunny Beach
The accommodation base is very well developed and some sources state that there are almost 600 hotels here.
This number – even if it is a bit exaggerated – indicates that there are plenty of sleeping places.
These facilities vary in terms of standard, from the usual two-three-star, to completely exclusive resorts. Everyone will find something for themselves, and above all in their budget.
You just have to remember that choosing a cheap hotel in Sunny Beach with a small number of stars, you can not expect luxury, because these buildings can remember the times of communism.
In addition to hotels, you can, as everywhere, rent rooms in private accommodation or entire apartments in Sunny Beach.
Most of them are equipped with air conditioning, a place where you can prepare meals and a swimming pool. This is an ideal form of accommodation not only for families with children, but also for the elderly and seniors who appreciate greater peace.
There are also camping sites near Sunny Beach, but this is not the most popular form of overnight stay in Bulgaria, so their standard may leave much to be desired.
A few shots from this resort:
How much cash to take on a vacation in Sunny Beach? A few words on prices …
Prices in Sunny Beach
At the beginning it must be said that Sunny Beach is the largest and most popular holiday resort in Bulgaria, but also a seasonal one.
For this reason, everything related to tourism will have a higher price than the average price in Bulgaria.
The principle is one and the same – the closer the beach and coastal streets, the more expensive. Even when it comes to grocery stores (supermarkets), because higher prices are not only the domain of eateries and bars.
Those who were on holiday in Sunny Beach say that everything from the main street towards the beach / sea is the most expensive.
It is slightly cheaper inland.
For a meal in a pub (without drinks) you have to count on average at least 15-20 lev.
And how are other prices shaped?
You can also find places where:
- for a kebab we will pay 3.5 – 4.5 lev (depending on the size)
- Pork steak approx. 4 lev (approx. 200 g)
- grilled ribs approx. 4 lev (approx. 200 g)
- chicken fillet approx. 3 lev (200 g)
- portion of french fries 2 lev (200 g)
- salad 2-4 lev
- fish fillet approx. 2 lev (for 100 g)
- seafood: calamari, mussels, octopus 3 lev (per 100 grams)
Prices in stores – we will pay for drinks on average:
- beer 0.5 l approx. 1-2 lev
- homemade wine 10 lev per liter
- Mineral water 2 lev for 1.5l
- pack of cigarettes 5 lev
On the beach, on the promenade, the prices look a bit different:
- we pay at least 6 lev for a kebab
- for portions of french fries 3 lev
- A hot dog or hamburger is an expense of 5 lev
- shopska salad from 6 lev
- slice of pizza 3 lev
- fruit bowl 5 lev
- ice cream start from 1 -2 lev
- coffee approx. 3 lev
- beer from 2.50 lev
- small bottle of water 1 lev
Attractions on the beach also have a price:
- renting a sun lounger 7-10 lev
- sunshade similarly 7-10 lev
- use of various water equipment from 15-60 lev
- playground for children 5 lev
- toilet from 0.5-1 lev
Let’s go now what interesting places and tourist attractions that we can see and visit while on vacation in Sunny Beach in Bulgaria.
Tourist attractions in Sunny Beach
Sunny Beach is called Las Vegas of the East and there is something to it – it is full of bars, discos, pubs and other tourist attractions.
Sunny Beach is a paradise for lovers of fun until dawn.
To confirm these words, a few minutes from the night life of Sunny Beach:
There is also a large number of restaurants, bars, cafes and souvenir shops.
If this is not enough, you can also play mini golf or a game of tennis, or jump from a bungee. There is also a karting track and a funfair with carousels – Luna Park.
As you can see, there are many tourist attractions for couples, singles, seniors and families with children.
Sandy beaches in Sunny Beach
One of the most interesting attractions, which also often becomes the main reason why tourists choose Sunny Beach as the destination of their vacation, is a beautiful and sandy beach!
The beach in Sunny Beach is long and wide, with a gentle descent to the sea, which is not without significance for families with small children. The sand is delicate and ideal for playing, sometimes creating quite large dunes.
The beach in Sunny Beach has been awarded the Blue Flag designation for its cleanliness and sanitation.
On the beach you can spend lazily on a sun lounger the entire holiday using the beach equipment rental. These toll zones are usually located closer to the shore, if you do not want to pay for a sunbed, then you can easily set up just behind them.
On the beach in Sunny Beach you can also go crazy on various types of water equipment, from diving, water skiing, motorboats, windsurfing, pedal boats to cruises for fishing. This is an additional attraction and argument for spending your vacation here.
Aquapark in Sunny Beach
If just sunbathing and swimming in a warm sea is not enough in Sunny Beach there are also two aquaparks that will provide additional excitement. One of them Action Aquapark is the perfect place for a day trip. In the aquapark there are various pools with slides, including one for the brave 18 meters high with a length of almost 120 meters.
Another similar water park is located near Sunny Beach – Aqua Paradise in Nessebar.
And so you can have fun in the mentioned Aqua Paradise in Nessebar:
What is worth seeing and visiting in Sunny Beach?
While on vacation in Sunny Beach, it is worth visiting a few pearls of the southern part of the Black Sea.
One of them is so close to Sunny Beach that you can get there on foot – we are talking about the town of Nessebar.
Nessebar is the oldest city of Bulgaria, where a part of the city (located on the peninsula) was inscribed on the UNESCO World List.
This town is called the city of 40 churches. The largest of them is the church of Christ Pantokrator from the 13th century. You can also walk around the area through small streets to see quite unusual buildings made of brick and wooden houses (brick bottom, wooden top).
See tourist attractions and monuments you will find in Nessebar:
It is worth going to the aforementioned Burgas, which is the fourth largest city of Bulgaria and by the way also an important port. You can look at one of the many museums – ethnographic, archaeological or natural history, which are another interesting attraction.
At a distance of about 15 kilometers from the center of Burgas are the Burgas Mineral Baths with their healing thermal springs.
You can also go to Sozopol which is considered the cultural capital of the coast.
Its history dates back to antiquity.
It is a favorite place of artists, due to a kind of romantic atmosphere, picturesque narrow streets, old town and wooden houses.
In the summer, many cultural events, exhibitions and festivals take place here.
Driving a little further it is worth visiting the Ropotamo nature reserve in which during one of the boat trips we will see unique rock formations (lion’s head, dragon house), protected vegetation (water lilies), pond turtles and other animals and a really green river.
On the way back, in Primorsko, you can see and visit the Bulgarian Stonehenge – Beglik Tash. It is most likely an ancient stone sanctuary erected in honor of the sun god. The remains of the first Balkan inhabitants who lived here – Thracians.
Let’s go from the tourist attractions in Sunny Beach to souvenirs that are worth buying here.
Souvenirs from Sunny Beach
What is worth buying and bringing from a vacation in Sunny Beach? Certainly nice photographs and good memories. Among the more material things, it is worth getting interested in cosmetics with the addition of rose oil. On the basis of a rose we will also buy various kinds of sweets, and of course alcohol.
In stores you can buy sunflower halva and very good red and white wines. Some tourists also import local brandy aka cognac with the original name Slantschew Brjag (Sunny Beach).
It is worth getting interested if anyone likes this type of thing – hand-carved wooden products, woolen rugs or embroidered clothes.
There are no souvenirs here. However, it is worth looking closer to the quality of their performance. You can read more about this in our article about souvenirs from Bulgaria.
Access and weather in Sunny Beach
Let’s start with the plane. The fastest and most comfortable means of transport is, as always, the aforementioned aircraft. We fly to Burgas with cheap airlines and charter flights from many European cities. The flight lasts only a few hours and we can enjoy our vacation. On site you can get to Sunny Beach by taxi, bus or private buses. You can also rent a car. However, if you travel the entire route by your own car, we advise avoiding Romania – the roads are of very poor quality.
Last but not least – weather conditions on holidays in Sunny Beach.
This town is ideally located – because it is protected on one side by mountains, on the other adjacent to the sea. All this affects the climate of Sunny Beach, where there are hot summers with moderate rainfall and colder and wetter winters.
The hottest months are of course July and August, when air temperatures can reach 30 degrees Celsius.
The number of sunny hours is 9-10 per day and the sea temperature heats up to over 20 degrees.
If you don’t like hot weather and crowds, it’s better to go sightseeing and take long walks to Sunny Beach, e.g. in May.
It is not so hot yet, it may even fall, and it is slightly cheaper and calmer. In contrast, families with young children can go, for example, in June or September, when it is not yet or is after the peak of the season.
We then have 9 hours of sunshine a day and little chance of rainfall. The water in the sea is already warmed up so that the little ones can swim without fear, and in the evenings you can go for long walks.
On the other hand, in October especially older people can take advantage of still good weather (over 20 degrees), beach and walks.
However, you must pack somewhat warmer clothing in your luggage. Evenings can be cold then. Fortunately, almost all “youth” attractions are now closed and you can experience complete peace.
Current tourist map of Sunny Beach
For all those who are going to Sunny Beach for a vacation, we suggest that you read the map below before and check and mark the location of your hotel, apartment or lodging on this map, mark tourist attractions and plan your trip well:
It is also worth looking at the official tourist site of Bulgaria where you will find additional information about Sunny Beach.