Less than 20 years ago Bulgaria was still locked behind the iron curtain. A mysterious country, with the stereotypical images of squat Olympic weightlifters, incomprehensible Cyrillic script and dangerous cold war assassins being the first things that came to mind to the average western European. Fortunately, these days are long gone and Bulgaria has made a massive transformation to a modern day market economy. Visiting this beautiful country is a lot easier than most will imagine.
Getting There.
The main entry point into Bulgaria’s south coastal region and the closest to Ravda, is Bourgas (sometimes spelt Burgas) airport, (Airport code: BOJ). This airport is located approximately 30km from Bulgaria Seaside Apartment, and takes just 23 minutes by car / taxi. A bit further is Varna, (VAR), at approximately 110km away and takes just over an hour to drive. The capital Sofia is about 390km away and is a good 4 ½ hour drive. Internal flights are possible from Sofia to Bourgas or Varna with Hemus Air/Air Bulgaria or Dandy Airlines (+359 2-9433674).
Unless you are planning a wider tour of the country, we would recommend for comfort and convenience to try and arrange your flights to arrive and depart from Bourgas. In the summer there are many charter flights from various UK airports serving Bourgas and Varna, as well as other airlines which operate all year round, including some budget airlines.
As there are so many travel options available, it pays to shop around to find the cheapest fares, bearing in mind that a flight with a short stop-over, whether in Sofia or elsewhere could be a lot cheaper than a direct flight. Below I have quoted a list of web-sites to help you find the best available deals. If you do experience any problems, or simply would like some help with finding the cheapest deals, please feel free to Contact me. The websites below focus mainly on travel between the UK and Bulgaria, however, I can help find flights from anywhere you wish.
Charter Flights:
Budget Airlines:
Often the use of a screen scrapper can help find the best budget flights, for example:
Other Budget airline websites include: (some will need a stop-over).
- Wizz Air (direct from London Luton)
- Sky Europe (via Bratislava or Vienna)
- Central Wings (via Warsaw)
- Air Berlin (via Germany)
- German Wings (via Germany)
Sometimes the national carriers offer cheap deals.
These can best be compared through web sites such as:
If you are not in a hurry and would like to explore a bit more of the country, which can certainly be rewarding, then flying to Sofia and renting out a car could be a good option.
The capital Sofia serves as the main hub and entry point into the country. The recently opened second terminal at Sofia airport handles most of the international carrier flights. The budget airlines mainly operate from terminal 1. For more information visit: www.sofia-airport.bg. Use the links in the section above to search for cheap flights to Sofia.
For those reminiscent of scenes from old cold war spy movies, an alternative method of travel to Bulgaria is by train. The Bosphor Express travels daily between Vienna and Istanbul, via Budapest, Bucharest and Sofia. The alternative route is the TransBalkan which travels via Zagreb, Belgrade and Macedonia. A vast amount of information on train travel and where and how to make bookings can be found on the website of “The man in seat 61”, www.seat61.com. The German website www.bahn.de has a very good search engine and has up to date travel information, (click on the link: International Guests, for the English version of the website).
Once in Bulgaria, it is very easy to get around. Public transport is frequent and is very cheap.
Getting Around.
Train:
Train travel between the major cities within Bulgaria is exceptionally good value. The state railway company BDZ, operates train services between Sofia, Burgas and Varna. The express services take about 7 hours and cost approximately 25 leva, which is equates to less than £10. All tickets for international trains, and advance tickets for domestic services can be bought at one of several Rila Bureaux (www.bdz-rila.com). There is no direct train service along the coast between Bourgas and Varna hence no train service to Nessebar, or Ravda. There is a single track shuttle service in operation between Bourgas and Pomorie. The easiest mode of travel between Bourgas and Ravda / Nessebar is by bus, unless you are hiring out a car. Buses are cheap, and frequent. There is a small Tourist Train (which is actually a road-train) in operation between Nessebar and Sunny Beach.
Bus:
From the Yug bus station in Bourgas, at the southern end of ul. Aleksandrovska, there are bus and minibus departures every 30 to 40 min to all major resorts along the coast, including Nessebar (40min) and Ravda (35min). From Bourgas there are also buses to Sofia, Varna and international coaches to Istanbul. A bus ride from Sunny Beach to Ravda, or from Ravda to Nessebar is only 1 or 2 lev, which is less than a pound. It is possible to reach most places from Ravda by bus. Tickets can be bought on board, or at a roadside kiosk. An alternative is to take a taxi. For the short distances between Ravda and Sunny Beach / Nessebar, these should cost no more than 8-12 lev.
Car Hire:
If you prefer to hire a car, then local companies will be pleased to offer a range of vehicles. There are several car-hire companies, including Hertz and Avis and the local TS travel. To rent an economy class vehicle for a week should cost in the region of £150 - £200.
Try these following websites for good deals:
A valid driving license, and all original registration and ownership documents as well as insurance papers are required to be carried at all times whilst driving. Take care and observe speed limits. Police checks are frequent.
