Car & Van Hire - Bourgas

Due to its mild summer weather and location on the Black Sea Coast, Bourgas is known as a summer beach destination. The city’s waterfront and its main beach run for more than five kilometres. Here, you'll find amenities like child play areas, beach bars and ice cream shops.

On the southern side of Bourgas Beach, the pier and the marina are particularly lively in the evenings, when locals and tourists go for a leisurely stroll. This is also the departure point for boat rides to the nearby St. Anastasia Island, where you can swim, visit a museum and enjoy a traditional Bulgarian meal with sea views.

Next to Bourgas Beach is Sea Garden, a large city park dotted with landscaped flower gardens, sculptures, outdoor cafes and play areas. Also, in the park, you’ll find an open-air dinosaur-themed museum and a horse riding centre, both of which are child-friendly. Other suggestions for family outings include the Zoo and Sunset Aquapark, both located near the airport.

The majority of historical attractions in Bourgas are in the streets around the train station. Here you will find the Archaeological Museum, the Ethnographic Museum and the Regional History Museum, as well as renowned cultural venues like the State Opera Building.

The downtown area is also the best place to go for a meal, knowing you’ll find all kinds of fine dining restaurants and informal eateries, as well as cocktail bars, pubs, microbreweries and coffee shops. For Bulgarian fish and seafood dishes, head to the waterfront, where there are several eateries open until late.

The biggest shopping centre is the Mall Galleria, though there are smaller shopping outlets and independent stores in the downtown area.

With your own wheels, you can reach some of the top attractions in the Bourgas region, like the thermal Roman baths in Aquae Calidae, the Roman city of Deultum, or the waterfalls in Strandzha Nature Park. You can also drive around Bourgas Bay and explore picturesque towns like Nessebar and Sozopol.

Some of the most famous events in Bourgas take place in Sea Garden Park, as is the case of the Summer Sand Sculpture Festival. Other renowned events include the Sailing Week and International Regatta, the Wine and Spirits Fest and the International Folk Dance Festival. To enjoy these events, be sure to check the dates before travelling.

Although Bourgas is blessed with long and warm summers, winter temperatures often dip below zero, and snowfall is not uncommon, even though the city is on the coast. If you travel to Bourgas during the winter, you’ll have to ensure that your vehicle complies with winter driving regulations. Between November to March, dipped headlights or daytime running lights and winter tyres are mandatory in order to improve safety and visibility. Chains and studded tyres are not necessary in this part of the country.

Drinking and driving regulations are very strict in Bulgaria, and they’re enforced through frequent checks in holiday resort areas like Bourgas. The maximum blood alcohol content allowed is a very low 0.05%, and anything above the limit warrants fines of hundreds of euros and could potentially spell legal trouble, too.

Speed limits are 120 km/h on motorways like the A1, which connects Bourgas with other major Bulgarian cities like Plovdiv and Sofia. Within the city, speed limits range between 40 km/h and 50 km/h, and on all other roads outside built-up areas, the maximum speed is set to 90 km/h. Penalties for exceeding the speed limit increase according to the severity of the offence, and in the worst-case scenario, they can lead to a temporary licence suspension. Fines can also be issued for using the phone, eating or smoking while driving.

Although there are no toll roads in Bulgaria, when you arrange a car or van hire in Bourgas, you’ll need to ensure the vehicle has a vignette sticker on the windshield. If it doesn’t, it’s possible that the agency has purchased an e-vignette, which doesn’t need to be displayed. In any case, it’s compulsory to have a vignette linked to the car’s plates when driving on all Bulgarian roads, irrespective of their category. Short-term vignettes are available as weekend or week-long passes. You can enquire about vignettes with your car hire agent.

Central Bourgas has a paid parking system in place. Blue Zone parking applies during daytime hours on weekdays throughout the year, and Green Zone parking is enforced daily during peak season (summer months). Another thing you need to be aware of when looking for parking in Bourgas is that in one-way streets, you can only park on the left.