Burgas in 60 Seconds
Burgas (pop. ~200,000) is Bulgaria's fourth city and its biggest Black Sea port. It's flat, compact and relaxed, built around the long seafront Sea Garden park. It's also the gateway to Bulgaria's southern beach coast - Sunny Beach, Sozopol and UNESCO-listed Nessebar are all within an hour.
The Venue: Arena Burgas
The contest is at Arena Burgas, in the northern Izgrev district, a short ride from the centre. What it holds, what its roof can carry and how long it takes to reach from each base are all on the Arena Burgas page, which also carries the 3D view of the city. Or read how the host city was chosen.
What Eurovision in Burgas Will Feel Like
Think of it as Eurovision-meets-seaside-festival: May on the Black Sea coast is mild (17-22°C), the Sea Garden is a ready-made Eurovision Village, and tens of thousands of resort beds sit just up the coast. The flip side: the city itself is small, so fans will spread across the coast and shuttle in - more Düsseldorf-2011 logistics than capital-city Eurovision.
Where Fans Will Stay
- Burgas centre / Sea Garden: the prime location - walkable, on the water, close to restaurants and the likely fan zone.
- Izgrev (near the arena): residential, limited hotels but good apartment options.
- Sunny Beach & Nessebar (30-40 km): enormous resort capacity with May pre-season prices; realistic and cheap if the city sells out, with bus/shuttle connections.
- Sozopol (35 km south): the prettier, quieter alternative - an old fishing town with cobbled lanes.
Hedge your bets now with refundable bookings - our accommodation strategy explains the two-city trick.
Getting There
Burgas Airport (BOJ) has growing seasonal European service in May; otherwise fly to Sofia and connect by bus (~5h), train (~6-7h) or internal flight. Full options in Getting to Bulgaria.
Five Things to Do Between Shows
- The Sea Garden - kilometres of seaside park, sculptures and beach bars.
- Nessebar old town - a UNESCO World Heritage peninsula of Byzantine churches and wooden houses.
- Sozopol - ancient Apollonia; arguably the coast's most charming town.
- Aqua Kalide / Burgas mineral baths - Roman-Ottoman thermal heritage just outside town.
- St. Anastasia Island - a tiny monastery island reachable by boat from the marina.