The Black Sea in summer, by car

Getting to the coast

From Sofia, the Trakia motorway leads to Burgas via Plovdiv and Stara Zagora: about 385 km. Burgas and Varna airports are operated by Fraport Twin Star.

South of Burgas: Sozopol

Sozopol, about 35 km south of Burgas, stands on a rocky peninsula. Founded in 610 BC as Apollonia Pontica, it has a protected old town with houses from the 18th and early 19th centuries.

North of Burgas: Nessebar and Sunny Beach

Nessebar Old Town, on a peninsula 850 m by 350 m joined to the mainland by an isthmus, has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1983. Car access is restricted: a guest at a hotel in the old town must register the number plate with the municipality in advance, has one hour to settle in, and then parks the car in a car park. The “Severen golyam”, “Morska gara” and “Yahteno pristanishte” car parks serve the old town.

Just to the north, Sunny Beach stretches between Nessebar and Sveti Vlas.

Parking in Burgas and Varna

• Burgas: blue zone, paid from 09:00 to 19:00; an SMS to 1356 pays for one hour (€1, plus the cost of the SMS).
• Varna: green zone, paid Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 19:00, except public holidays; SMS to 1353, €0.51 an hour.

Rates published by the municipalities and checked on 8 October 2026; signs on site take precedence.

North of Varna

Golden Sands, on the edge of the nature park of the same name, is 17 km north of Varna; Albena, 35 km. A car lets you alternate between beaches, towns and the hinterland without depending on timetables.

Your car on the coast

Take the car in Sofia and drive to the coast on the motorway, or ask for delivery on the coast: it is on quote, depending on your dates and address. For a week or more, the daily price goes down with the length of the rental.