Bulgaria the Riviera on the Balkans

Situated in south-eastern Europe, in the heart of the Balkans, Bulgaria has everything going for it as a resort destination: a worm climate, beautiful scenery, a rich and ancient culture, close proximity to the main centres of Europe and, of course, its beautiful Black Sea coast. This scenic, indented coast, with its warm waters and long sandy beaches interspersed with cliffs is naturally the country’s main tourist asset, but in winter Bulgaria’s mountains also offer ski enthusiasts a wide choice of activities.

Beside the thrill of discovering a new country and visiting unspoiled places that are still not overrun by huge members of tourists, Bulgaria is so in vogue at the moment because it simply offers such good value. In many ways, the country is now where Spain was some 25 years ago, only it won’t take that long for Bulgaria to catch up in terms of both quality and price. Although the beautiful shoreline and ski slopes are not new to tourism, this is still a young tourist and residential market where, if you look well, good quality and low prices combine to provide outstanding value for money- and excellent investment opportunities.

The country

Long overlooked by the rest of Europe, modern- day Bulgaria was once the home of the Thracians, a Mediterranean people with much of the sophisticated culture of the neighbouring Greeks. After Roman rule, modern Bulgaria took shape when the Bulgars, a Turkic tribe from the steppes of Central Asia, settled here and merged with the Slavs who had come some time before. In the middle Ages, Bulgaria managed to finally escape the influence of the Byzantine Empire, but it was short-lived, as the region was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. In 1908 Bulgaria emerged as an independent country again, but two disastrous world wars ended in the country falling under Soviet influence until 1990, when it shed 44 years of Communism. Today, Bulgaria has made the transition to a stable European democracy, a status that will become official when it joins the European Union in 2007.

‘’ Quality and low prices combine to provide outstanding value for money’’

‘’Although relatively undiscovered by most Europeans, this is a country of great natural beauty’’

Although relatively undiscovered by most Europeans, this is a country of great natural beauty as well as historical and cultural interest. Warm, dry summers with lots of sunshine provide the ideal way to enjoy the beautiful coastline, while just inland the attractive villages and small towns of rural Bulgaria abound in rustic charm. Just a little smaller than England, but with fewer than 8 million inhabitants, the farmlands, pastures, mountains and forests of Bulgaria are still delightfully unspoiled. Just two hours from the capital of Sofia lay the ski resort and Alpine scenery of the Rhodope and Balkan mountains, where red-roofed village houses and the spires of pretty little Orthodox churches mark out the patches of population amid the natural scenery.