The Town
Social and commercial life in Burgas centres on ulitsa Aleksandrovska , the long boulevard that scythes north-south through town. The upper part is sedate, shaded by trees and largely residential, while the lower end of the avenue is brash and colourful, lined with cafes and thronged with people. Everyone comes here to stroll in the evening, walk their dogs or just sit and drink a coffee or two. Midway along is a spacious plaza whose surprisingly spruce, marble Soviet war memorial has been outclassed by the gleaming white stone and bronzed glass of Burgas Free University , Bulgaria's first privately funded fee-paying college, offering courses in marketing. The other axis of social life in Burgas is bulevard Aleko Bogoridi , which turns off by the towering Hotel Bulgaria , in the direction of the Sea Gardens to the east. Narrower than ul. Aleksandrovska, but likewise full of shops and cafes, it runs past the small Armenian Church of St Hach, a modern structure with an elaborate bell tower, ministering to the needs of the town's few hundred Armenian residents. A third of the way along bul. Bogoridi is an Archeological Museum , which also doubles as a terrarium (summer daily 9am-9pm, winter hours unpredictable; US$1). The fairly unexciting display of Roman-period votive tablets, Thracian jewelley and Neolithic pots is easily outshone by the weird and wonderful creatures kept in glass tanks in the same galleries, which are labelled in English. One of the more unusual specimens is the ornate horned frog from South America, which lures its prey by placing one hindfoot on its head and wiggling its toes. A great variety of lizards and snakes is on show, including an Australian carpet python and an Asian water-dragon, and there's also a couple of tanks of hapless mice, blissfully unaware of their lunch-time fate. One block south of the museum at ul. Vodenicharov 22, a Moorish-style former synagogue contains an Art Museum (Mon-Sat 9am-6pm; US$1), with a fine display of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century icons on the top floor. North of bul. Bogoridi, residential streets huddle around the Church of SS Kiril i Metodii , built between 1894 and 1905. The saints are depicted in peeling murals above the entrance, framed by Art Nouveau stained glass. A couple of minutes walk east, the Ethnographic Museum , at ul. Slavyanska 19 (officially Mon-Sat 8am-noon & 1-5pm; US$1), exhibits fishing paraphernalia, regional textiles and fearsome Kukeri costumes. Just south of here, the Natural History Museum , at ul. Konstantin Fotinov 30 (Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 1.30-5pm; US$1), has the usual collection of stuffed animals, while the Historical Museum round the corner, at Lermontov 31 (Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 1.30-5pm), houses an unimaginative display of sepia pictures of old Burgas and Bulgarian-only texts detailing the region's history. Bul. Bogoridi ends near the attractive and well-kept Sea Gardens , laid out with flowerbeds, statues and fountains, and dotted with cafes. There are some splendid views of the sea from the terraces, while the shady avenues provide a refreshing respite from the oppressive summer heat. Steps from here descend to the city's long sandy beach , patrolled by lifeguards and fringed by more restaurants and bars. Strong winds along this coast make windsurfing a popular activity, and boards may be hired from the Morski Klub - the poor water quality failing to dampen the spirits of the locals, who appear perfectly happy to share the bay with oil tankers and cargo vessels. Two websites , and , have some general information on the city, the former providing up-to-date details on the battle against pollution. Internet access is available at the Internet Club , ul. Sbedinenie 3, on the corner of bul. Bogoridi.
Transport!Ilona says "Hello everybody! i am new here. This summer we are going to spend in St.Vlas but we arrive to Burgas. Does anybody know what are the options to get to St.Vlas to Burgas,probably the cheapest one?:)))" Transport!Ilona says "Hello everybody! i am new here. This summer we are going to spend in St.Vlas but we arrive to Burgas. Does anybody know what are the options to get to St.Vlas to Burgas,probably the cheapest one?:)))" Transport!Ilona says "Hello everybody! i am new here. This summer we are going to spend in St.Vlas but we arrive to Burgas. Does anybody know what are the options to get to St.Vlas to Burgas,probably the cheapest one?:)))"
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