I know that not many foreigners get to the Bulgarian seaside and even less to the northern side, but in case you are in Bulgaria during the summer, there are some places close-by ready to be discovered. Although I wouldn’t choose these beaches instead of the ones in Thailand, Cuba or even Greece or Croatia, the beaches there, like Ezerets, are good enough for a relaxing weekend if you happen to be around.
Ezerets
Ezerets is a small village next to Krapets, very close to the Romanian border in the North. From the village with the same name take a dusty path through the sunflower fields towards the sea. At the end of it, more exactly at 3.5 km, there is a pine forest where people improvise every year a camping.
I call it improvising because I’m not sure how much the state handles this camping. There is no toilet, water or electricity, but strange enough, there are 3 recycle bins that are periodically cleaned, a sign that the authorities are informed of the existence of the camping, they don’t want trash around, but don’t care if the people pee in the fields. Next to the camping, there is a small bar with drinks and snacks. You can only pay with cash, leva or RON. There is enough parking space around the little forest.
The camp is pretty clean and quiet. Some people stay here for longer than one weekend and are very well equipped. In the evening, there were some campfires, but after 24 o’clock there was nobody left outside the tents. In the morning, one can see the sunrise from the tent, while the pine aroma reminds of the Greek beaches.
The beach in front of the camping is wide, without any lounge chair, with smooth sand, rather clean and very long. It was like traveling back in time when I had just discovered the sea and was looking for shells in the sand.
From far away, through the pines, one can spot the sea, but only when you get closer you notice its turquoise color and cleanliness. The water was a little too cold for my taste, but I wanted more to enjoy the view anyway.
In the village, there is a hotel with a restaurant, Wild Duck, which I didn’t check and a shop well supplied with similar prices to other places in Bulgaria or Romania.
From Ezerets to Shabla
As we got a little hungry, we decided to walk along the beach to the fish restaurant in Shabla, “just” 3 km away.
Between the camping and Shabla lies Ezerets Lake, a salty marshy lake, inhabited by shags, seagulls and ducks. The lake is delimited all the way by the beach, so you can walk safely between the two villages.
The beach is almost desert. You’ll only meet shag colonies, seagulls and from now to then a person or two. However, the 3 km take around one hour and a half. Next time we chose to go by car.
In Shabla we found a nice terrace, where you could choose among various species of fish, mussels and shrimps. We could also pay by card, including Revolut, for a better exchange rate. If you want to make sure you’ll find a table, you had better book in advance. We saw several couples leave as there were no tables left.
There we saw 3 campings with bungalows. The one by the sea looks old and sloppy, but the one behind it has pretty wooden little houses with individual porches. That one was full and the conditions seemed better. The third one had little houses and tents and is located by the main road that goes to the sea and Bosi Beach, a cozy little beach. Here, the picky ones can enjoy the comfort of a lounge chair, but there remains enough space (like a few kilometres) for the ones that prefer the sand. A small bar with swings instead of chairs and mojito in the menu, a terrace and a small stall with anything one might need cater for the tourists, without invading the entire area.
A little farther to the south, by the sea, you’ll find the Lighthouse of Shabla. The one that still stands today dates back to 1836 and is a replica of the one built in 1768. The lighthouse is 32m tall, but one can only see its exterior, as it belongs to the military.
Tyulenovo
Tyulenovo is not a place for the ones that want to relax and get a tan on the beach, but it’s perfect for an evening walk on the seafront or for the fans of jumping, snorkelling, deep water solo or diving. The cliffs, the stone arcade and the small bay with fishermen boats offer some nice landscapes to photograph.
If you want to try something different to eat, you can go to Dalboka and have mussels with anything from coconut to to pumpkin. Nowadays it’s far less crowded than a few years back, but the food is still fine and the prices are good.
The weekend vignette for Bulgaria
If you want to drive on the Bulgarian roads, you’ll need a vignette. Previously you couldn’t buy it for a shorter period than 7 days, but now you can also buy one only for the weekend. The weekend vignette lasts from Friday at 12:00 to Sunday at 23:59 and costs 10 BGN. At the customs it’s not listed and they don’t sell it, but you can buy it online, even before getting to the Bulgarian border.
The South of the Bulgarian seaside is preferred by families with children and all-inclusive fans, but the North is the favorite of the ones that want remote beaches, spectacular landscapes and a weekend with Mediteranean touches.
What place by the Black Sea do you prefer on hot summer days?
Read the article later!
Travel With A Spin contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for reading!
