In fact, the Black Sea offers pretty much everything the Med does: reliable sunshine May to September, safe bathing, good beaches and a mixture of quiet retreats and teeming resorts.
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More Black Sea bliss in our Bulgaria section The best of Bulgaria in bargain Nessebar
Bulgaria, a country rich in folklore
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When the hot summer sun beats down, the ten-minute stroll to the beach through the cool, dappled shade of these trees is a pleasure rather than a penance. Saplings, tagged with the donor's name and planted in the odd bare patch, commemorate the park's centenary in 2008.
Star turn is a pair of intricately worked pendant earrings of Nike, Greek goddess of victory, while a beautifully wrought, heavy gold bracelet inlaid with precious stones is the kind of gift Richard Burton would have presented to Elizabeth Taylor.
We never made it to Balchik, a traditional seaside town clinging to the cliffs further along the coast, nor inland to Veliko Turnovo, the striking rocky fortress and 12th Century capital, but we saw enough to realise that this country with a complicated past is more than just a playground for sun-starved northerners.
Volatile euro exchange rates over the last few years have also been drawing people to all-inclusive. Emma Coulthurst, travel commentator from Travelsupermarket, said: 'Holidays are important to Britons but keeping within a budget is really important to them.
What to do: Of the bunch, it is Fuerteventura with the lowest average prices, which is great news for beach lovers: Lonely Planet reckons the island has the best in the Canaries.
A cup of coffee or glass of wine costs about £1.60, beer a bit less.
Travel Facts
Although a member of the EU, Bulgaria has its own currency, the lev.
A pound is worth just over two leva. Cash dispensers are plentiful.
Simply take the wide, pedestrianised Boulevard Knjaz Boris I, past modern shops and tall old houses.
Cross Primorski Park where old women, crocheting under shady trees, smile at but do not bother passers-by, and voila! There, stretching to St Constantine, lies the calm blue sea and the golden sand.
For days out, PortAventura World near Salou offers Ferrari Land and water park fun. There are also a number of beaches and resorts that line the island and are known for their calm, shallow waters.
You catch it too, in spite of the crowds, in the faded frescoes of the old Byzantine churches in afrodita nesebar, a Unesco World Heritage Site close to Sunny Beach, the biggest resort on the coast.
Why go there?' was the usual reaction when we revealed we were off to the Black Sea for a June break.
It was usually followed by something along the lines of: 'The Mediterranean's nearer and better, Bulgaria's coast is spoilt and overcrowded.' But so are swathes of the Mediterranean coast.
We chickened out of the six-mile walk along the tree-backed beach to the old port of Varna.
Instead, we bought a 24-hour ticket - using half one day, half the next - on the red double-decker Varna City Tour bus, a hop-on hop-off service that conveniently takes you into town from St Constantine.
RELATED ARTICLES
Previous
1
2
Next
More Black Sea bliss in our Bulgaria section The best of Bulgaria in bargain Nessebar
Bulgaria, a country rich in folklore
Share this article
Share
When the hot summer sun beats down, the ten-minute stroll to the beach through the cool, dappled shade of these trees is a pleasure rather than a penance. Saplings, tagged with the donor's name and planted in the odd bare patch, commemorate the park's centenary in 2008.
Star turn is a pair of intricately worked pendant earrings of Nike, Greek goddess of victory, while a beautifully wrought, heavy gold bracelet inlaid with precious stones is the kind of gift Richard Burton would have presented to Elizabeth Taylor.
We never made it to Balchik, a traditional seaside town clinging to the cliffs further along the coast, nor inland to Veliko Turnovo, the striking rocky fortress and 12th Century capital, but we saw enough to realise that this country with a complicated past is more than just a playground for sun-starved northerners.
Volatile euro exchange rates over the last few years have also been drawing people to all-inclusive. Emma Coulthurst, travel commentator from Travelsupermarket, said: 'Holidays are important to Britons but keeping within a budget is really important to them.
What to do: Of the bunch, it is Fuerteventura with the lowest average prices, which is great news for beach lovers: Lonely Planet reckons the island has the best in the Canaries.
A cup of coffee or glass of wine costs about £1.60, beer a bit less.
Travel Facts
Although a member of the EU, Bulgaria has its own currency, the lev.
A pound is worth just over two leva. Cash dispensers are plentiful.
Simply take the wide, pedestrianised Boulevard Knjaz Boris I, past modern shops and tall old houses.
Cross Primorski Park where old women, crocheting under shady trees, smile at but do not bother passers-by, and voila! There, stretching to St Constantine, lies the calm blue sea and the golden sand.
For days out, PortAventura World near Salou offers Ferrari Land and water park fun. There are also a number of beaches and resorts that line the island and are known for their calm, shallow waters.
You catch it too, in spite of the crowds, in the faded frescoes of the old Byzantine churches in afrodita nesebar, a Unesco World Heritage Site close to Sunny Beach, the biggest resort on the coast.
Why go there?' was the usual reaction when we revealed we were off to the Black Sea for a June break.
It was usually followed by something along the lines of: 'The Mediterranean's nearer and better, Bulgaria's coast is spoilt and overcrowded.' But so are swathes of the Mediterranean coast.
We chickened out of the six-mile walk along the tree-backed beach to the old port of Varna.
Instead, we bought a 24-hour ticket - using half one day, half the next - on the red double-decker Varna City Tour bus, a hop-on hop-off service that conveniently takes you into town from St Constantine.