What are the prices for beach amenities at the start of the summer season along Bulgaria’s southern Black Sea coast?

As the tourist season approaches, questions are being raised about whether the cost of beach amenities will increase this summer.

For the first time, prices for beach umbrellas and sunbeds will be displayed in euros, as Bulgaria continues preparations linked to its eurozone transition.

Tour operators are also calculating differences in package holidays between Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece.

According to checks along the southern Black Sea coast, nearly all beaches have already reached the maximum price for umbrellas and sunbeds set out in their concession contracts. This means no further price increases are expected this summer. The main change will be currency conversion, with prices being recalculated into euros.

However, due to rising costs, concessionaires are expected to seek ways to introduce legally permitted price adjustments, such as charging separately for items like beach mats or small tables when offered as part of an umbrella and sunbed set.

The average price for a sunbed or umbrella this summer is expected to be around €5, although this will vary between different beaches.

Simeon Tsvetkov, chair of the Association for the Development of Black Sea Beach Management Activities:

“The beach in Burgas has the second lowest price. There is one beach in Bulgaria where I think the price is 36 stotinki under the old system — under the new system that should be €0.18. Here, the price will be €0.60, from 1.20 BGN last year, and when it comes to currency conversion we round in favour of the customer. At the most expensive beaches, a full set reaches around €23.”

Slaveya Toneva, a beach café manager, added:

“At the moment, the prices we offer to customers are absolutely reasonable, I would say. We have no increase compared with what our suppliers have prepared. Our frappé is €3, and our coffee is currently €1.99.”

Beach operators in Bulgaria say the country continues to offer some of the lowest prices in Europe for beach amenities, pointing to destinations such as Greece and Italy, where prices typically start from around €20 and can reach up to €150 in luxury resorts.

Prof. Stoyan Marinov, co-chair of the Varna Tourism Chamber:

“Despite inflation and rising prices, we are maintaining our competitive advantage in terms of value for money. A one-week all-inclusive holiday in a four-star hotel for two people in Bulgaria during July, the peak season, is in the range of €1,600–€1,700. The same product in Turkey is around €200 more expensive, while in Greece the price exceeds €2,000.”

Despite this, the tourism industry in Varna expects a challenging season due to the complex geopolitical situation, rising fuel prices and the cancellation of some charter flights.