We’re off for 2 weeks at the beginning of July.

Anyone know what the area is like for (road) biking? Also any idea where I could hire a bike from?

I can borrow a bike box and reckon I could probably get the bike across from here but I’m not sure on the logistics at the other end (as I’m the only driver) so don’t think this is an option.

from what I can remember the roads weren’t in great condition.

As oldeh says, my main concern would be the road quality, I spent a little time in Bourgas last year and the road from the airport to the town is great, beyond that you’d be better off on a MTB!

yeah went about 7-8 years ago, the roads werent great and neither were the drivers. in varna checkout Happy bar and grill. even the missus agreed the young ladies serving had great bums :0)

My parents were living in Bulgaria, about an hour from Varna, until just before Christmas when my father died unexpectedly. I was there for about a fortnight.

There are nice places around the coast where most of the investment has taken place. As soon as you go inland by 10 minutes it’s exactly as you would imagine a poor, ex-soviet bloc, country to be. The roads are absolutely littered with holes and the bits where it’s OK is where everyone drives like a lunatic. There’s just not a lot of traffic on the road, so that’s a positive.

Bike hire will only be in the tourist towns on the coast.

Who are you flying with? WizzAir?

Thanks all, doesn’t sound like a great idea then…

We’re flying on a charter out of Manchester (Balkan Holidays).

Perhaps late to the party, but yes – most of the road look like they’ve been shelled, you’re also a good few hours south of the emerging MTB venues in the Ski resorts.

Bulgaria is a lovely place (bar Sunny Beach) some of my Outlaws live just outside Varna, but it really is like stepping back 50 years – the ‘roads’ in their village are loose dirt tracks. The highway between Varna and Sunny Beach was brand new and smooth at the time, but you’d be insane to take to it on a bike, the standard of driving is more Deathrace than what we’d call bad, on the plus side most service areas do have a selection of prostitutes to choose from.