Eurovision 2027 in Burgas: A Local’s Travel Guide to Tickets, Where to Stay and Getting There

Last updated: October 18, 2026. Eurovision dates, venue, ticket status, entry rules and transport checked against official EBU, BNT, and EU sources.

Bulgaria is hosting Eurovision for the first time, and it is not in Sofia. The 71st Eurovision Song Contest will take place at Arena Burgas, on our southern Black Sea coast, in May 2027. I’m Bulgarian, I have been travelling to Burgas and the towns around it for years, and honestly, I was as surprised as everyone else when BNT announced the host city.

This guide covers what you actually need to plan the trip: dates and tickets, where to stay when Burgas itself is sold out or overpriced, how to get there from Sofia, and the one thing most fans overlook: how you get back to your bed after a show that ends in the middle of the night.

👉 Related reading:

• Bulgaria Travel Guide: How to Plan the Perfect Trip
• Ultimate Sofia Travel Guide: How to Plan Your Trip
• From Sofia Airport to City Center: The Ultimate Guide

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Eurovision 2027 at a Glance

Why Burgas and Not Sofia?

Most of us expected Sofia. After DARA won in Vienna with “Bangaranga”, the whole country assumed the capital would host. Four cities bid: Burgas, Plovdiv, Sofia and Varna. Plovdiv and Varna dropped out first, and on 13 August 2026 Burgas won over Sofia.

As a local, I understand the choice. Arena Burgas is Bulgaria’s newest sports and entertainment venue, the airport is ten minutes from the city, and the whole Burgas bay is built for tourism. In May, you also get something Sofia can’t offer: the sea, the Sea Garden, and long evenings on the beach before the season really begins.

How to Get Eurovision 2027 Tickets

Tickets are not on sale yet. Here is what you should do now:

1. Create a free Eurofan account on the official Eurovision website. Without it, you cannot enter the ticket sale at all.
2. Register your interest in Eurovision 2027 tickets in the “Tickets & Events” section of your account.
3. Watch for the official ticket announcement. The EBU has not yet announced the Burgas 2027 on-sale date or ticket prices. Register your Eurofan account and switch on your interest in Burgas 2027 tickets so you receive the official information when the process starts.
4. Consider the preview shows. There are nine ticketed shows in total: the three live televised shows plus six preview shows (evening dress rehearsals and jury shows). The previews are cheaper and much easier to get.

Only buy from the official ticketing partner once it is announced. Resale sites selling “Eurovision 2027 tickets” right now are selling something that does not exist yet.

No tickets? Come anyway. Burgas will have a full programme around Eurovision, including Eurovision Village, EuroClub, public viewings and other events. BNT also plans to involve Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna in the wider Eurovision programme. Exact locations, dates and which events will be free are still being announced.

Where to Stay for Eurovision 2027

This is the part that worries people most, and for good reason. Within hours of the host city announcement, some Burgas listings for Eurovision week jumped above €4,000 a night, and Bulgarian media reported that almost everything in the city for 11–15 May showed as booked or unavailable.

Don’t panic. Here is what I know from living here:

• The wider Burgas region has an enormous number of beds. Bulgaria’s National Statistical Institute recorded more than 140 000 bed-places in accommodation establishments across Burgas district in July 2026. That figure covers the whole district rather than just the city, but it illustrates how much accommodation capacity exists along the coast. A severe shortage of accommodation is unlikely.
• The first price spike is usually algorithms and speculation. In previous Eurovision host cities, prices have sometimes corrected significantly after the initial announcement-day spike, as hotels released blocked inventory and more accommodation became available.
• Rooms come back. Owners cancel and re-list, and hotels release blocks after the ticket sale. Check again in January.

My advice: book something with free cancellation now, even if it’s not perfect, and keep checking.

Burgas city centre

The best base if you have show tickets. Arena Burgas is close to the centre and reachable by bus, taxi or car, and you are walking distance from the Sea Garden, the pier and the central beach. Also the most expensive option during Eurovision week.

Sarafovo

Lovely in normal times, but immediately after the host-city announcement, listings in Sarafovo were reported at around €1,300 to €1,500 a night. Prices and availability are changing quickly, so compare carefully.

Pomorie

My favourite alternative. About 20 km north of Burgas, on a narrow peninsula between the sea and a salt lake, with a small old town and the fascinating Pomorie Thracian Tomb. Around 25 minutes by car or taxi. Read my Pomorie guide.

Nessebar and Sunny Beach

The biggest concentration of hotels on the whole coast, about 35 km from Burgas. Nessebar is a UNESCO-listed old town and beautiful in May before the crowds. One local warning: many big Sunny Beach resort hotels only open for the season in mid or late May. Make sure your hotel is actually open that week.

Sozopol

About 35 km south. The most atmospheric town on the southern coast, with the old town on a peninsula, wooden houses and seafood by the harbour. Read my Sozopol guide.

Getting Back After the Show: The Detail Most Fans Miss

The live shows start at 22:00 Bulgarian time and usually run for more than three hours. The Grand Final often ends after 1:00 at night.

Regular buses between Burgas and the resorts do not run late enough to rely on them after a Eurovision show that ends after midnight. Some routes have evening departures, but schedules vary by destination and date, so if you stay outside Burgas, arrange your return in advance:

• Taxi: Use only licensed taxis with the price per km on the window. Agree to pre-book a return ride if you can. Expect high demand and long waits after the Final.
• Rental car: The most flexible option if someone in your group doesn’t drink. Bulgaria has a strict blood alcohol limit. The top-rated Bulgarian rental car provider is Top Rent-a-Car.
• Special event transport: BNT has said detailed transport and traffic plans will be announced later.

A trick Bulgarian fans are already planning: stay in Burgas itself only on show nights, and spend the other days in Pomorie, Sozopol or Nessebar where prices are lower.

How to Get to Burgas

Fly directly to Burgas Airport (BOJ)

Burgas Airport is about 10 km from the centre. Ryanair, Wizz Air and TUI all fly to Burgas from the UK. Many routes are seasonal, so check that your route runs in May.

Fly to Sofia, then continue to Burgas

For many Europeans, the cheapest flights land in Sofia. Read my guide from Sofia Airport to the city center, then choose how to continue (Sofia to Burgas is about 390 km):

• By car: About 4 to 4.5 hours, almost all on the Trakia motorway (A1). This is how I usually do it. You can pick up a car at Sofia Airport and keep it for the whole coast. 👉 Book your rental car with Top Rent-a-Car.
• By train: About 6.5 to 7 hours, the cheapest option at around €15.
• By bus: About 7 hours, several departures a day, around €17–18. 👉 Search Sofia to Burgas buses
• By plane: About 50 minutes with Bulgaria Air. The airline has announced additional Sofia–Burgas flights for Eurovision, with up to two flights a day planned between 2 and 19 May 2027.

Why add Sofia to your Eurovision trip?

Just days before this guide was updated, Sofia was named Best City Break in Europe for 2027 by European Best Destinations. If you’re flying into Sofia anyway, spending two or three days in the capital before heading to Burgas gives you a completely different side of Bulgaria: historic sights, restaurants, nightlife and Vitosha Mountain, before the seaside Eurovision experience.

Entry Requirements, Money and Practical Tips

• Schengen: Bulgaria is a full Schengen member. Visa-free non-EU visitors are generally subject to the standard 90-days-in-180-days Schengen rule.
• ETIAS: ETIAS is not yet in operation. The EU has not yet announced a specific start date. It will apply to visa-exempt travellers from outside the EU and will cost €20. A six-month transitional period will apply after launch, so check the official EU website before travelling to see whether ETIAS will be mandatory for your May 2027 trip.
• Currency: Bulgaria has used the euro since January 2026. Cards work almost everywhere in Burgas; carry some cash for markets and small cafés.
• Weather in May: Warm days around 20–24°C, cooler evenings, and the sea is still cold for swimming (around 16–18°C). Bring a light jacket for the arena queues at night.
• eSIM: If you’re coming from outside the EU/EEA, an eSIM can be the easiest way to get mobile data as soon as you land. Get a Bulgaria eSIM before you travel. EU/EEA visitors can generally use their home mobile plan in Bulgaria under EU roaming rules, so check your plan before buying an eSIM. 👉 Get a Bulgaria eSIM before you land.

LGBTQ+ travellers

Eurovision is one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly events in the world, and I want you to feel prepared. The UK government’s travel advice notes that public attitudes in Bulgaria are less tolerant outside Sofia, and that a small number of incidents of hostility have been recorded in Burgas and Plovdiv. During Eurovision week, the atmosphere will be very different from a normal Tuesday, with huge international crowds and events, but use the same common sense you would anywhere: be aware late at night and outside the main event areas.

What to Do Between the Shows

You will have free days between 11 and 15 May, and this is where Burgas really shines.

• Burgas itself: the Sea Garden, the pier at sunset, the central beach and the lakes around the city.
• Nessebar: UNESCO old town, 40 minutes away. Nessebar guide
• Sozopol: artists’ town and fortress walls. Sozopol guide
• Pomorie: salt lake, wine and a Thracian tomb. Pomorie guide
• The wild south: Sinemorets and Silistar, empty beaches and river mouths, best by car.

👉 All of them in one place: Best Day Trips from Burgas

Staying Longer in Bulgaria?

If you are flying all this way, give yourself a few extra days. And there is an especially good reason to put Sofia on your itinerary right now: in October 2026, the Bulgarian capital was named Best City Break in Europe for 2027 by European Best Destinations. Sofia is an easy city break before or after the contest (see my Sofia travel guide and best time to visit Sofia), and Rila Monastery is the perfect day trip from Sofia. For a full itinerary, start with my Bulgaria travel guide.

How Bulgaria Won Eurovision 2026

DARA won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on 16 May 2026 with “Bangaranga”, scoring 516 points and winning both the jury vote (204) and the public vote (312). It was Bulgaria’s first win since the country debuted in 2005. Our previous best was Kristian Kostov’s second place with “Beautiful Mess” in 2017.

“Bangaranga” is a high-energy dance-pop track with Bulgarian folk influences, and its victory brought Eurovision to Bulgaria for the first time. The whole country watched that night. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

When DARA lifted the trophy in Vienna, I never imagined the contest would come to our seaside, to a city I know so well. Part of me is still sorry it isn’t in Sofia, especially now that the capital has just been named Europe’s Best City Break for 2027, but Burgas will give Eurovision fans a very different Bulgarian experience. Burgas is not a capital, and that is exactly its charm: sea air, long walks in the Sea Garden, fresh fish, and small old towns just down the coast.

Book flexible accommodation now, set up your Eurofan account, and plan your way back after the shows. The rest, Bulgaria will take care of.

If you have questions about your Eurovision trip, email me. I’m always happy to help.

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👉 Continue reading:

• Is Sofia Worth Visiting? 7 Reasons to Visit