Rise of camper van travel in Bulgaria

Vetovo Municipality (Bulgaria) plans to participate in a project under the Interreg VI-A Romania-Bulgaria 2021-2027 program. The project includes building a bike path connecting the 'Green Harmony' project with Giurgiu Municipality and the village of Pisanets, restoring a hut in Pisanets, creating a bike workshop, and a permanent exhibition of Roman fort models. The Bulgarian Camper Association expressed interest in joining, proposing to equip a rest stop for motorhomes with electricity and water connections. The application deadline is June 30.

Bulgaria's Krapets-North beach, a Natura 2000 protected area, has banned vehicle access and caravan parking on its sand dunes. The measure aims to curb vandalism and pollution that plagued the site for years. Local business owners fear a drop in visitors, while residents report a cleaner and calmer environment. Cleaning costs for illegal dumps had exceeded 120,000 leva.

Authorities in the Bulgarian municipality of Shabla have restricted parking of cars and caravans on the sand dunes of Krapets-North beach, part of the Natura 2000 network. The measure aims to protect dune formations and reduce waste: the municipality annually removes over 500 tonnes of trash from wild camping sites, spending more than 120,000 leva on cleanup. Fines will be enforced from October 2026, with a warning period currently in place. Instances of damaged signs and fences have already been reported. Local opinions are divided: some support the restrictions, others fear a decline in tourism and harm to local businesses. Authorities are reviewing applications for legal camping areas with infrastructure.

The son of Ivo Karamanski and his wife Antoanet Pepe have moved into a caravan at Camping Gradina near Sozopol. The couple plans to spend the entire summer on the coast, despite rainy weather in Sofia. They have already visited the rock formation Begliktash.

Dayana and Stanislav from Bulgaria converted an empty van into a camper themselves and traveled over 15,000 km across Europe in four months, visiting dozens of places. The most memorable destination was Norway, where they saw the Northern Lights.

Two fires caused material damage in the Kardzhali region. Around 10:30 AM in the village of Boyno, a caravan caught fire due to a short circuit; it was completely burned, but a nearby building was saved. At 6:50 PM, a fire broke out in a room of a former workshop in Ardino, destroying furniture and computer equipment, with 36 sq m of walls blackened; the building was saved. Both fires were caused by short circuits.