This map of Bulgaria shows the capital, Sofia, the destination covered in our guides and the main cities, with terrain, national parks, expressways, railways, rivers and international airports.
Neighbouring countries (land border): Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. Its coasts border the Black Sea.
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Key: red star = capital; blue dot = destination covered by a Destination de Voyage guide; blue italic name = region or island with a guide; grey dot = other city; plane = international airport (IATA code); brown triangle = summit (elevation); green areas = national parks; thick orange line = expressway, light orange = main road; black-and-white line = main railway; grey dashes = regional boundaries; blue = rivers and lakes; shading = terrain; grid = latitude and longitude.
Sources: base map, cities, roads, railways, airports, administrative boundaries, rivers, lakes and hillshading: Natural Earth 1:10m (public domain). National parks: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL licence). Summits and elevations: Wikidata and Natural Earth. Places missing from Natural Earth: Wikipedia coordinates. Map produced by Destination de Voyage.
Regions and destinations on the map of Bulgaria
| Region | Our guides | Other cities on the map |
|---|---|---|
| Sofia City | Sofia | — |
| Burgas | — | Burgas |
| Shumen | — | Shumen |
| Dobrich | — | Dobrich |
| Khaskovo | — | Haskovo |
| Kyustendil | — | Kyustendil |
| Pernik | — | Pernik |
| Pleven | — | Pleven |
| Plovdiv | — | Plovdiv |
| Ruse | — | Ruse |
| Sliven | — | Sliven |
| Stara Zagora | — | Stara Zagora |
| Varna | — | Varna |
| Veliko Tarnovo | — | Veliko Tarnovo |
Straight-line distances between the main cities
Straight-line distances calculated from place coordinates (haversine formula). Actual journeys by road, rail, boat or plane are longer.
| Route | Straight-line distance |
|---|---|
| Sofia – Burgas | 341 km (212 mi) |
| Sofia – Varna | 377 km (234 mi) |
| Sofia – Ruse | 251 km (156 mi) |
| Sofia – Stara Zagora | 191 km (119 mi) |
| Sofia – Pleven | 134 km (83 mi) |
| Sofia – Dobrich | 381 km (237 mi) |
| Sofia – Haskovo | 202 km (126 mi) |
| Sofia – Veliko Tarnovo | 196 km (122 mi) |
Terrain, national parks and airports
Main summits (elevations from Wikidata / Natural Earth): Musala (2,925 m / 9,596 ft), Vihren (2,914 m / 9,560 ft), Botev Peak (2,376 m / 7,795 ft), Vitosha (2,292 m / 7,520 ft), Ruen (2,251 m / 7,385 ft).
National parks shown (3): Central Balkan National Park, National Park Rila, Pirin National Park.
International airports shown: BOJ (Burgas), SOF (Vrazhdebna).
Our guides by destination
The 28 regions of Bulgaria and what sets them apart
The Natural Earth base map divides Bulgaria into 28 first-level subdivisions (type: Oblast). These are the grey dashed boundaries on the map. The table ranks them from largest to smallest, with the cities, highest point and international airports the map places in each. Only the 22 largest are listed.
| Region | Type | Area | Cities and guides | Highest point shown | Airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burgas | Oblast | 7,649 km² (2,953 sq mi) | Burgas | — | BOJ |
| Sofia | Oblast | 7,107 km² (2,744 sq mi) | — | Musala (2,925 m / 9,596 ft) | — |
| Blagoevgrad | Oblast | 6,705 km² (2,589 sq mi) | — | Vihren (2,914 m / 9,560 ft) | — |
| Plovdiv | Oblast | 5,566 km² (2,149 sq mi) | Plovdiv | Botev Peak (2,376 m / 7,795 ft) | — |
| Stara Zagora | Oblast | 4,861 km² (1,877 sq mi) | Stara Zagora | — | — |
| Veliko Tarnovo | Oblast | 4,739 km² (1,830 sq mi) | Veliko Tarnovo | — | — |
| Dobrich | Oblast | 4,659 km² (1,799 sq mi) | Dobrich | — | — |
| Pleven | Oblast | 4,435 km² (1,712 sq mi) | Pleven | — | — |
| Vratsa | Oblast | 4,410 km² (1,703 sq mi) | Vratsa | — | — |
| Yambol | Oblast | 4,390 km² (1,695 sq mi) | — | — | — |
| Pazardzhik | Oblast | 4,311 km² (1,664 sq mi) | — | Bełmeken (2,626 m / 8,615 ft) | — |
| Lovech | Oblast | 4,134 km² (1,596 sq mi) | Lovech | Botev Peak (2,376 m / 7,795 ft) | — |
| Kardzhali | Oblast | 4,074 km² (1,573 sq mi) | — | — | — |
| Khaskovo | Oblast | 4,028 km² (1,555 sq mi) | Haskovo | — | — |
| Varna | Oblast | 3,925 km² (1,515 sq mi) | Varna | — | — |
| Montana | Oblast | 3,840 km² (1,483 sq mi) | Montana | Tri Chuke (1,936 m / 6,352 ft) | — |
| Smolyan | Oblast | 3,655 km² (1,411 sq mi) | — | Persenk (1,926 m / 6,319 ft) | — |
| Sliven | Oblast | 3,573 km² (1,380 sq mi) | Sliven | — | — |
| Shumen | Oblast | 3,360 km² (1,297 sq mi) | Shumen | — | — |
| Vidin | Oblast | 3,245 km² (1,253 sq mi) | — | Midžor (2,168 m / 7,113 ft) | — |
| Kyustendil | Oblast | 3,175 km² (1,226 sq mi) | Kyustendil | Malyovitsa (2,729 m / 8,953 ft) | — |
| Silistra | Oblast | 3,060 km² (1,181 sq mi) | — | — | — |
- Largest: Burgas, about 7,649 km² (2,953 sq mi), or 7% of the mapped territory.
- Smallest: Sofia City, about 1,244 km² (480 sq mi).
- Capital region: Sofia lies in the Sofia City subdivision.
- Highest region: Sofia, home to Musala (2,925 m / 9,596 ft), the highest summit shown on the map.
- Region best covered by our guides: Sofia City (Sofia).
- Air access: the international airports on the map are spread across 2 of 28 regions (Burgas and Sofia City).
How to read the map of Bulgaria
- Extent: the mapped territory covers about 112,761 km² (43,537 sq mi), according to our calculation on the Natural Earth outline; Wikidata gives 110,994 km² (42,855 sq mi). It extends from 41.24° N to 44.23° N in latitude and from 22.35° E to 28.60° E in longitude, about 333 km (207 mi) from north to south and 511 km (318 mi) from west to east (bounding rectangle, including remote territories).
- Outline: the perimeter of the territory on the map (coasts and land borders) is about 1,967 km (1,222 mi). The simplified Natural Earth outline smooths out small detours: the actual length of the coastline is greater. Destination de Voyage calculation.
- Time zone (IANA tz database 2026b): Sofia:
Europe/Sofia(UTC+2 in January, UTC+3 in July). - Terrain: shading shows the relief and brown triangles mark the summits. The highest shown are Musala (2,925 m / 9,596 ft), Vihren (2,914 m / 9,560 ft), Dzhangal (2,730 m / 8,957 ft), Malyovitsa (2,729 m / 8,953 ft), Bełmeken (2,626 m / 8,615 ft). Wikidata gives Musala (2,925 m / 9,596 ft) as the highest point.
- Rivers (blue lines): Maritsa, about 256 km (159 mi) traced within the territory; Strymna, about 199 km (124 mi) traced within the territory; Danube, about 83 km (52 mi) traced within the territory. Lengths measured on the simplified Natural Earth outline: Destination de Voyage calculation.
- National parks (green areas): 3 with their centre inside the territory, including Central Balkan National Park, National Park Rila and Pirin National Park. Outlines from OpenStreetMap or position from Wikidata.
- International airports (plane icon): BOJ (Burgas, about 6.8 km (4.2 mi) from the centre of Burgas); SOF (Vrazhdebna, about 7.2 km (4.5 mi) from the centre of Sofia). Straight-line distances: Destination de Voyage calculation.
Distances between the main cities (cross table)
Straight-line distances between the capital, our destinations and the largest cities on the map, with the direction from the first city. Roads and ferries always add distance.
| Route | Straight-line distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Sofia → Plovdiv | 132 km (82 mi) | southeast |
| Sofia → Varna | 377 km (234 mi) | east |
| Sofia → Burgas | 341 km (212 mi) | east |
| Sofia → Ruse | 251 km (156 mi) | northeast |
| Sofia → Stara Zagora | 191 km (119 mi) | east |
| Sofia → Pleven | 134 km (83 mi) | northeast |
| Plovdiv → Varna | 283 km (176 mi) | northeast |
| Plovdiv → Burgas | 227 km (141 mi) | east |
| Plovdiv → Ruse | 213 km (132 mi) | northeast |
| Plovdiv → Stara Zagora | 77 km (48 mi) | northeast |
| Plovdiv → Pleven | 142 km (88 mi) | north |
| Varna → Burgas | 85 km (53 mi) | southwest |
| Varna → Ruse | 170 km (106 mi) | northwest |
| Varna → Stara Zagora | 205 km (127 mi) | southwest |
| Varna → Pleven | 266 km (165 mi) | west |
| Burgas → Ruse | 192 km (119 mi) | northwest |
| Burgas → Stara Zagora | 152 km (94 mi) | west |
| Burgas → Pleven | 254 km (158 mi) | northwest |
Typical itineraries in Bulgaria based on the map
Our guide covers one destination on the map: Sofia. Combine it with the capital and the cities in the distance table.
- Our complete guide to Bulgaria: must-sees, detailed itineraries and budget
- When to go to Bulgaria: best time to visit and month-by-month climate
- For a trip combined with a neighbouring country: map of Greece, map of Romania and map of Turkey.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Bulgaria?
Sofia, marked by the red star on the map.
Which countries border Bulgaria?
Countries sharing a land border: Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey.
What is the highest summit shown on the map?
Musala, at 2,925 m (9,596 ft) elevation (source: Natural Earth).
Which international airports are on the map?
BOJ (Burgas), SOF (Vrazhdebna).
Where is Sofia on the map of Bulgaria?
At 42.69° N and 23.31° E, marked by the red star, in the Sofia City subdivision.
How many regions does Bulgaria have?
Our map, based on Natural Earth, shows 28 first-level subdivisions (Oblast). Wikidata lists 28 entities of type “oblast of Bulgaria” attached directly to the territory; the official division may differ from the one on the map.
Where is Bulgaria?
Continent: Europe (Wikidata). Bulgaria lies in the northern hemisphere, east of the Greenwich meridian. Coasts: the Black Sea. Land borders: Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey.
What is the area of Bulgaria?
About 112,761 km² (43,537 sq mi) according to our calculation on the Natural Earth outline; Wikidata gives 110,994 km² (42,855 sq mi). Differences come from the precision of the coastline and inland waters.
Our sources
- Natural Earth 1:10m (public domain): country and subdivision boundaries, cities, airports, rivers, lakes, terrain, at naturalearthdata.com.
- Wikidata, item Q219 (Bulgaria): area, highest point, continent and subdivisions, accessed 23 October 2026.
- © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL licence): national park outlines.
- Wikidata: location of national parks and elevation of summits.
- Wikipedia: coordinates of places missing from Natural Earth.
- Destination de Voyage calculations: distances (haversine, radius 6,371 km), directions and areas (WGS84 ellipsoid, pyproj library).
- Our methodology