Balgarianovinite.com In 2026 Bulgaria is hosting the Grande Partenza event of the 109th Giro d’Italia. Running through key centres of culture and wonders of nature, the route is divided into three stages, each taking one day from May 8 to 10.
It’s not just a sports competition but a chance for 700 million-plus spectators from nearly 200 countries to enjoy, for the first time in the history of Giro d’Italia, Bulgaria’s cultural heritage “on the move”.
Early in the year, the outgoing Cabinet allocated funding in two tranches for the organization and holding of the cycling race in Bulgaria: EUR 8.6 million in February and EUR 15 million in January.
Bulgaria joined an international initiative titled Illuminations. Officially included in the communication strategy of the event, the campaign envisaged illuminating in pink (the signature colour of Giro d’Italia and of the legendary Maglia Rosa or pink jersey) iconic cultural and historical sites in the host cities. Within the framework of the initiative, five landmarks were illuminated on January 28, 2026 (100 days before the start of the race): the fortress walls of the Ancient City in Nessebar, the Burgas pier in Burgas, the Tsarevets Citadel in Veliko Tarnovo, the Velodrome in Plovdiv, and the National Palace of Culture in Sofia. The illuminated sites featured in TV coverage, on digital platforms, social media and tourist campaigns on the eve of the start of the race.
Stage 1: Nessebar – Burgas (May 8, 2026)
This stage of the cycling race (147 km) covers Bulgaria’s Southern Black Sea coast, combining ancient history with biodiversity. The route runs across or past Nessebar, Ravda, Aheloy, Pomorie, Burgas, Malko Tarnovo, Rosen, Chernomorets, the Island of St Thomas, Cape Agalina and Sozopol and finishes in Demokratsiya Boulevard in Burgas.
Cultural and historical sites
The Ancient City of Nessebar (on the UNESCO World Heritage List): The entire peninsula is an architectural historical reserve. Highlights include the fortress walls dating from Antiquity and the Middle Ages and the medieval churches (such as Christ Pantocrator). Among Europe’s most ancient cities, Nessebar emerged 3,200 years ago as a Thracian settlement and a Greek colony called Messambria. Finds from that period are kept at the Nessebar Archaeological Museum.
Another point on the route of the race for that day is Aheloy, a town whose heritage goes back to 917 CE, when the historic Battle of Achelous took place nearby. The event is commemorated by a monument in the town. The Giro also passes across Pomorie (Anhialo in Antiquity), an ancient salt producing and trade centre, and Sozopol (Apollonia Pontica), a town whose history dates back to the 4th – 3rd century BCE. Landmarks include the Ancient City with its authentic architecture and the Island of Sts Cyricus and Julitta. The racers will also cycle past a castle called In Love with The Wind (a tourist attraction near the village of Ravadinovo), where the Church of St John of Rila can be visited, too.
In Burgas, the route of the race includes Aquae Calidae in the Vetren Quarter (a tourist complex occupying the site of Roman (1st – 4th c. CE) and medieval thermae used by Emperors Trajan and Justinian and Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent) and the city’s iconic Seafront Park and Burgas Pier.
Natural landmarks
Before entering Burgas, the route skirts Lake Burgas (aka Lake Vaya) and Lake Atanasovsko. Lake Vaya is Bulgaria’s largest and provides a nesting habitat for over 250 bird species, most of which are listed as threatened in the Red Data Book of Bulgaria.
Lake Atanasovsko lies on the Via Pontica bird migration route and is a protected site within the Natura 2000 Europewide network, with pink lagoons, salt production, and bird watching.
Other natural landmarks in the area are the Ropotamo Nature Reserve (including the Island of St Thomas, aka Snake Island, one of the few places in Bulgaria where wild-growing cacti can be found, and site of a Thracian sanctuary and Christian buildings excavated there), and the uniquely shaped rocky Cape Agalina. The sand dunes on the beaches across from the Alepu Swamp and at the Smokinya and Kavatsi camp sites (south of Sozopol) are other protected areas within the range of the cycling route.
Stage 2: Burgas – Veliko Tarnovo (May 9, 2026)
This stage of the cycling tour (221 km) crosses Bulgaria from south to north, running through mountain terrain and medieval capitals. The route runs across or past Burgas, Aytos, Karnobat, Lozenets, Gorno Aleksandrovo, Trapoklovo, Kaloyanovo, Sliven, Asenovska Bridge, Byala, the Vratnik Pass, Maysko, Konstantin, Maryan, Milkovtsi, Mindya, Medanya, Lyaskovets, Lyaskovets Monastery, Sheremetya and Veliko Tarnovo (Tsarevets) and finishes in Vasil Levski Boulevard in Veliko Tarnovo.
Cultural and historical landmarks
In Veliko Tarnovo, the Tsarevets Architectural Reserve encompasses the citadel of medieval Bulgarian tsars. It is a major tourist attraction in the city that served as the country’s capital between 1187 and 1393. The Sts Peter and Paul Monastery overlooks Lyaskovets at the final climb of this stage; the site is associated with preparations for an uprising led by the feudal lords Asen and Peter in 1185-1187 that restored Bulgaria as an independent state after 167 years under Byzantine rule. The route goes past the village of Arbanassi, an architectural reserve with remarkable mansions and churches, the oldest of which date from the 16th – 17th c.
Natural landmarks
This stage of the cycling tour crosses the Balkan Range at the Sinite Kamani Nature Park near Sliven. This famous rock massif owes its name (“Blue Rocks” in Bulgarian) to one of Europe’s largest accumulations of quartz-porphyry.
Stage 3: Plovdiv – Sofia (May 10, 2026)
The last stage of the race (175 km) passes through Plovdiv (Europe’s oldest urban settlement, dating back to 4000 BCE), the high-altitude part of Mt Rila, and the capital Sofia. The route runs across or past Plovdiv, Stamboliiski, Malo Konare, Pazardzhik, Zvanichevo, Septemvri, Belovo, Momina Klisura, Kostenets, Dolna Banya, Raduil, Borovets, Samokov, the Iskar Dam, Dolni Pasarel and Pancharevo and finished in Sofia.
Cultural and historical landmarks
In Plovdiv, the Ancient Theatre and the Roman Stadium are among the world’s best preserved monumental ancient structures. In the mountain resort of Borovets, the entrants will cycle past the Tsarska Bistritsa Palace (a Bulgarian royal residence between 1898 and 1946), and in Sofia their route will take them alongside the St Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral and the St Sophia Basilica, the Sofia Regional History Museum, and the Serdica Ancient Complex, excavated beneath the capital city centre and featuring one of the two main streets of ancient Serdica, the decumanus maximus, and remains of the Roman city.
Natural landmarks
In its final part, the cycling tour goes through the Rila National Park, at the foot of the Musala Peak (the Balkans’ highest elevation, 2,925 m). The Vitosha Nature Park (designated in October 1934 as the first such protected area in Bulgaria and in the Balkan Peninsula) frames the conclusion of the race in Sofia. Giro d’Italia: Enjoy Bulgaria’s Cultural Heritage “on the Move” 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-04-07 05:39:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law