The 28 Provinces

The 28 Provinces

• Province

  Blagoevgrad

  Bulgaria's mountainous south-west, bordering Greece and North Macedonia, with the Rila and Pirin ranges, the Struma valley and the country's best-known ski town.
• Province

  Burgas

  The largest province by area, on the southern Black Sea coast, built around Bulgaria's fourth city, a major port, an airport and the busiest resort strip in the country.
• Province

  Dobrich

  Southern Dobruja in the north-east: a flat, fertile grain belt between the Black Sea and the Romanian border, with the resorts of Albena, Balchik and Kavarna on its coast.
• Province

  Gabrovo

  A small province at the geographical centre of Bulgaria, on the northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains, known for manufacturing, crafts and National Revival towns.
• Province

  Haskovo

  South-eastern Thrace, where Bulgaria meets Greece and Turkey: a crossroads province on the Maritsa river and the main road and rail routes to Istanbul.
• Province

  Kardzhali

  Bulgaria's southernmost province, in the Eastern Rhodopes on the Greek border, with large reservoirs, the rock sanctuary of Perperikon and a growing services economy.
• Province

  Kyustendil

  Bulgaria's far west, on the borders with Serbia and North Macedonia: the fruit-growing valley of Kyustendil, mineral springs and the Rila Monastery.
• Province

  Lovech

  North-central Bulgaria between the Danube plain and the highest part of the Balkan Mountains, with Lovech, Troyan and Teteven and a manufacturing base.
• Province

  Montana

  The north-west between the Danube and the Balkan Mountains, bordering Serbia and Romania, with the river port of Lom and the spa and resort town of Berkovitsa.
• Province

  Pazardzhik

  Southern Bulgaria between the Thracian plain and the western Rhodopes, with farming on the Maritsa, copper and optics in Panagyurishte, and the spa town of Velingrad.
• Province

  Pernik

  Western Bulgaria next to Sofia and the Serbian border: a former coal and steel town turning into a commuter and logistics base for the capital.
• Province

  Pleven

  Central northern Bulgaria on the Danube, around the largest economic centre of the north-west, known for medicine, food and machinery industries.
• Province

  Plovdiv

  Bulgaria's second city and its biggest regional economy outside Sofia, with the Trakia Economic Zone, universities, wine country and Europe's oldest continuously inhabited city.
• Province

  Razgrad

  North-eastern Bulgaria in the Ludogorie region, with a strong pharmaceutical and food industry and the UNESCO-listed Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari.
• Province

  Ruse

  Bulgaria's main Danube port and gateway to Romania, with the Danube Bridge to Giurgiu, a university and a manufacturing base just over an hour from Bucharest.
• Province

  Shumen

  North-eastern Bulgaria at the heart of the first Bulgarian state, with Pliska, Veliki Preslav and the Madara Rider, and road and rail links to Varna.
• Province

  Silistra

  The north-east corner of Bulgaria on the Danube, where the river leaves the Romanian border, known for apricots, wetlands and the UNESCO Srebarna reserve.
• Province

  Sliven

  South-eastern Bulgaria at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, birthplace of Bulgarian industry, with textiles, engineering and the Blue Rocks nature park.
• Province

  Smolyan

  The central Rhodope Mountains on the Greek border: ski resorts at Pamporovo and Chepelare, caves and gorges, and quiet mountain villages.
• Province

  Sofia City

  The capital: Bulgaria's economic centre, home to most major Bulgarian and international companies, the central bank, the stock exchange and the fastest-growing tech sector in the region.
• Province

  Sofia Province

  The province that surrounds the capital, from the Balkan Mountains to Rila, with industrial towns, logistics parks, mining, and the resorts of Borovets and Koprivshtitsa.
• Province

  Stara Zagora

  South-central Bulgaria with the country's main energy complex, a strong industrial base, the Rose Valley and the UNESCO Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak.
• Province

  Targovishte

  North-eastern Bulgaria, an old market town between the Balkan foothills and the Danube plain, with a glass industry and good access to Varna.
• Province

  Varna

  Bulgaria's maritime capital on the northern Black Sea coast: the third-largest city, a major port, an airport and the resorts of Golden Sands and St. Constantine and Helena.
• Province

  Veliko Tarnovo

  North-central Bulgaria around the medieval capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, with universities, the Gorna Oryahovitsa airport and rail hub, and Danube access at Svishtov.
• Province

  Vidin

  The far north-west of Bulgaria on the Danube, linked to Romania by the Vidin–Calafat bridge, with wine country, the Baba Vida fortress and the Belogradchik Rocks.
• Province

  Vratsa

  North-western Bulgaria from the Danube to the Balkan Mountains, with the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, chemicals and the dramatic Vrachanski Balkan.
• Province

  Yambol

  South-eastern Bulgaria on the Tundzha river and the Turkish border: farmland, food processing and the ancient Thracian town of Kabile.