Twenty-Eight Provinces. One Country to Compare.

• 261 companies

  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.
• 686 companies

  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.
• 92 companies

  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.
• 143 companies

  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.
• 86 companies

  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.
• 30 companies

  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.
• 52 companies

  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.
• 58 companies

  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.
• 24 companies

  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.
• 71 companies

  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.
• 79 companies

  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.
• 132 companies

  Pleven

  Central northern Bulgaria on the Danube, around the largest economic centre of the north-west, known for medicine, food and machinery industries.
• 1,052 companies

  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.
• 33 companies

  Razgrad

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

  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.
• 106 companies

  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.
• 27 companies

  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.
• 85 companies

  Sliven

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

  Smolyan

  The central Rhodope Mountains on the Greek border: ski resorts at Pamporovo and Chepelare, caves and gorges, and quiet mountain villages.
• 6,132 companies

  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.
• 85 companies

  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.
• 308 companies

  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.
• 26 companies

  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.
• 1,042 companies

  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.
• 206 companies

  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.
• 27 companies

  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.
• 29 companies

  Vratsa

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

  Yambol

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

• Sofia district

  Borovets

  Bulgaria's oldest mountain resort, on the slopes of Rila about 70 km from Sofia, with the highest ski runs in the country.
• Sofia

  Vitosha

  The mountain on Sofia's doorstep, with Aleko ski area, Cherni Vrah and the oldest nature park in the Balkans.
• Gabrovo

  Uzana

  A high meadow and small resort at the geographical centre of Bulgaria, 22 km from Gabrovo.
• Sofia district

  Malyovitsa

  A climbing and ski centre below one of Rila's best-known peaks, north of the Rila Monastery.
• Smolyan

  Chepelare

  A Rhodope mountain town near Pamporovo, with one of the longest ski runs in south-eastern Europe and a ski factory.
• Smolyan

  Pamporovo

  A family-friendly ski resort among spruce forests in the Rhodopes, popular with beginners and intermediate skiers.
• Blagoevgrad

  Dobrinishte

  A small spa and ski town 6 km from Bansko, surrounded by Rila, Pirin and the Rhodopes.
• Blagoevgrad

  Bansko

  Bulgaria's best-known ski town, below Pirin, with an old town of stone houses and a growing community of remote workers.

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• Vidin

  Belogradchik

  A small town in the north-west, known for its red sandstone rock formations and a fortress built among them.
• Smolyan

  Shiroka Laka

  A Rhodope village and architectural reserve near Pamporovo, known for its stone houses and folk music school.
• Lovech

  Apriltsi

  A mountain town at the foot of Botev Peak, a growing base for the Central Balkan National Park.
• Blagoevgrad

  Melnik

  Bulgaria's smallest town, an architectural reserve among sand pyramids, famous for its wine.
• Veliko Tarnovo

  Arbanasi

  A hilltop village 4 km from Veliko Tarnovo with 17th- and 18th-century churches and fortified merchant houses.
• Sofia district

  Koprivshtitsa

  A historic town in the Sredna Gora mountains, centre of the 1876 April Uprising, with colourful Revival houses.
• Plovdiv

  Hisarya

  A spa town in Plovdiv Province with Roman walls and baths and many mineral springs.
• Gabrovo

  Bozhentsi

  A village and architectural reserve in the Balkan Mountains near Gabrovo, with stone-roofed Revival houses.

See all 29 →