bigfootwanders
Where to go in January / Bulgaria in January / Burgas & the southern Black Sea coast / January

Bulgaria · Countryside

Burgas & the southern Black Sea coast
in January.

Illustration of Old Sozopol across Central Beach from the New Town
Old Sozopol on the Black SeaDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 46°F afternoons and 47°F seas, with about 8 rain days. Check seasonal openings.

Afternoons
46°F
Sea
47°F
Visitor demand
3%of August peak

Historical Yugoiztochen regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Sunny Beach, Nessebar, Sozopol and Burgas; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.2/10 · scores & priorities

Coming for the beach at Sunny Beach and Sozopol? The weather score rates sightseeing conditions. Beach weather rates poor (1.5/10).

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.3/10Good
CrowdsOff seasoncheck seasonal openings; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, quieter than most of Europe this month
CostCheapfor Europe; Bulgaria-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your January

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 46°F (8°C): a warm coat; nights around 30°F (−1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. About 9 hours of daylight. About 8 rain days in a typical January.

Can I swim in January?

The sea averages 47°F. Our swimming guide: very cold: wetsuit weather. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 9 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:41Sunset 17:0430°F46°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:41 and sets about 17:04 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 30°F (−1°C); afternoons reach about 46°F (8°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
46°F (8°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
30°F (−1°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
47°F (9°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 23m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late January?

Early and late January have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 47°F on the 1st, versus 47°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 20% to 27% between those dates.

Early January 1 January

47°F

Typical afternoon high

20% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

46°F

Typical afternoon high

24% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

47°F

Typical afternoon high

27% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2027: 1 Jan New Year's Day.

Daily calendar & holiday datesJanuary 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

January 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
147°247°347°
446°546°646°746°846°946°1046°
1146°1246°1346°1446°1546°1646°1746°
1846°1946°2046°2146°2246°2346°2446°
2546°2646°2747°2847°2947°3047°3147°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons hold at about 46°F (8°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 20–28%.

School-holiday dates for January 2027 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open. Public holidays: 1 Jan New Year's Day. Elsewhere in January 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 21%, Spain 24%, Italy 20%, Poland 17%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Off season. January averages 3% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings.

Overnight stays across Yugoiztochen do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, quieter than most of Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

Well below usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Bulgaria as a whole
Well below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 53 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

Year-to-year variation

How much does January vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 35°F (2°C) and 51°F (11°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 46°F (8°C). Rain days ranged from 2 to 12; half the years had 5–10.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 7 rain days720112012: 6 rain days62013: 12 rain days122014: 8 rain days82015: 9 rain days92016: 9 rain days92017: 10 rain days102018: 8 rain days82019: 11 rain days112020: 2 rain days22021: 12 rain days122022: 5 rain days52023: 8 rain days82024: 5 rain days52025: 5 rain days52025
Rain days
8
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 11 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
6 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no January in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
9 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded JanuaryHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201145°F7
201241°F6
201345°F12
201449°F8
201547°F9
201644°F9
201735°F10
201847°F8
201945°F11
202047°F2
202148°F12
202246°F5
202351°F8
202447°F5
202551°F5

Checked against official climate averages for Burgas. How we check

Compare dates

December, January
or February?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsDecJanFeb
Afternoons49°F46°F50°F
Sea53°F47°F45°F
Rain days986
Overnight demand3%3%3%

December: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than January. More overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. December guide →

February: Warmer afternoons, cooler sea and fewer rain days than January. More overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. February guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with January Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. January stays as your reference.

March to April and October to November have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, without a substantially busier visitor season.

Your comparison

January or December?

Overnight stays are 3% of the busiest month; check seasonal openings.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons46°F49°F
Nights30°F34°F
Sea47°F53°F
Rain days89
Visitor seasonOff seasonOff season
Overall / 106.26.3
Month rank#12#11
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.2#1246°F30°F47°F85.3Off season
February6.4#1050°F32°F45°F65.7Off season
March6.9#857°F37°F46°F76.7Off season
April7.7#565°F44°F51°F88.3Off season
May9.3#173°F52°F61°F99.3Low season
June8.2#382°F60°F71°F98.6Moderate season
July7.1#787°F65°F77°F48.1Peak season
August7.2#687°F65°F78°F48.3Peak season
September8.9#279°F59°F74°F39.5Moderate season
October7.9#467°F49°F67°F68.8Off season
November6.9#957°F42°F60°F76.7Off season
December6.3#1149°F34°F53°F95.5Off season

Near here

Nearby places in January

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better January weather than Burgas & the southern Black Sea coast

Burgas & the southern Black Sea coast's weather ranks 11 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Bulgaria have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Burgas & the southern Black Sea coast.

All of Bulgaria in January · Everywhere in January

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's off season, 3% of the busiest month and 90% below its average month. That means about 2,900 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 86% of them from Bulgaria itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 320 more: 11 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)61
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Burgas from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day3
Busiest month hereAugust · 111
Visitors as share of people present0.3%
Rank among Europe's regions this month14th percentile
Domestic share of nights86%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights11
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.3%
National hotel-price seasonBulgaria historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−4% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used952,000
Statistical regionBG34 · Yugoiztochen

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.