Bulgaria's national tourism register lists 138 hotels in its top star category, out of 168 valid entries at that level in the latest register pull. The rest are 26 villas, 3 holiday villages and 1 apartment complex. All figures count register entries, not buildings or brands.
How many top-category hotels Bulgaria has, by type
The figures come from a pull of every valid category 5 entry on 12 November 2026.
| Type | Entries |
|---|---|
| Hotels | 138 |
| Villas | 26 |
| Holiday villages | 3 |
| Apartment complex | 1 |
| Total | 168 |
Villas are a separate type and stay out of every hotel count. The holiday villages are Vaya Beach Resort in Emona and two Medite entries in Polenitsa. The apartment complex is The White Lagoon in Topola.
One property can hold two entries: Reina del Mar in Obzor, Premier Luxury Mountain Resort and Regnum Bansko in Bansko, and Imperia Hotel in Hisarya hold two each. The register does not say whether a second entry means a second building.
Most villa entries are inland. By place: 6 in Zornitsa, 5 in Govedartsi, 3 each in Borovets and Sozopol, 2 in Apriltsi, and one each in Velingrad, Sunny Beach, Samokov, Burgas, Pamporovo, Madzhare and Teteven.
Entries by region and type
Black Sea coast means Burgas, Varna and Dobrich provinces. Sofia means Sofia City. Inland and mountains covers every other province.
| Zone | Hotels | Villas | Holiday villages | Apartment complexes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Sea coast | 57 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 64 |
| Sofia | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Inland and mountains | 64 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 87 |
| Total | 138 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 168 |
| Province | Hotel entries |
|---|---|
| Burgas | 35 |
| Blagoevgrad | 18 |
| Sofia City | 17 |
| Varna | 15 |
| Stara Zagora | 10 |
| Pazardzhik | 9 |
| Plovdiv | 9 |
| Dobrich | 7 |
| Smolyan | 4 |
| Sofia Province | 4 |
| Haskovo | 3 |
| Silistra | 2 |
| Veliko Tarnovo | 2 |
| Kyustendil | 1 |
| Razgrad | 1 |
| Sliven | 1 |
The coast has fewer hotel entries than the inland zone, 57 against 64. Inland also holds 21 of the 26 villas. Sixteen provinces hold at least one hotel entry, led by Burgas with 35.
Where the hotel entries are
Forty-five towns and resorts hold at least one hotel entry. Places with three or more are listed. The 13 towns with two each are Obzor, Duni, Hisarya, Pamporovo, Razlog, Devin, Banya, Silistra, Burgas, Svilengrad, Sozopol, Varna and Gotse Delchev.
| Town | Hotel entries |
|---|---|
| Sofia | 17 |
| Bansko | 10 |
| Golden Sands | 9 |
| Sunny Beach | 9 |
| Velingrad | 9 |
| Sveti Vlas | 6 |
| Pavel Banya | 6 |
| Plovdiv | 6 |
| St St Constantine and Helena | 4 |
| Primorsko | 4 |
| Albena | 3 |
| Nessebar | 3 |
| Kranevo | 3 |
| Kazanlak | 3 |
| Borovets | 3 |
| 13 towns with two each | 26 |
| 17 other towns, one each | 17 |
| Total | 138 |
Sofia leads with 17 entries, then Bansko with 10 and Golden Sands, Sunny Beach and Velingrad with 9 each. Other coastal entries sit in Kranevo, Albena, Primorsko and Duni.
Inland, Plovdiv and the mineral water town of Pavel Banya have 6 entries each, while the spa towns of Hisarya and Devin have 2 each.
Why register room figures are left out
The register stores a room figure on each entry, but that figure is not used as a hotel's room count. Room totals come only from a hotel's own website, when it publishes one. The downloadable list has no room column for the same reason. It keeps the certificate, the type, the name, the town, the category, the order date and the expiry date.
How recent the categorizations are
Each entry carries the date of the order that set its current category and the date its certificate runs out. For the 138 hotel entries:
| Year | Orders issued |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 34 |
| 2023 | 27 |
| 2024 | 34 |
| 2025 | 23 |
| 2026 | 16 |
Certificates expire in the order year plus five, for all 168 entries, so hotel certificates run out in 2026: 4, 2027: 34, 2028: 27, 2029: 34, 2030: 23 and 2031: 16. No entry showed a stop date.
How the register works
The register is public, kept by the Minister of Tourism and written in Bulgarian. For a step-by-step check, see how to spot a real top-category hotel.
- Who awards it. The Minister of Tourism, on an expert commission's proposal, for hotels at three to five stars and every villa. Mayors grade hotels only at one and two stars.
- Which types qualify. Hotels, villas, holiday villages and apartment complexes. In law a hotel has at least 15 rooms and a restaurant.
- How long it lasts. Five years. In the last three months the operator files to confirm the category, and an inspection follows. Without a filing, the category ends on the expiry date.
- What valid means. Inside its term and not stopped. A stop lasts one to six months, with no trading. Termination cancels the category, and a fresh application is then needed.
The categorization ordinance in force dates from 2020. For a shortlist built on facilities, read the guide to top-category hotels across Bulgaria.
Download the data
The 12 November 2026 pull is available as a CSV file with one row per valid category 5 entry. It is in UTF-8 and free to reuse with a link back. Per-entry capacity is not included in the CSV. To check one hotel, use the register lookup.
Columns:
- certificate, type, category
- name_bg, name
- place_bg, place, municipality_bg, province, zone
- order_number, order_date, valid_until, page
Changelog
- 2 November 2026: 164 valid category 5 entries counted (134 hotels, 26 villas, 3 holiday villages, 1 apartment complex).
- 12 November 2026: 168 valid entries (138 hotels). New: a second entry at the Regnum Bansko address, named Regnum Bansko Mountain Resort, with an order dated 30 October 2026. First counted: Konstantina Palace in Kazanlak, Hotel Drustur in Silistra and Palace in St St Constantine and Helena, with orders from 2021 and 2022. No entry dropped out.
Five certificates reach the end of their term between 24 November and 2 December 2026 unless the category is confirmed: Royal Castle Design & Spa in Emona, Hotel Drustur in Silistra, Hotel Anel in Sofia, Park Hotel Stara Zagora and one villa, Arboretum in Teteven.
Questions
How many top-category hotels does Bulgaria have?
The 12 November 2026 pull counted 138 hotel entries, out of 168 valid entries at that level, with 26 villas, 3 holiday villages and 1 apartment complex making up the rest. Some properties hold two entries, such as Reina del Mar in Obzor, so the number of distinct hotels is slightly lower.
Which town has the most top-category hotels?
Sofia, with 17 hotel entries, followed by Bansko with 10 and Golden Sands, Sunny Beach and Velingrad with 9 each. Next come Sveti Vlas, Pavel Banya and Plovdiv with 6 each. The ranking counts register entries, so a property with two entries counts twice.
Can a villa hold the top category?
Yes. The Minister of Tourism grades villas at three to five stars and awards every villa category. The register held 26 valid villa entries at the top level, 21 of them in the inland and mountain zone, led by Zornitsa with 6 and Govedartsi with 5. Villas are counted apart from hotels.
Why do other lists give a different number?
Usually they count something else. The register counts entries, and a property can hold two, while brand sites and booking sites count hotels as they market them. Some lists also mix in villas or apartment complexes, or use older figures. Check the date and what is being counted before comparing totals.
What happens when a certificate expires?
The category ends unless the operator acted in time. In the last three months of the five-year term the operator files to confirm the category, and an inspection follows. If the property still meets the requirements, a new five-year term begins. Without that filing, the hotel needs a fresh application to regain any category.
Can I check a single hotel?
Yes. The register lookup searches all 168 valid category 5 entries by name, in English or Bulgarian, and shows the certificate number, the category order and the expiry date. A missing result does not prove a property has no category, since it may hold a lower one or trade under another name.
