CanYouSwiminthePinkSaltLakeNearBurgas?AtanasovskoLakeExplained
Yes. Atanasovsko Lake, on the northern edge of Burgas, is a hypersaline lagoon where designated salt pans let visitors float in the brine and coat themselves in black therapeutic mud for a small fee. The water runs pinkest in high summer, and flamingos and pelicans feed on the same shallows.
TL;DR
You can float in the brine and take a mud bath at the salt pans of Atanasovsko Lake, a 20-minute ride from central Burgas — pinkest in high summer, free to look at, cheap to soak in.
Why the lake is pink
Burgas sits between four wetlands on the Via Pontica bird migration route. Atanasovsko Lake is a hypersaline lagoon where salt-loving algae and brine shrimp pigment the water pink in high summer — the same organisms that give the local flamingos their colour. You can float in the salt pans and see pelicans and flamingos in the same hour, which is not a sentence many city breaks can offer.
Floating and mud, practically
The usable basins are on the sea side of the lake, not the city side, in the working salt works area. Expect: strip to swimwear, wade into warm shin-deep brine, smear on the black mud, dry off in the sun, then rinse. Bring a towel you don't love, flip-flops (the crust is sharp), sun cover and drinking water. There is no proper swimming — the brine is dense and shallow, so it's a float, not a swim. Don't shave the same morning.
Getting there from the centre
It's north-east of town on the way to Sarafovo and the airport. A metered taxi is cheap at roughly €0.60–1.00 per kilometre, city buses run every 10–20 minutes for about €0.80, and the coastal cycle path makes a share-bike ride genuinely pleasant. See our getting around guide for tickets and taxi tips.
Pair it with the rest of the coast
Pomorie, 20 km away and about 25 minutes by bus, has its own healing lake mud and a salt museum — the easiest half-day trip from Burgas if you want the story behind the salt. More ideas on our nearby page.
Planning Eurovision 2027 or a summer week on the coast? Start at travelburgas.com.
Questions
- Is the pink lake near Burgas free to visit?
- Viewing the lake and the salt pans costs nothing. The organised bathing and mud basins in the southern salt works charge a small entrance fee in season.
- When is Atanasovsko Lake at its pinkest?
- High summer, when heat and evaporation concentrate the brine and the salt-loving algae and brine shrimp bloom. July and August are the strongest colour; spring and autumn are better for birdwatching.
- Can I do the pink lake during Eurovision week?
- Yes — it's a half-morning trip inside the city limits, so it fits easily around evening shows. Rinse off and you're back in the Sea Garden well before doors open.
- salt lakes
- nature
- day trips
- free things
- summer
Written in response to a reader question: source thread
