The striped arches and painted arcade of Rila Monastery below forested mountains in Bulgaria
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Bulgaria by campervan: weather and best time

When to tour Bulgaria by campervan: temperatures, rainfall and the best season for each part of the country. What to know before you go.

Published 18 September 2026Last checked 19 September 2026

Weather

Weather

Bulgaria's van season runs from late April to mid October, and the middle of it is hotter than most people expect. Kardzhali in the eastern Rhodopes averages a daily maximum of 31 °C in both July and August on 1991 to 2020 normals, and Lovech under the Balkan range averages 30 °C and 31 °C. A van with no shade is hard work in either place by mid afternoon. The same months on the coast are milder: Varna averages 29 °C with a sea breeze.

Glacial lakes and bare granite ridges in the Rila mountains of Bulgaria in summer
Rila in July. Ten Bulgarian peaks are over 2,700 metres and this is where they are

The year by region: how it feels, how warm, how wet

The Black Sea coastVarna, 1991 to 2020
7°45 mm
8°33 mm
11°42 mm
16°38 mm
21°38 mm
26°52 mm
29°48 mm
29°29 mm
25°49 mm
19°56 mm
13°49 mm
8°47 mm
Rila and PirinBansko, 925 m, 2000 to 2014
3°71 mm
6°59 mm
10°52 mm
16°56 mm
21°65 mm
24°57 mm
27°42 mm
27°31 mm
23°37 mm
17°65 mm
11°79 mm
5°80 mm
The RhodopesKardzhali, 1991 to 2020
7°56 mm
9°60 mm
13°58 mm
18°52 mm
23°64 mm
28°58 mm
31°35 mm
31°26 mm
26°34 mm
20°58 mm
14°63 mm
8°80 mm
The Balkan range and Veliko TarnovoLovech, 1991 to 2020
5°37 mm
8°40 mm
13°48 mm
19°55 mm
24°75 mm
28°74 mm
30°84 mm
31°46 mm
25°57 mm
19°51 mm
12°39 mm
6°45 mm
Sofia and the westSofia, 586 m, 1991 to 2020
4°35 mm
6°36 mm
11°45 mm
17°52 mm
21°73 mm
25°79 mm
28°64 mm
28°55 mm
23°53 mm
18°54 mm
11°38 mm
5°40 mm

BestWorkableToo hotCold or wetTop figure: average daily high. Below it: average rainfall for the month.

Four of the five rows are 1991 to 2020 mean daily maximum and monthly rainfall totals for the station named, published as WMO climate normals through NOAA from the Bulgarian national met service. The Rila and Pirin row is the exception: no station in that set sits in either range, so it uses Bansko at 925 metres on a 2000 to 2014 series. The Rhodope row is Kardzhali in the lower eastern Rhodopes, so the higher central Rhodopes around Smolyan and Pamporovo run several degrees cooler than the strip shows.