Bulgaria will kick off the Giro d’Italia 2026 with a dive into the Black Sea! Stage 1 unfolds entirely along the so-called “Sunny Coast” – a simple, unpretentious line of pale beaches, small ports, calm seas, and a few headlands in the distance. Less polished than other rivieras, it can be rougher at times, but unmistakably authentic.

The route runs from Nessebar to Burgas, on a course with no major elevation changes, destined to reward the fastest man in the bunch. The only categorized climb – a Category 4 KOM near Lake Burgas – will decide the first Maglia Azzurra, but it won’t alter a finale that looks set for a bunch sprint.

The start is nothing short of spectacular: the old town of Nessebar sits on a peninsula – once an island – connected to the mainland by an artificial isthmus. Over the centuries, it has seen Roman, Byzantine, Bulgarian, and Ottoman rule. Thanks to its wealth of architectural heritage, particularly its many medieval churches, the site was inscribed by UNESCO in 1983 as a World Heritage Site. Cobblestone alleys and wooden houses typical of 19th-century Rumelian architecture meet the seaside tourism of today — a unique blend certain to leave its mark in Giro history.

Once in Burgas, the peloton will tackle a flat finishing circuit of about 12 km, to be covered twice, giving fans the chance to see two passes under the finish banner. Burgas, Bulgaria’s fourth-largest city, is an industrial, port, and tourist hub. Its harbor is the country’s second largest, and the surrounding area hosts the biggest oil refinery in southeastern Europe. The nearby Burgas Lakes, important wetland zones, add an environmental charm to the urban landscape.

Click here for more details on the Bulgarian stages of the Grande Partenza 2026!