The Bulgarian Black Sea coast was inhabited centuries ago - the earliest records date from 5th century BC. Nowadays it is a magnet for hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians and foreign visitors every year. The welcoming climate from late May to late September with average sea temperatures of 25C, the beaches with fine golden sands, and the modern resorts not surprisingly attract more and more tourists. The Black Sea coast is also one of the best spa areas in the country where the combination of sea climate, mineral baths, hot springs, and curative mud adds to the possibilities of holiday enjoyment. The vast tourist complexes such as Sunny Beach and Golden Sands, newer resorts like Albena, and holiday villages such as Elenite and Dyuni compare favorably with villa settlements in the Mediterranean.
Albena is located 35 km north of the city of Varna on a pretty bay on Black Sea's north coast. It has 5 km long and 150 m wide beach, lying in a picturesque bay surrounded by splendid green forests and the climate that invites to enjoy all outdoor sports. Albena has more than 100 catering establishments, ranging from top class restaurants to fast food outlets, small cosy spots right on the shore, bars and discos, taverns and folk-style places, Chinese and Indian cuisine, to suit any taste and pocket.
This cozy holiday village is situated 40 km south of city of Burgas in a beautiful bay on Black Sea. You may walk hundreds of meters into the sea and still touch the sea bottom with your feet. The slope is gentle and free of slopes and the water is unpolluted and warm. The architecture of Duni is the first eye -catching feature. Lodgings in the complex include only suites (in total 2000 beds), divided in three zones - Zelenika, Marina and Pelikan and combine the convenience of modern life with the aura of old Bulgarian Revival period architecture. Duni has excellent sport facilities and experienced coaches that will satisfy every water sport fan.
The picturesque resort of St. Konstantin is one of the oldest on the Black Sea coast. Situated in a fine old park with cypresses, lilies and fig trees, quiet bays, sand beaches and curative mineral springs, the resort offers comfortable hotels, villa-settlements and holiday houses, modern restaurants serving national and European cuisine, sports and entertainment for any age, excursions. The resort, named after the local monastery is a paradise for those who are fond of fishing and scuba diving. The climate is Mediterranean with high concentration of light negative ions.
The Golden Sands resort is the largest one on the northern Black Sea coast. It is situated 18 km northeast of Varna at the foot of hills, covered with virgin forests descending into the prime attraction of the resort - its 4 km long soft, pale golden beach. Summer sea temperatures are only a few degrees below the 27C air temperature which together with the ever growing number of modern hotels and restaurants, make Golden Sands one of the most desirable destinations on the Black Sea. The resort also offers a wide range of bars, discos, a casino, outdoor pools, some of which mineral, and plenty of sports facilities and activities such as scuba diving, waterskiing and paraskiing.
Sunny Beach is the largest seaside resort on the Bulgarian Riviera located a couple of miles , north-west of Town of Nessebar. On the beach or in the quiet greenery of the specious park land, with a cottage settlements in orchards and vineyards, and a shady campsites you will find a place that suites style and budget. The estimated sun hours per day are 11 and 1700 for the period May to September. Conditions for water sports are excellent indeed. Hundreds of restaurants, taverns and entertainment places are open till early in the morning to satisfy any taste and preferences.
The city of Sozopol, originally named Apollonia is the oldest city on the Bulgarian cost of Black Sea. It was found from Miletus in 610 BC. Surrounded by sea on three sides and resembling pile of stones on a small piece of land, Sozopol brings together natural beauty and romantic antiquities. The architecture in Sozopol is extremely picturesque and intimate. Oriels jut out so much that the streets resemble tunnels where hospitality is offered in shop and taverns. It is the street architecture that gives Sozopol its unique charm. In the very beggining of every autumn, Sozopol is the site of the Apollonia arts festival. The rich local archeological museuim keeps some of Apollonia's magnificent heritage, which is also in the possession of the Louvre and the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
Situated on a rocky peninsula on the Black Sea, the more than 3,000-year-old site of Nessebar was originally a Thracian settlement (Mesembria). At the beginning of the 6th century B.C., the city became a Greek colony. The city's remains, which date mostly from the Hellenistic period, include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, an agora and a wall from the Thracian fortifications. Among other monuments, the Stara Mitropolia Basilica and the fortress date from the Middle Ages, when this was one of the most important Byzantine towns on the west coast of the Black Sea. Wooden houses built in the 19th century are typical of the Black Sea architecture of the period.
Balchik is a 2600 years old town, a formerly Greek-Byzantine fortress Dionysopolis. It is a small but very romantic Bulgarian seaside town located on Black Sea coast. The town is attractive to tourists with its ancient atmosphere that has been preserved for centuries now. It is interesting to walk along and observe the Tatar Quarter with the pebbled streets and the houses made of stone and adobe. The old palace - built in 1924-1931 by the request of the Romanian queen Maria. The authors of the construction design are Italian architects.
