Bulgaria's southern Black Sea coast runs from the vast, purpose-built resort strip of Sunny Beach to the medieval stone lanes of Nessebar and on to the quieter fishing towns near Sozopol, three very different holidays within a twenty-minute drive of each other.
Sunny Beach: Bulgaria's Biggest Resort
Sunny Beach is the largest resort on the Bulgarian coast, eight kilometres of Blue Flag sand backed by hundreds of hotels, water parks, and a promenade that runs the length of the bay. It's built squarely for families and groups on package holidays: wide, gently sloping beaches, shallow water, and an enormous concentration of all-inclusive hotels within walking distance of each other. Prices are noticeably lower than equivalent Western Mediterranean resorts, which is a large part of the draw for both domestic and international visitors.
The resort splits roughly into a livelier central and southern strip, closer to the bars, water parks, and late-night clubs, and a quieter northern end nearer Helena Beach and the approach to Nessebar, better suited to families wanting an early night.
Nessebar's UNESCO Old Town
At the northern end of the bay, a narrow causeway leads to Nessebar's old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of cobbled lanes, wooden-balconied houses, and more than a dozen Byzantine and medieval churches packed onto a small rocky peninsula. It's an easy half-day trip from any Sunny Beach hotel, best done in the early morning or after the day-trip boats and cruise groups have thinned out. The working harbour on the mainland side of the causeway is where most of the old town's seafood restaurants source their catch.
Sozopol & Chernomorets: The Quieter South
Further south again, past Burgas, Sozopol and the smaller village of Chernomorets trade Sunny Beach's scale for a slower pace: an older fortified town, artists' galleries in restored fishermen's cottages, and long stretches of open beach that never fill up the way Sunny Beach's does in August. It's a reasonable base for anyone who wants the same coastline without the resort infrastructure.
Recommended Stay · Sunny Beach · Beachfront
Melia Sunny Beach
An all-inclusive resort with more than a thousand rooms just steps from the main Sunny Beach strip, part of the international Meliá chain, with direct beach access and a full range of pools.
