Black Sea Destinations of Nessebar and Sunny Beach Present Two Sides of Bulgaria

For 3,000 years, people have settled on a narrow and rocky peninsula now known as Nessebar located on the West coast of the Black Sea. Initially settled during the bronze age by people known as the Thracians, the town became a Greek colony in the 6th century BC and began to build a legacy as a trading center. That tradition remained as various conquerors and empires assumed control of the region. Among the groups that asserted control over Nessebar and this section of Bulgaria over the centuries were the Persians, the Roman Empire, the Slavs, the Bulgars, the Byzantine empire from Constantinople, the Ottoman Turks, and finally the Soviet Union. Despite managing to establish several fairly independent Bulgarian states in the region over the centuries, the country seemed to end up on the wrong side of world events as evidenced by its alliance with the Axis powers during the Great War and World War II. Now truly independent and self-governed, Bulgaria struggles to find a place as a stable member of the European Union and NATO.

World Heritage Site 

Notwithstanding these periods of turmoil, the glory days of Bulgaria are reflected in the architecture, maritime orientation, and religious traditions of Nessebar. When recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1983, the organization pointed to the existence of archaeological structures from the second millennium BC, the remains of Hellenistic buildings and the many religious buildings from the middle ages. At one time there were as many as 23 churches and monuments ranging from early Christian structures to a domed Byzantine Church, and 15 of them have been conserved in one form or another. 

The ambiance of the entire town provides a sense of walking through history. There are the remains of an ancient Roman public bath on one side, massive medieval fortification walls on another, and unique looking wooden houses built in the 19th century mixed in. The most interesting building is the Church of Christ Pantocrator from the 14th century which is presently used as an art gallery. As is often the case with older cities throughout Europe, there are now numerous shops along the pedestrian cobblestone streets of the old city, where friendly merchants sell local crafts and tourist memorabilia. There are also plenty of pleasant cafes strung out along the waterfront on both the northern and southern harbors of the peninsula. All these structures and activity is confined to a peninsula that is only slightly more than a half mile long and about three football fields wide. 

While some ports around the Black Sea became popular vacation spots for the elite during the post-war era, Nessebar was still a quiet and fading fishing town for the most part until the government came up with a plan in the late 1950s to create a tourist destination for the country's residents and seek international vacationers. The result was the development of the landward portion of the town into a beach resort known as Sunny Beach. In succeeding decades, tremendous volumes of sand were brought in, trees were planted, hotels were built, and restaurants opened along a 5 mile stretch running both north and south of the entrance to the old town. Like Cancun in Mexico, the development became a success as foreign tourists and Bulgarian citizens discovered the beach and stayed at the more than 100 hotels located there.

Sunny Beach Success

The initial success of Sunny Beach coupled with the rich historical and architectural reputation of Nessebar created an opportunity for the newly independent Bulgarian nation. However, the results in the 21st century have been mixed. On one hand, many leading cruise lines now visit the old Town which allows day trip visitors from all over the world to admire Nessebar. In addition, some huge resorts have now been built at Sunny Beach including several by internationally known hoteliers.

 At the same time, however, an all night long, beach party atmosphere has emerged at Sunny Beach. The many night clubs, bars, discos, water parks and beach activities available in the area have attracted an increasing number of English, Scandinavian and Russian tourists on package tours, as well as tons of young people from all over Europe seeking a never-ending spring break. Some people now complain about pollution of the once clear waters, tacky tourism and drunkenness taking over, and the infiltration of businesses at the beach by corrupt elements. Others feel that the experience is still worthwhile for families and there are plenty of modern affordable hotels still available for visitors seeking a more relaxed experience. 

The future development of this community in Bulgaria will be interesting to watch. It reflects the struggle underway in many emerging nations to promote their culture, heritage, and economies without losing the distinctiveness which initially made them attractive for visitors.

When to Go

Nessebar and Sunny Beach have a pleasant climate that can be humid all year long with little precipitation except in November and December. From May to early October, air temperatures generally exceed 70 degrees during the day and for most of those months the water temperature exceeds 70 as well. Dressing with a light layer of clothing is usually sufficient in the off season.

How to Get There

Several luxury cruise lines including Crystal, Oceania and Regent stop in Nessebar. Other cruise lines are expected to stop there soon if troubles in nearby Ukraine subside and additional ports in the Black Sea open up again. Meanwhile, airlines from London, Moscow plus other European cities fly into Varna or Burgas in Bulgaria which are only 90 minutes and 45 minutes away respectively.