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Nessebar -- A World Heritage City
Nessebar is one of the most ancient towns in Europe with a history going
back 7,000 years. Sitting on a small rock peninsula
with a narrow causeway linking it to the mainland, it has a unique appearance
and atmosphere. This is due in part to its amazing mixture of
architecture, which includes the ruins of over 40 churches dating from the 3rd
century, Roman and Greek pavements, and beautiful houses from the 16th century
and later. It is also, however, because its beaches are considered to be
some of the finest on the Black Sea coast.
 Many visitors to Nessebar prefer to stay in the old
quarter for sightseeing, enjoying the
narrow cobblestone lanes and old wooden houses with strings of dried fish
hanging from their roofs. The town was declared an architectural and
archaeological reserve in 1958, and UNESCO declared Nessebar a World Heritage
City in 1983. Its sights include the 6th century
Basilica, a Turkish bath and windmill, and sections of the fortress wall that
once surrounded the town. Other visitors like to walk along the
peninsula to discover the mainland beaches of fine golden sand which, to the
south, connect with the South Beach location of the Hypnotic Apartments. Whether
enjoying the quiet of the old town, or the busy beaches and watersports
facilities on the mainland coast, Nessebar is one of Bulgaria's finest
attractions.
Beaches
 In
the new part of Nessebar on the mainland, 4km (2½ miles) of beach stretch
north and south from the town and feature the finest sand on the Black Sea
coast. During the summer, the water is a pleasant 25°C (77°F),
and its gently sloping sand bottom makes it ideal for bathing. Waves are
usually small, and the water is crystal clear. A friend once said, when
standing neck-deep in the water off Nessebar, that he could see his feet, and
his toes, and he could even see that he needed to cut his toenails! In the
north, the beaches meet those of the resort of Sunny Beach, renowned for its
clean and calm seas, numerous small parks, natural sand dunes and watersports
facilities.
Eating out
Both the Old Town and the New Town of Nessebar are rich in restaurants, old-style mehanas, and
pubs. These range from those serving general European cuisine to the
restaurants in the port area that serve traditional dishes like fried cheese
and fish bites. Local beer and wine is quite cheap, even in restaurants,
and if you venture to other nearby villages, meals are even less expensive.
Nightlife
In Nessebar itself, there is a good amount of nightlife ranging from the
crowded popular bars to the more formal bar-restaurants. In
Sunny Beach, a short bus ride up the coast, there are many more bars and lots
of nightclubs, which stay open until the early hours.
Shopping
Shopping in and around Nessebar is easy. Local shops sell clothes and
other holiday essentials, while the streets of the old town are crowded with
souvenir and craft stalls. Look in particular for beautiful hand made
crochet-work, pottery, jewellery, and carpets.
Local information
Outside Nessebar, there are other Bulgarian attractions well
worth visiting. Just outside of town, for example, is the village of Aheloy,
where an epic battle between the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I and the
Byzantine emperor Lion Foka took place. For more family-oriented activities, Sunny
Beach has waterparks and other attractions.
Links
Here are some informational links about Nessebar (in English unless noted):
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