Nessebar

Nessebar is one of the oldest towns in Europe and a UNESCO gem, an ancient settlement over three thousand years old set on a small rocky peninsula jutting into the Black Sea, linked to the mainland by a narrow causeway. Its charming old town is a maze of cobbled lanes packed with the ruins of dozens of medieval Byzantine churches, characteristic old wooden houses on stone bases, and sea views at every turn, a picturesque and history-rich contrast to the beach resorts of the coast around it.

History

Originally a Thracian settlement, Mesembria became a Greek colony when Dorians from Megara settled it at the beginning of the 6th century BC, the only Dorian colony on the Black Sea coast; it joined the Athenian-led Delian League in 425-424 BC, minted its own coins from the 5th century BC and fell under Roman rule in 71 BC. From the 5th century AD it was one of the most important Byzantine strongholds, taken by Khan Krum for the First Bulgarian Empire in 812 after a two-week siege, ceded back in 864 and retaken by Tsar Simeon, and it prospered under Tsar Ivan Alexander (1331-1371) until Crusaders under Amadeus VI of Savoy captured it in 1366. Its churches span the centuries: the Stara Mitropoliya of the 5th-6th century, the Nova Mitropoliya of the 11th, and in the 13th and 14th centuries St Theodore, St Paraskeva, St Michael and St Gabriel and St John Aliturgetos (Wikipedia, Nesebar).

What's there

• The medieval churches - the ruins of dozens of Byzantine churches.
• The old wooden houses - the characteristic timber-and-stone homes.
• The cobbled lanes - the picturesque streets and sea views.
• The peninsula setting - the ancient town jutting into the Black Sea.

When to go

May to June and September for pleasant weather without the peak summer crowds; July and August are hot and packed with beach-holiday day-trippers from the nearby resorts, so the shoulder seasons are far calmer and lovelier.

Things to know

Its position beside the mega-resort of Sunny Beach means it is flooded with day-trippers in peak summer and lined with souvenir stalls and touristy restaurants, so it can feel overrun; early morning, evening or the shoulder seasons reveal its real charm. Many of the famous churches are atmospheric ruins. Its ancient history and sea-girt setting, though, are genuine.

Nearby

The resorts of Sunny Beach and the Black Sea coast, and the city of Burgas, are close.

Key facts