Sozopol Holiday Resort in Bulgaria

The town of Sozopol has population of about 7,000 people and is situated 31km south of Bourgas. The town lies on a small rocky peninsula in the southern most part of the Bourgas Bay. A one hundred metre long strip of land connects it to the mainland. There are 2 main beaches in Sozopol, Central beach and Harmani beach. 3 km from the town of Sozopol is the popular Golden Fish beach. Sozopol has a charm with its distinctive 19th-century stone and wood houses, some 45 of which are national cultural monuments. Sozopol is a popular summer holiday resort and can be extremely busy during July and August, but in the off-season it reverts back to a sleepy fishing village. The small and pretty harbour is a good place to watch fishermen off-load their catches to waiting buyers from area restaurants.

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Sozopol Recommended Rentals

Places of Interest

There are many places of interest in Sozopol. Among these are two ancient churches from the Renaissance period - St. Zosim Church and The Holy Virgin Church, are only a few of the more than 45 architectural monuments of Sozopol. The ancient atmosphere of the town is further fed by cobbled streets and high fences in front of which the old ladies of the town sit and knit laces and sell jams. You can still hear Greek speech among natives, particularly in the old town. Interesting places to visit are the Archaeological Museum and the Art Gallery. At the beginning of September each year the town hosts the big Apolonia International Art Festival The isle of St. Ivan is situated just 2km away and is the biggest Black Sea isle. The isle shelters a sonar lighthouse, which together with the lighthouse on the Emine cape shows the way to the Bourgas Bay.

Sozopol Accommodation

There are hotels and rental accommodation in both the old and the new part of the town, the new part of Sozopol is constantly expanding and offers a larger choice in terms of prices and quality. Hotels have been increasing dramatically in number in recent years (particularly in the new town), with the Radik Hotel and the Groudov Hotel being among the more popular ones. It is worth noting though that at the time of the Apolonia festival the town is flooded by people (held traditionally in the first 10 days of September), and prior booking is recommended.

Places to Eat and Drink

Sozopol has a good variety of restaurants and cafes. In general the prices are lower than the international resorts of Albena, Golden Sands and Sunny beach but higher than the resorts such as Varna. Sozopol can be compared more to the prices of Nessebar. Tourists seem to prefer the small coastal restaurants and private pubs both in the old and new part of the town. Stalls selling fish, pizza parlours and snack-bars through the resort are also popular among visitors. Among the most popular restaurants are Vyaturnata Melnitsa, Sozopol Tavern, Athens Tavern, the restaurants Xantana, Neptun, Drouzhba Fishing Boat, Orpheus, Olymp, Stenata, Kladentsa, Lilia.

Entertainment & Nightlife

The town has a selection of restaurants with night shows, bars, casino, children playgrounds and swimming pools. Bike hire is available and you can hire boats from the small fishing port.

Getting Around

During summer, private vans and public buses provide regular transport service to and from Bourgas and the other resorts around. The small bus station is opposite the seaside park and there is a taxi stand in front. Private vans depart from a turn-around 50 meters west. Private "boat-taxis" go to Bourgas, Nessebar and Varna.