Nessebar Old Town

The basics

Within Nessebar Old Town, you’ll find plenty of things to see and do that will keep you busy from a few hours up to most of a day. Besides walking around and admiring the peninsula’s scenery, you can visit historic sights such as the Church of Saint Sophia and the archaeological museum to help you understand the area’s significance. Along with Nessebar’s beaches, the Old Town is the main attraction for travelers and the focus of sightseeing tours and boat tours.

Things to know before you go

• If you’re driving to Nessebar Old Town, you’ll find a large parking lot on its north side, where you can leave your car as you explore.

• Restaurants are scattered throughout Nessebar Old Town, many with views of the water along the south coast.

• Note that some of the area, with level cobblestone streets, is considered wheelchair accessible, but some attractions, stores, and restaurants may not be.

• Nessebar and Sunny Beach are better known for their beaches than Old Nessebar, but there is one beach on the old town’s south side.

• There are several public restrooms in the old town which charge a small fee for use.

How to get there

The best way to get to Nessebar Old Town will depend on where you’re coming from. Walking there is easy enough from the center of modern Nessebar, while if you’re coming from nearby Sunny Beach or Ravda, you can take a local bus. Sea taxis also run to Old Nessebar from Sunny Beach, while scheduled ferries run from Sozopol between mid-May and mid-October.

When to get there

While Nessebar Old Town is open to visitors at all hours, many of its attractions only operate during business hours, and some are only open upon request outside the summer season. July and August are always the busiest times in Nessebar Old Town, as people come then for the nearby beaches, so either try to visit outside these months or take a stroll in the morning or early evening when it’s quieter.

Where to find the windmills of Nessebar

One of the main attractions associated with Nessebar Old Town is its traditional windmills. The most famous windmill of Nessebar is the preserved wooden one on the causeway leading into the old town. In Nessebar Old Town on its north coast, you’ll find the stone base of a windmill on a small rise by some other ruins.