Nesebar is so old that its first settlers arrived before ancient Rome was even founded. Over the centuries, Greeks, Romans and Byzantines all built here, and they all left something behind. The peninsula is so small that you can walk from one end to the other in about ten minutes, but those ten minutes take you past dozens of old stone churches, some of them in beautiful ruins open to the sky.
The Black Sea is a fascinating body of water. It is less salty than the ocean because big rivers like the Danube pour fresh water into it. In summer its surface water is warm and calm enough for swimming, and the sandy beaches along the Bulgarian coast stretch for kilometres.
Along the coast you will find pelicans, cormorants and herons fishing in the shallows and lagoons. The Poda Lagoon near Burgas is a protected wetland where hundreds of bird species stop to rest during their long migrations between Africa and northern Europe. It is one of the best birdwatching places in the whole of Bulgaria.
Bulgarian seaside towns come alive every summer with outdoor markets, boat trips and evening music on the seafront. Locals eat fresh grilled fish, watermelon and salty white feta-style cheese in the warm evening air. Children collect smooth sea-glass and colourful pebbles washed up on the shore.