Sunny Beach
Sunny Beach is a Bulgarian resort on the country’s Black Sea coast, immersed in the greenery of parks and gardens. It is located in a horseshoe-shaped bay, deep into the mainland. The area falls under the jurisdiction of the municipality of the nearby town of Nessebar, spread out on a rocky peninsula, closing the multi-kilometer long beach “horseshoe” from the south.
Video: Sunny Beach
Contents- Highlights
- History of Sunnyside
Landscape and climate - National currency
- Resort areas
- Nessebar
Sunny Beach Beaches - Entertainment
- Activities
- Excursions
What to buy - Restaurants
- Where to stay
- Transportation
- How to get there
Highlights
History of Sunny Beach
The construction of the resort complex started in Sunny Beach by order of the Bulgarian government in the middle of the last century, but before that there was a barren sandy desert covered with dunes with pine trees growing here and there. In parallel with the construction of the first stage of the resort of 30 hotels and chalets, the relief was planned on the dunes. Half a million tons of fertile soil were brought here, and then more than a million trees and ornamental shrubs, tens of thousands of roses were planted. The first resort season here opened in 1959.
.The resort’s large summer movie theater hosted the prestigious Golden Globe Song Contest (1965-1999) for several decades.
.In the Soviet Union, vacationing in Sunny Beach was considered incredibly prestigious, and after Bulgaria joined the European Union, the resort was appreciated by tourists from all over the continent. The coziness created here and the traditional friendliness of the locals allowed this largest health resort in Bulgaria to earn the prestigious title of “The most friendly resort for families with children” in the rating of European resorts.”
.Landscape and climate
The resort is spread out on the shores of an east-facing horseshoe-shaped bay that juts deeply into the mainland. Some distance to the north are the foothills of the Stara Planina massif, which protects the coast from cold winds. Meteorologists define the climate as moderate continental, influenced by the Black Sea and warm air masses from the nearby Mediterranean.
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Sunny Beach lives up to its name. The sun shines over it for 2,300 hours a year. The beach season starts here already in May, when the air temperature warms up to +22…+24 °С. However, the water in the sea at this time is still cool. In the most favorable period for rest at the resort (June-September) only 2-3 days a month can be cloudy. Day temperature in summer is even, stably keeps within +24…+26 °С, and sea water does not fall below +23 °С. Winter in this region is mild, almost snowless.
.National currency
Despite the fact that Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, the country has a national currency – the Bulgarian lev (abbreviated as BGN). The exchange rate of the lev to the euro: 1 BGN = 0.51 €, to the Russian ruble: 1 BGN = 35.7 rubles. Foreign currency is not accepted in hotels and stores, but in the markets sellers will gladly accept dollars and euros.
.Districts of the resort
Sunny Beach resort is conditionally divided into several districts. In the south, merging with the city limits of Nessebar, is the area where there is a large sports center with a stadium. In the neighboring area of Fregata operates the largest diving center in the resort “Deep Blue”, nearby you will find a popular nightclub. Most of the entertainment venues, restaurants and stores are located in the central quarters of the resort, and the most luxurious hotels occupied the area of Chaika, which is in the north of the bay. There is also a golf club with extensive playing fields. Further new hotel complexes are being built, approaching the coastal town of Sveti Vlas.
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There are no industrial enterprises or major transportation hubs around the resort. The nearest international airport “Sarafovo” (Burgas) is 27 km away, while the seaport and the railway station of Burgas are 40 km away.
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Nessebar
Nessebar, a member of the club of the oldest cities in Europe, was founded about three thousand years ago. Today, its historical part is under the auspices of UNESCO and is included in the list of World Cultural Heritage (1983). The old town is located on a small peninsula. It is essentially a rock, connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, which was easy to defend against enemies. Archaeological artifacts indicate that Nessebar was founded by the Thracians back in the Bronze Age, and in about 500 BC the ancient Greek city-state of Mesembria was erected here. After an earthquake many centuries ago, part of this polis went under the waters of the Black Sea. The ancient buildings are still visible from the rocky cape. The peninsula preserved above the water has become quite tiny, about 800 meters long and half as wide. It’s amazing how many buildings can fit on this patch of land. The old town abounds with monuments of Greek and Roman antiquity, medieval fortresses, Christian temples of the Byzantine era. The oldest church is the Church of St. Sophia (5th century). Ribarska Street will lead you to the ruins of the ancient theater.
.About the history of the city will tell you an interesting exposition of the Archaeological Museum, located on Mesembria Street. Further on the same street you will find the Ethnographic Museum. Cozy cafes, souvenir stores and small stores are often located in old buildings built in the XVIII-XIX centuries.
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New Nessebar begins just beyond the isthmus, where the small town port and yacht club are built. From here you can start sailing on yachts and boats. With the owners of small private yachts can be arranged for individual boat trips for a family of three or four people.
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Modern Nessebar is planned with love for history and the surrounding nature, it does not suppress its ancient part in the slightest. It is a compact, cozy resort town with low buildings. Clean streets are planted with trees, houses with light-colored facades are covered with red tiles, there are several inexpensive hotels, and locals willingly rent rooms and apartments to tourists.
.To the north and south of the city limits, the picturesque sand dunes surrounding the wide beaches remain untouched. To the east, a large park approaches the town, planted in the middle of the last century, during the construction of the Sunny Beach resort. During the planning of the landscape, the tombs of the ancient inhabitants of the town were discovered. After archaeological research, they are open for inspection.
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Sunny Beach Beaches
Sunny Beach is a continuous 8-kilometer long sandy beach, its width from the surf line reaches 30-80 meters. The flat bottom near the coast is also sandy, it goes very smoothly into the depths. Impeccable ecological situation, developed infrastructure, cleanliness and well-maintained beaches are annually marked by the prestigious international award – Blue Flag.
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The beach area is separated from the hotels by a wide promenade. Part of the beach area is concessioned, but entrance to all beaches is free. You have to pay only for the use of sun loungers and umbrellas installed here (8 leva for each item). However, it is not prohibited to settle down on your own towel or air mattress away from the densely placed sunbeds. There is plenty of space.
.On the municipal Central Beach the cost of a set of umbrella and plastic sun lounger is 7 leva, it can be very crowded. Many vacationers buy umbrellas in the store (about 20 leva), and on the day of departure give or sell them to newly arrived tourists. Toilets on all beaches are paid (0.5 leva), they are, by the way, not so much.
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Sunny Beach beaches have designated children’s areas with playgrounds, rides and pools. Everywhere there are shallow and warm areas of the sea water area fenced with mesh booms with “frog ponds” for the youngest tourists. Animators, lifeguards and security personnel look after the kids’ entertainment.
At every step there are bars and snack bars with fish and meat grill menus. Many beach restaurants offer children’s menus with amusingly decorated dishes, and in any bar in the resort for your child will gladly prepare a milk or fruit cocktail, squeeze out a fresh freesch – vegetable, berry or fruit. However, beach snacks and drinks are quite expensive.
.Entertainment
Nightclubs, casinos, discos, bowling bars, amusement parks on Sunny Beach are more than a hundred. Luna Park and Fan Park have carousels, centrifuges, slides and other rides. The cost ranges from 4 to 20 leva. Small attractions for children (slides, swings) are scattered on the beaches all along the coast, but you will not find such a number and variety of water attractions as in the huge water park on Sunny Beach on the entire Black Sea coast of the country. “Action Aquapark” is located in the center of the resort. Shuttles will take you to the water park from any point of Sunny Beach free of charge.
.An incredible adrenaline rush will be caused by the “Giant Descent”, the “Free Fall” tower or the “Extreme” slide. And to pass the attraction “Kamikaze” dare only the most desperate tourists – there is no queue to it. You can relax in one of the pools or in the leisurely flow of the “Lazy River.”
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A significant part of the attractions is designed to entertain children. For them here built a whole town with shallow pools, slides, rope mazes, mysterious castle on the water, animal figures. The water park has a mini-zoo, where small animals and water birds live. Tourists are entertained by animators, every hour there are contests and competitions on the water.
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Action Aquapark is open to the public from 10:00 to 18:00. The price of a full-day entrance ticket for adults is 40 leva. For children under 130 cm tall – 20 leva. After 15:00, tickets can be purchased for 28 leva (adult) and 14 leva (children). At the box office you can pay for your tickets with a bank card or cash levs. It is not allowed to bring food and drinks into the water attractions. Bags are inspected by the park staff at the entrance. You can leave the seized products in the storage room, and in return you will be given a bracelet with the number of the box. The park has fast food, ice cream, drinks, a restaurant, cocktail bars, a store and souvenir stores.
.Not far from the water park is Karting Track. Here you can race on powerful go-karts on a circular track with sharp turns. The cost of this pleasure is 30 leva for 10 minutes of riding. The helmet is free of charge, but you have to pay 2 leva for a cloth helmet. Teenagers are allowed to ride on karts. A child seat is installed for them, and a speed limiter is attached to the gas pedal.
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During the day, many hotels on their sections of the coast organize competitions in beach soccer and volleyball with team prizes, and at night – parties with beer, wine, dancing and light snacks. But the most “crazy” parties, in which dozens and even hundreds of guests participate, are organized by Party Patrol animators. Join this noisy youth company, and you will get a tempting opportunity to “patrol” for a night of a dozen and a half bars with mind-boggling discounts on drinks and snacks. Under the jokes and amusements of animators the patrol company has fun, going from bar to bar, dancing in the best nightclubs of Sunny Beach.
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Active recreation
Active recreation lovers will find on Sunny Beach sports grounds with a variety of equipment, tennis courts, basketball and volleyball courts, mini-golf courses, an excellent equestrian base with well-trained horses for riding. Motorboats and sailboats, boats with water skis and paragliders, scooters, “bananas” and other water activities are offered everywhere on the beaches.
.In scuba diving centers renting equipment will cost from 70 to 100 leva. But here, on the gently receding underwater sandy terrain, dive only beginners, who will be satisfied with watching crabs, clams and benthic fish. Here you can take a full course of diving training and get an international certificate of PADI school. The cost of the course for 500-700 leva includes equipment rental, the cost of transportation to dive sites (there are no spectacular dive sites in the area of the resort), services of accompanying instructors. Experienced divers contact the websites of Sunny Beach diving clubs in advance, even before leaving for the resort. This way you can choose the optimal cost of trips to the desired dive sites.
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An extensive paintball range is set up in the dunes behind the highway away from the hotels.
If you want to drive around the surrounding foothills, join Jeep Safari groups. For 100 leva you will get an off-road vehicle for the day and go on a trip. At the end of the trip, the organizers host a barbecue dinner (included in the price).
.Vivid impressions will be given by boat trips. The resort has catamarans that take tourists along the coast. Often pleasure boats are accompanied by Black Sea dolphins, this cheerful escort creates a great mood in adults and unspeakably pleases children. A four-hour trip with a stop for a swim and lunch costs 60 leva per passenger. Those who wish to fish are given fishing gear. There is a bar on board and all drinks, including alcohol, are served free of charge. Groups are accompanied by friendly guides who speak many languages, including Russian.
Excursions
A few kilometers south of Nessebar, explore the town of Pomorie. Here was located another ancient city – Anchialo (IV century BC). In ancient times it was famous for large saltworks, and today the healing properties of salts and mud are used in a large balneological resort complex.
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Very interesting excursion to the ancient sanctuary of Thracians Beglik Tash. With a transfer by bus and one and a half hour inspection of megaliths, the most ancient sundial, a walk to the caves in the oak grove, this informative trip will take about five hours. Archaeologists date the stone altars to the 15th century BC. The megalithic complex on a mountainous slope facing the sea is often called the Bulgarian Stonehenge. If you have rented a car, come here on your own. The parking lot is free, and you have to pay 2 leva per person to enter. At the ticket office you will be given a brochure with a description of the route and objects to see.
Organized bus tours to Sofia, Varna, Burgas other cities with interesting sights. Some of them are designed for a day or two.
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What to buy
The most popular souvenirs to remember your trip to Sunny Beach are hand-painted pottery, knitwear, and national outfits. Cute products are offered by locals selling their handicrafts on the coastal promenade. Especially beautiful knitted woolen things, which masters produce right behind the counter, tirelessly twinkling with needles.
.For shopping go to shopping centers. Keep in mind that large stores once a week organize sales of goods with significant discounts. On such days, supermarkets send their own buses around the resort, bringing free shopping to all comers. The largest of them is the hypermarket “Janet”. Let’s describe its assortment in three words: there is everything here. Pay attention to the cooking department, where you can inexpensively buy ready-made hot food of restaurant quality, fresh vegetable salads. If you’re staying in an apartment, this is the place to go. In “Janet” the largest selection of alcohol, cheeses and sausages in the resort. But the prices in the hypermarket are not resort prices, they are quite affordable. As gastronomic souvenirs buy here a couple of bottles of Bulgarian wine, a bottle of brandy “Slanchev Bryag” and a set of various spices packed in beautiful glass containers. Produce goods, beach outfits and accessories (inflatable mattresses, umbrellas, masks, flippers) are located on the second floor. The advantages of the hypermarket include the fact that it is open from 8:00 to 23:00.
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Restaurants
The best restaurants in Sunny Beach are not always located in the most iconic places in the resort. Several factors play a role in the delicate choice of such an establishment – the talent of the chef, the creativity of the interior designer, the degree of greed of the owner and, of course, your own culinary preferences.
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Where to stay
Sunny Beach resort has two hundred hotels, chalets and pensions of all categories. So you can stay here and royally, in a luxury hotel with a casino, and student modestly, using the room only for a short nap, and the whole day devoted to walks, informative excursions and beach entertainment. But there is something in common between expensive and cheap hotels of the resort – Wi-Fi is available throughout the territory, including the most remote beaches. Many large hotels in the resort offer service and food on the All inclusive system.
.Among the most democratic hotels in Sunny Beach are Aparthotel Cote D’Azure (from 16 €/day), Adita Bravo (from 18 €/day), Apart Hotel MIDA (from 30 €/day), Admiral Plaza Apartments (from 33 €/day).
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Transportation
Sunny Beach has its own internal transportation – open-top caravans driving around the seafront. Here they are called shuttles. On the promenade and in hotels you can rent a bicycle (5 lev/hour or 25 lev/day). Hiring a two-seater electric car will cost 30 levs for a half-hour ride.
.The bus station is located in the center of the resort, near the hotel “Freshness”. There is a small waiting room, luggage storage boxes. Next to it is a cab stand. We recommend using the services of licensed cars. They are painted in a catchy lemon color, have the inscription “Taxi” or marked with “checkers”, a sticker with tariffs is attached to the glass, on the hood or on the door there is a logo with the name of the company and the dispatcher’s phone number, and a meter is installed in the cabin. Pay attention to it at once. The display should show the amount of the boarding fare – 0.70 BGN. If the amount is different (this is one of the cab drivers’ tricks), ask the driver to reset it. Another trick is not to turn on the meter at all. When you arrive, they will give you an absolutely fantastic amount. Make sure the “forgetful” driver turns on the meter.
Solid carriers include Omega Taxi (Varna), Orion Taxi (Burgas), OK Supertrans (Sofia). Day fare (08:00-22:00) is 4.5-7.9 leva/km, night fare (22:00-08:00) is 9.0-9.5 leva/km. For calling a cab by phone, 70 stotinki (0.7 leva) will be added to the final amount. Keep in mind that the fares of companies that own taxi fleets vary considerably. Before getting in the car, look at the prices on the cab stickers.
.If you are planning not only a beach vacation, but also travel around Sunny Beach, it makes sense to rent a car right at the airport. There are rental points of international companies “Budget”, “Hertz”, “Enterprise”, “InterRent”, the cost of car rental – from 40 leva / day, a good selection of cars. Local company Top Rent-a-Car also operates in the resort, the choice of cars is small, and inexpensive cars in the tourist season is unrealistic.
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The E87 highway leads from Varna to Sunny Beach. The first part of the route (about 30 km) falls on mountainous terrain, then the highway descends into the coastal lowlands. In the section near the town of Obzor, the highway passes very close to the coast. Here you can stop for a swim and a snack in a beach tavern. The cost of gasoline in Bulgaria is about 2 leva per liter. Almost all parking lots are paid – 2-3 leva/hour or 12 leva/day.
.How to get there
The Sunny Beach resort can be reached via Sofia, Burgas or Varna. Airplanes fly to these Bulgarian cities from many airports of the Russian Federation – Moscow, St. Petersburg, Cherepovets, Samara, Yekaterinburg and others.
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The shortest and most acceptable route from Moscow – a three-hour flight to Burgas (ticket – from 9875 rubles), from there by bus number 15 (ticket costs 1 lev) go to the South bus station. There are regular buses to Sunny Beach. In the summer season the interval of movement does not exceed half an hour, travel time – 45 min. A ticket for a shuttle bus to the bus station on Sunny Beach costs 6 leva, but these buses do not run after 23:30 until 6:00. To get from the airport to the resort at any time of the day you can take a commercial shuttle bus, but the driver will not leave until all the seats are occupied. The fare is 16 leva. It is convenient to book tickets for the shuttle in advance, on the website of the car carrier, indicating the flight number, arrival time and number of passengers.
.A cab ride from Sarafovo airport to your hotel in Sunny Beach will cost about 60 leva (daily fare).
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The cost of a flight to Varna (Aksakovo Airport) is comparable to the price of an air ticket to Burgas. Only to get to Sunny Beach from Varna is a bit longer. From Varna airport take bus number 409 to the Central Bus Station (ticket – 2 leva, it takes a quarter of an hour). Here in the schedule look for flights to Nessebar or Burgas. These buses stop at the bus station in Sunny Beach resort. The fare is 12 leva. When planning your trip, check the bus schedule (it changes from season to season) so that you don’t have to spend the night in Varna.
.From Varna bus station to Sunny Beach is less than 100 km, but the bus takes about two hours. The highway passes through many coastal settlements where speed is limited. In addition, the bus stops several times along the way. On Fridays the roads are crowded with cars traveling to the sea for the weekend, and on Sundays – in the opposite direction. Congestion and “traffic jams” are not uncommon on these days.
.A cab ride will take about an hour and cost about 100-120 leva.
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There is another air route to Bulgaria’s Sunny Beach – via Turkey. For tourists from the southeastern regions of the Russian Federation, such a trip will be much shorter and cheaper than transit through Moscow or St. Petersburg. From Kazan, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhnekamsk, many Siberian cities connected with Istanbul by Turkish Airlines or flights of other companies, you can use this direction. For example, from Naberezhnye Chelny to Istanbul to fly 4 hours, the cost of a ticket – about 8000 rubles. And from Istanbul to Burgas there are regular comfortable buses.
.At Istanbul Ataturk Airport, go to the metro station (token costs 3 lira). You need to get to the bus station (station “Otogar”, the tenth). Buses to Burgas leave daily in the morning and evening (check the schedule in advance). The ticket price is 70 liras, which is about 15 €. Travel time is 6-7 hours, including about an hour stop at Malko Tarnovo checkpoint on the border with Bulgaria. The bus arrives at the Central Bus Station in Burgas, from there any passing bus heading towards Varna or a cab will take you to the bus station in Sunny Beach resort.
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If your budget allows, take a cab directly from Istanbul Ataturk Airport. It will take you to Sunny Beach in 4-5 hours, the approximate cost of the trip is 250 €.
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If you prefer to travel by rail, you can take the train № 59 M “Moscow – Sofia” (“Bulgarian Express”), departing from Kievsky station in Moscow. In the summer season, from mid-June to early September, this train includes trailing cars that take passengers to Burgas and Varna. The journey takes a
