NESSEBAR Location: 20 km north of Bourgas Ground: Rocky peninsula (old town) Beaches: 2 beaches, near the new town. Also the nice beaches of Sunny Beach resort, only 2 km far from Nessebar. Busiest months: July and August Accommodation: Old town mainly private rooms and very few family hotels; New town - many nice hotels as well as private rooms. General impressions: Excellent choice! What to do: Everything is available here! There are ancient buildings and historical monuments as well as quiet restaurants and fashionable cafes and discos. Bulgaria's biggest beach resort Sunny Beach is only 3 km far, offering lot of amusements and excellent night life. Internet access: Widely available in the internet cafes both in new and old town. It is located on a small peninsula in the Black Sea wich is linked with the land only by a long and narrow isthmus. It has existed for more than 9,000 years. It emerged as a fortified Thracian settlement; afterwards it was a Greek polis, then a Roman colony. Has 2 parts - the Old Town abd the New Town. Nessebar is best known for the old town (about 9000 years) on the peninsula. No one can say for sure whether the isthmus is natural or man-made. The largest number and best known buildings date from 11th to 14th centuries almost all of them churchies in the so called "picturesque" style: walls intersected by pilasters and lunettes, with stone, brick and ceramic ornaments and arches along the cornice. Christ Pantokrator church (10th - 11th c.) Some of the churches have stunningly beautiful facades and interiors and are among the best preserved ones in the Balkan Peninsula. The oldest one is the Sveti Ioan Krastitel (St.John the Baptist, 10th -11th century. Today the old part of the town has regained its original romantic atmosphere: narrow cobblestone lanes, tiny squares, two-storeyed period houses with stone-built ground levels and wooden upper floors jutting above the streets and external staircases, gift shops, pubs, tavern and lovely flower gardens.   Photos Shams Co. Rent A Car at Nessebar ...If you're planning a journey to the unique town Nessebar - a picturesque sea resort on the Bulgarian coast, a car rental will guarantee you an exciting holiday. Our expedient rent-a-car service gives you the opportunity to hire a car and explore on your own the enchanting surrounding area of the resort. If you have decided to take on a sightseeing tour in the city of Burgas, situated 40 km from Nessebar, a car rental would be necessary for your journey. Rent a car and you will be able to reach easily and comfortably all the wonderful beaches in this part of the coast in only a few minutes - you can drive on your own to a different beach every day of your holiday and turn your vacation into an adventure! Enjoy the spa and entertainment centers in Sunny beach - distances won't matter anymore if you hire a car. Nessebur has about 9 500 habitants. It is a lovely picturesque place situated on a small rocky peninsula and linked to the mainland by a narrow neck of land, 400 m long. The town is located 36 km northeast of Bourgas and 427 km east of Sofia. It is one of the oldest European towns and is declared a monument of culture under the protection of UNESCO. In modern times, Nesebar is a major tourist attraction in what has become a popular area with several large resorts—the largest, Sunny Beach, is situated immediately to the north of Nesebar The ancient Greek polis Mesemvria appeared in the place of the Thracian settlement Mesambria (2nd millenium BC). In no time the polis became an important trading, craft and cultural center. A majestic statue of Apollonius was erected in it. During V-VIII centuries, Mesemvria was one of the most significant Black sea centers. In the end of this period it was a center of episcopate and also a naval base of Byzantium. In 812 Khan Krum captured the town but in 864 Tsar Boris yielded it to Byzantium. Its greatest efflorescense was reached under Tsar Ivan Aleksandur in the 10th century when about 40 churches and monasteries were built through donations. When Nessebur fell under Turkish yoke the fortified walls and many of the monasteries were demolished but its significance as a sea port did not change. The town has existed for about three milleniums - first as the Ancient Mesambria, then as Mesemvria from the period of the Middle Ages and finally as the Bulgarian Nessebur. Today Nessebur is a flourishing sea resort. New quarters with numerous holiday houses and hotels arise out of the old part of the town, situated on the peninsula. There is a wide choice of restaurants, private hotels and villas, and, of course, a magnificent beach in the new quarters. Local people are exclusively engaged in the tourism. Nessebur is an architectural and historical reserve with old restored houses. The Bulgarian National Revival architectural ensemble encompasses about 80 houses. The architectural design is typical of the Black Sea coast house- two- storeyed, wooden houses with many windows, overlooking the sea. The Medieval churches are the most impressive architectural monuments and are supposed to have been 41. Preserved up to the present day are "St Ivan Baptistki" church, turned into an art gallery, "St Stefan" church with mural paintings from the X-XII centuries; Pantokrator Church, raised in the 14th century with preserved ceramic rosettes and "St.John Alyturgetos" church, situated near to the port, a real masterpiece of the Bulgarian architectire. In Nessebar there are also archeological and ethnographic expositions. In the Ethnographic museum tourists can see national dresses, things of popular customs and many others. The bus and water routes to Nessebur are regular. Renting a jet or a boat, this paradise town can be seen from the sea. Places of interest: Sunny Beach, Burgas, Ropotamo, Silistar, Kamchia   Nessebar Hotels: Amadeus Andonov Atlantic Badarovi Bora Gergana Hawai Hit Hronos Ivon Lambovi Linoff Maria Marina Palace Mistral Mistral - 2 Monte Kristo Nessebar Orchidee St. Nikola St. Nikola St. Nikolai Toni Tsarevets Vanini Known as Messembria by its founders, Dorian Greeks, Nessebar was founded in the 6th century BC. Under the Romans the once-influential trading colony declined in importance in favor of neighboring Anchialo (Pomorie) and it became a remote outpost in the empire's northern reaches. In the 7th century, the Bulgarians under Khan Kroum managed to capture the fortified settlement from the Byzantines after a long siege. Nessebar's many churches and monasteries were granted special privileges, some of which were continued under the Ottomans. Today, the narrow peninsula (an island in antiquity, it was later connected by a causeway) is one of Bulgaria's most delightful tourist spots. Designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sight in 1983, the tiny town attracts nearly a million yearly visitors. Narrow cobblestone streets wind amongst quaint 19th century wooden houses, their tiny courtyards filled with smokini (fig) trees and vine trellises. Although once graced by forty churches, Nessebar's dozen remaining medieval churches are the remnants of both Slav and Greek Orthodox communities that thrived here during the middle ages. What To Do The entrance to Nessebar is via a narrow gateway in the fortress wall that once encircled the town. The earliest foundations were laid by the Thracians 2,800 years ago, and later were fortified by Hellenes and Byzantines. As the peninsula was twice its present size in antiquity, large sections of the original walls are now underwater. After Christianity was declared the official religion of the Roman Empire in 313, six local basilicas were built, two of which remain today and date to the 5th-6th centuries: the Old Metropolitan in the center and the better-preserved Holy Mother Eleusa on the shoreline. When Nessebar again came under Byzantine rule following the collapse of the First Bulgarian Kingdom, court chapels were built for the aristocracy. Among the most remarkable of Nessebar's churches are the ninth-century Saint John the Baptist, which now houses an art gallery; and St Stephan (or "New Metropolitan"), a fine example of medieval (11th century) Bulgarian architecture with interior walls covered by mural frescoes. The best-preserved church, with its colorful exterior of red brick, white marble and glazed polychrome ceramic inlays, is Christ the Pantokrator; it currently houses an excellent art gallery. Another sight not to be missed is the archaeological museum, with its superb collection of antiquities. The central plaza around the Old Metropolitan is believed to have been the site of the ancient agora, or Roman market. Today, the entrepreneurial spirit of the agora lives on with a plethora of sidewalk vendors hawking all sorts of art work and tourist souvenirs. As the major historical site on the coast, Nessebar does not lack for restaurants, the most appealing of which are located on the peninsula's scenic southeastern tip along Roussalka and Tsar Ivan Assen streets. For fresh fish and fabulous sea vistas, the Neptune Restaurant is hard to beat. Vicinity New Nessebar, located on the mainland, houses most of the local population and modern facilities. Burgeoning with rest homes and hotels, it lacks the charm and sights of old Nessebar; but has the comfort of today's amenities. Also, new Nessebar has both a seaside wooded park and a sandy beach from which sunbathers can contemplate old Nessebar's charming shoreline. The beach also features a gentle slope from shallow to deep water as well as chair and umbrella rentals. Six kilometers up the road is the mega-resort of Sunny Beach. Getting There Tour buses, vans and taxis stream across the narrow causeway from the mainland to old Nessebar's bus station and taxi ranks, located behind the archaeology museum. At the adjacent harbor, small boats ferry passengers across the bay to Sunny Beach. From Sofia, private bus companies such as Group and Vitosha Express provide daily coach service (US$7-8).