is one of the oldest towns in Europe, well known with its exotic monuments the Antiquity, its fascinating architecture of the Middle Ages and the National Revival period. The town is situated on a small rocky peninsula in the North part of the Bourgas bay.
 In 1956 Nesebar was proclaimed an archaeological and architectural reserve and in 1983 the cultural monuments of the town were included in the list of UNESCO.
The area of Nesebar is about 25 ha. It is linked with the new part of the town by a narrow 300 metres long strip. The beach, based in the new part, is 4 km long.

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.
The old quarter of the town, situated on Nesebar peninsula and linked to the mainland by a narrow neck of land; declared an architectural and archaeological reserve. North and south of the peninsula there stretch beach strips covered with the finest sand along the Black Sea coast. To the north these are linked with the beaches of Sunny Beach. Nesebar is one of the oldest towns in Bulgaria. Ancient polis Mesambria appears in 6 c. BC in place of a Thracian settlement Melsabria (2nd - 1st millennium BC). Invaded by the Romans (1 c. BC), conquered by khan Kroum in 812 and annexed to the Bulgarian state. Efflorescence as a sea port and cultural centre reached under king Ivan Alexander (1331 – 1371) Circa 1452 Nesebar falls under Ottoman yoke and the fortress walls are demolished. During the Bulgarian National Revival the town is revived anew. Develops as a fishing and vine-growing centre. Since antiquity to the present day there have been preserved sections of the fortress wall, towers, a gate, sanctuaries, inscriptions, reliefs. Remarkable sites of Nesebar are its medieval churches. In the past these were more than 40, but only a few are still standing. Early Christian are basilicas, most famous among these - the Old Bishopric. The construction and plastic decorative peculiarities of Nesebar churches dating back to 10 - 14 c., sets them apart in a separate group, characteristic with the picturesque design of facades. Mural ornamentation of each church constitutes unique harmony of stone, red brick, multicolored ceramic rosettes and circular plates. Cross-dome churches are represented by "St. Ivan Krustitel" church (10 - 11 c.), "St. Arhangeli Mihail I Gavrail" (13 c.), "Pantokrator" (14 c.) and "St. Ivan Neosveteni" (14 c.). Single-naved are "St. Todor" and "St. Paraskeva" churches, "St. Stephen" church is a basilica (New Bishopric).
 

  In 1958 archaeological excavations uncover a medieval golden treasure of adornments which is kept in the historical museum of Bourgas. The Bulgarian National Revival architectural ensemble encompasses some 60 houses, picturesquely overhanging narrow cobbled streets. Architectural design is typical of the Black Sea coast house - stone basement, paneled upper floor, numerous bay windows, supported by corbels. Of greater interest are the houses of Mouskoyani, captain Pavel, Bogatova house, Rousieva house, and others. A historical museum with branches - archaeological exposition in "St. Ivan Krustitel" church. A Turkish bath (18 - 19 c.) and 3 windmills are still preserved. The old town is included in the list of monuments of world cultural and natural heritage compiled at UNESCO.
 Old Bishopric - built at the end of 5 c. or the beginning of 6 c. Cathedral of Mesemvria bishopric. Dimensions are impressive; the middle nave dominated in height and width, initially separated from the side ones by columns and after the reconstructions of 9 and 10 c. - with walls, cut through by semicircular arches. "St. Stephen" (New Bishopric) - a church built in 12 c. though other sources date it back to the end of 10 c. It has been preserved almost in whole in its initial form. Here for the first time colour ceramic decoration is used. Mural paintings (14 - 19 c) of high artistic value have been preserved; most valuable are those dated 16 c. and the iconostasis icons.
Captain's house - built in the Bulgarian National Revival style, situated on the high stone coast above the port. The elevated stone basement is occupied by store rooms on two levels. On the floor above there is a T-shaped parlour and 4 spacious rooms in the corners with open on the facade. A relief badge of the guild is inbuilt on the southern wall. Mouskoyani's house - follows almost the same inner design as Captain's house. The parlour has an abundantly decorated ceiling, adorned with a round rosette. An ethnographic exposition has been arranged in the house.