Burgas is a great destination in Bulgaria. While we’ll admit that it may not be as pretty and charming as some seaside towns in Europe, it has a good beach, a large park, plenty of attractions and a tidy town centre with good restaurants. However, Burgas is also great because of it’s convenient location in close proximity to other nearby seaside towns, making it a great base to explore from. While in Burgas, we took a day trip from Burgas to Sozopol, Bulgaria to experience one of the more popular destinations along Bulgaria’s black sea coastline.
Sozopol is well known for being pretty, old and charming. Its history as a settlement dates back to the bronze age, but it was founded by the Greeks in the 7th century BC. The town became a thriving and important trade and shipping hub. When walking through the old town, it’s clear to see the influence of different rulings and empires have had on the architecture of the town, making it quite unique.
How To Get To Sozopol From Burgas
Burgas has two bus stations, South and West. The bus to Sozopol, and the majority of buses in general, leave from the South bus station. This is located along the front in Burgas, near the Sea Garden. The bus from Burgas to Sozopol usually leaves from section 5 and takes 40min to get to Sozopol. We took the bus that departed at 11:00.
It is best to check the Burgas Bus website for an up to date schedule, but the bus usually leaves every 30min from 06:00 to 09:30, leaves again at 11:00 and then every hour from then on. There are some additional buses after 17:00 and after 19:00, they are less regular. Buses stop at 20:30. Tickets cost 5BGN one way, per person, and can be bought on board the bus. We went into the bus station but this really isn’t necessary, you can head straight to the area where buses depart. If you want help, there is a help desk near the entry inside the bus station, where you can ask questions.
Exploring Sozopol
Once we had arrived in Sozopol, we set off to explore the town. Many of the streets are very pretty with lots of old houses and buildings. It is quite touristy, but not tacky, so this was good. There are a number of small independent shops selling goods, and stalls on the streets too.
We walked right through the main part of the town, admiring all the architecture and quaint old streets. We found ourselves near the sea at the northern coast section of Sozopol. Here we saw Saint Ivan Rilski Chapel, which is a small chapel with great artworks inside. There is also an ancient arched section of wall adjacent to the chapel, which you can look over the black sea from.
From here, we continued wandering through the old streets and walked onto the path that lines the coast. The scenery here is beautiful, overlooking the black sea and the local town beach. There are also lots of restaurants and cafes here, so we thought this would be the perfect time to stop for some lunch.
Lunch In Sozopol
We chose to have lunch at Del Muro, a beautiful restaurant sitting on the coastal path. The menu was varied and included a mixture of Bulgarian and Mediterranean dishes. We had the fried calamari, an eggplant salad and some fries. It was all delicious and the service was excellent. It is not the cheapest restaurant by any means, however the choice of dishes and the view makes up for this.
After Lunch Sightseeing
As the weather was good, we decided to spend an hour or so on the beach after lunch. The water was very clear, although quite shallow, and the sand was very soft. It wasn’t too busy either which was good, so there was plenty of space. There are changing cubicles on the beach if you bring your swimsuits with you and want to change in or out of them, which is so handy.
After the beach we did some further exploring of the old town and visited the St. Cyril and Methodius Church. Built in 1889, this Orthodox church is located near one of the main squares in Sozopol, and near some of the other historical attractions. After seeing the church, we also visited Sozopol amphitheatre, where there are also Roman ruins nearby.
The Archaeological museum is also worth visiting, if you have time. Entry costs 7BGN per adult and gives you access to view over 100 objects. Items include ancient Greek vases, pottery and a vast collection of stone and lead anchors. The museum’s collections are valued highly in Bulgaria.
Returning To Burgas
After hours of exploring Sozopol, we were ready to catch the bus back to Burgas. We headed to the location that the bus dropped us off at and our return bus arrived on time.
We really enjoyed visiting Sozopol and would love to return. We had heard many people say that it was very touristy. While there are alot of shops and restaurants that are clearly aimed at tourists, we didn’t think the town felt overrun by tourists, and that it still had retained its old world charm and heritage
Read our Burgas travel guide for more information on how to get in, out and around Burgas, what to do and where to stay. You can also visit our Youtube Channel to see our Burgas walking tour videos, with walking routes available on our travel guide pages.
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