10 Reasons Why Sozopol is a Good Idea for Your Holiday

Dear lilioftheworld.com reader, here is Lili, your co-editor. Today I am taking you to my home country and more precisely – to the Bulgarian seaside and the beautiful town of Sozopol. The Bulgarian seaside has its nice and not-so-nice places, but I am bringing you to one particularly beautiful town, which is often overlooked by foreign tourists. However, this hidden gem has an offering for every taste and could be an interesting experience for a weekend getaway, as well as for a longer period of time. 

One disclaimer – this post isn’t sponsored, but if you notice that we use too many superlatives, it is because of our personal emotional connection with the place 🙂 We have been visiting the town of Sozopol for the last (without exaggerating) 20 years, almost every single year. Therefore, we have a lot of experience how to make the best out of it.  

Let’s see whether towards the end of the article we will be able to convince you to give it a try for at least a long weekend in 2021 🙂 So, let’s go and see why!

Why should you spend (part of) your summer holiday in Sozopol?

When thinking about a destination for a summer holiday, there are a couple of things we are considering. Naturally the first thing to think about is the weather- is it too hot there or rather the opposite. Then, we are checking how we can get to the chosen place, what accommodations are offered and whether they fit to our budget scope, are there nice beaches in the proximity, what else besides staying at the beach we can do, etc. These and some other questions you will find answered below. You will be surprised how well Sozopol accommodates them all. 

Here are my 10 reasons why Sozopol is a good Idea for your holiday:

1. Location and Transportation 

Transportation, unfortunately, can be a bit tricky in Bulgaria. Although the roads improved a lot over the last couple of years, we are still far from the majority of the quality you will see in the other European countries. The good thing about Sozopol is its relative proximity to the capital Sofia- around 400 km (only highway) and to the summer airport of Bourgas (just 44 km).  A taxi ride from Bourgas airport can be as low as €25 one-way. 

If your starting point in Bulgaria is Sofia, you can also get on a flight to Bourgas. Booking early enough, guarantees you a better deal (as low as €35 one-way). The flight takes only half an hour. 

Tip: If you are coming to Sozopol from abroad, choose landing either at Burgas or Varna airports. During the summer there are charter flights from many European countries.

Tipp 2: If you are coming from Sofia, choose a less busy period for travelling. The heaviest season is July- August, especially around the weekends. Even when we are going there just for a weekend, we chose to depart from Sofia early in the morning (around 3:30- 4:00). Thus we are skipping the heaviest traffic: Friday afternoon for example.  

2. Weather

The season in Sozopol starts as early as May and could go well until October. Still, if you are looking at temperatures above 25 degrees, you should probably skip May and October.

All towns located in the southern part of the Bulgaria Black Sea coast are usually characterized with milder and warmer weather in comparison with the northern ones. Furthermore, Sozopol local people say that it is a ”cursed place where it rarely rains”. They mean “cursed” as a joke of course 🙂 The truth is that due to its specific microclimate, very often the summer storms just pass by Sozopol without staying there for too long. We can definitely confirm this. It rarely rains during the summer and even if it does so, it is just for a couple of hours and later again you are able to visit the beach on the same day. Do not rely on the weather forecast- in most cases it shows lower temperatures than they really are. 

3. Accommodation

If I have to summarize this point in one sentence, it would be: There is everything for every taste. You are a family and you prefer quiet all-inclusive accommodation- Sozopol has something for you. You can choose any of the big resorts like Duni, Santa Marina or Apolonia resort (to name a few). 

The amazing view from our guest house accommodation. On the left I captured a summer storm, and on the right- the beautiful sunrise. 

Within the  town of Sozopol you have the possibility to stay in a hotel, a guest house or just to rent an apartment. The prices vary between €5 and €500 per night per person. If you are looking for an authentic stay, you can leave the booking for the last minute and find your accommodation on the spot. When you arrive at the local bus station, you will see a lot of locals with signs “Free rooms” (the same goes when you walk down the streets).

You can stay within the house of an old lady who is renting one of the rooms and the family is actually living in the others. When we were younger (i.e. at school) we did not have enough budget and we were staying in such kind of accommodation. Usually the price is lower if you are sharing the bathroom with other people on the same floor. 

One thing to keep in mind is that despite the increasing number of foreign tourists, there are still some accommodation providers that don’t speak English. However, this is mainly the case with seniors, while younger people at their majority have basic English knowledge.

Prices vary depending on the location

The prices of course vary depending on where you are staying. The closer you are to the sea, the higher the prices are. The same goes with the proximity to the Old town- the majority of the accommodations in the Old town of Sozopol are pretty expensive. On one hand this is because of the limited availability and on the other- the district is a protected area. The locals have restrictions on how the houses should look from the outside, also the access of vehicles is restricted. This makes the maintenance of these houses a bit more expensive, resulting in higher accommodation prices.

Tip: To be honest so far we never stayed in this part of Sozopol. It is amazing for evening walks, but the newer part of the town is what we would rather recommend. 

If you’d like to be closer to nature, you have a couple of options in the vicinity. Choose any of the camping sites like Gradina, Kavacite, Golden Fish, etc. Either bring your own tent/ camper or rent one on the spot. There are also bungalows on these camping locations if you’d like the comfort of having a solid base, but still be closer to the beach.

Parking

Here in the “Accommodation” part I would like to pay special attention to the situation with the parking spots. This is something which raises a lot of discussions and negative attitudes, so you should simply be aware what to expect. The town of Sozopol is an extremely popular summer destination not only for Bulgarians, but also for many foreigners. It becomes extremely crowded in the months of July and August. While there is a huge capacity in terms of accommodations available, the parking spots are scarce.  

So, what are your options? Check in advance whether your accommodation offers a parking spot. Even if it does, usually this is a spot directly on the street which the locals are keeping in various creative ways (by big bottles of water, any types of barrels, chairs, once we even saw an old toilet). Additionally, there are a couple of parking areas where you pay around €3-6 per day stay. Of course, if you find a spot there. Unfortunately, even these parking areas cannot serve the increased demands especially during the weekends. Just prepare with a lot of patience in case you are visiting Sozopol in high season and you are coming by car. 

Our tip for the high season would be to use taxi services to move around to avoid the unnecessary hustle for finding proper parking spots.

4. Beaches

In general, the Bulgarian coast is characterized by sand beaches and rarely you will stumble across rocky or stony ones. The beaches around Sozopol do not make an exception. There are two beaches within the town itself- the Central one and Harmani. The first one is located between the Old and New Sozopol, while the last is in the southern part of the town and it is much longer. These are the least favorite among the younger Bulgarians who are visiting some of the more beautiful neighboring beaches. However, if you simply are in the mood to stay in the town, these are still an acceptable option. 

Within 15 mins of driving you will find other beautiful beaches with white, soft sand. If you are coming by car, you can easily reach these beaches. Do not worry- the locals had thought for those of you with no vehicles. You can either take a taxi- single ride costs between €5-7.5 (depending on the length of the ride) or you can use public transportation to get there (either a bus or a mini train) for around €1.5/ person. The preferred beaches are those at the camping sites which we mentioned earlier- Kavaci, Golden Fish and Gradina.

To manage your expectations, we should mention that the sea water won’t have the turquoise color which is so characteristic for the Mediterranean. It is called Black Sea for a reason 🙂 Still, the water is mostly clear and can also have a nice blue color (especially if you visit Sozopol in June and early July).

5. Restaurants

Food plays an important role in the life of us Bulgarians. That is why we love going to restaurants. Especially when we are on vacation. We are saving money the whole year, but when we are on vacation, we can spend a lot on food.

Locals in Sozopol are aware of this and that is why you will find a restaurant on every street corner. Maybe the only thing you will not find is a Michelin star restaurant- Bulgarians are also not fond of such. There are so many different options that you will not be bored even if you stay there the whole summer. There are enough options to visit a different restaurant every evening. I will be writing an article about the restaurants offering the best views in the town, so stay tuned. 

There are restaurants which are located right on the beach with sunbeds in front of them

6. Sightseeing and things to do

Let’s start with the fact that Sozopol is one of the biggest towns on the Bulgarian seaside, but it is also among the oldest ones. The peninsula Stolets (or Skamnii) where the old town of Sozopol is located dates back to 610 y. b. Ch.

The sunset over the old town 

This hints at quite a rich history which will not disappoint you with interesting legends and stories. More about the history of Sozopol you can find in the article with the most interesting things to do in Sozopol.

Not so far from Sozopol you will find some beautiful national parks and natural phenomena like Ropotamo nature reserve, the Lion head, Beglik Tash, Arkutino, etc. You can as well visit some of the neighboring islands. Islands are not typical for Black Sea. That is why it is worth adding to your itinerary one or more of the following: St Toma (the Snakes’ island), St John, St Peter and St Kiril. Even St Anastasia near the town of Bourgas is a good option.

Other interesting things to do are visiting the only castle in the area- Ravadinovo castle, taking a boat to another beautiful Black sea town- Nessebar. You can visit the beautiful city of Bourgas or even do some shopping there. 

Some impressions from the medieval-style castle built nowadays

7. Nightlife

You will find many options here. If you are in the mood for a chilled place to have a drink, then visit some of the bars overlooking the Central beach bay. If you are in the mood to party hard- then check the programme of the bars at Gradina camping site. There is even a jazz place, a karaoke bar and a latino cafe for the enthusiasts. Sozopol is prepared to serve all your needs.

The last three reasons are more valid for my Bulgarian readers, while foreigners will get to know our personality better :). 

8. Meeting friends (tip for Bulgarians only 🙂

Just because Sozopol is so popular among locals, you will for sure meet a lot of your friends there. Think about your inner circle of friends and you will realize that they have come at least for one weekend to this part of the Bulgarian seaside. 

If you plan to spend longer time In Sozopol, you will not miss your friends. Sooner or later they will come to visit you.

9. Beach bars 

It is not Ibiza, but you still have plenty of beach bars to spend a relaxed day under the sun. Get your beach chair or a puff, chill and enjoy your time. 

With this regard Sozopol and the area around is the best- you can find a rich choice of beach bars. Here is the article listing my top 10 best beach bars in the Sozopol area. 

10. The fig season

Sozopol is famous for its many fig trees and the green figs jam the locals are preparing. Their season is around August will you see the trees and their fruits on the streets. There will also be a lot of stands in front of the houses offering the home-made green figs jam. Make sure you try an ice cream or yogurt with fig jam in any of the restaurants- one of the desert highlights. 

Instead of conclusion

We hope that now you are at least a bit more curious to visit this lovely Black Sea town. If you have some other ideas why Sozopol is a good idea for a summer holiday, I would like to hear from you. This is a living article and I would be glad to add other things to it. 

If you enjoyed this article, do not miss the other articles about Sozopol:

• Top 10 beach Bars around Sozopol
• Best Restaurants with Views in Sozopol
• Exciting Dinner Spots around Sozopol
• 25 Things to Do in Sozopol

You can also visit the other pages, dedicated to my home country Bulgaria:

• Top 35 Things to see in Sofia

• 10 Reasons to visit Sofia