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Nessebar

ancient roman ruins and museum atmosphere combined with modern hotels and nice beaches

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.