Situated on a lovely peninsula in the southern part of the Bay of Bourgas, Sozopol is the oldest city on the Bulgarian sea coast. The remains of primitive houses, vessels and bronze tools survived as evidence of the busy everyday life of the local population and are also giving a proof of more than 6000 years of cultural tradition. The old part of Sozopol has been in existence for a long time. It was originally populated by Thracians as far back as around 4000BC, and around the seventh century BC Greeks came to Sozopol and made it a Greek colony called Apolonia, after the Greek god Apollo, the god of arts. But this was not the first Greek appearance in Sozopol - as far back as in the 13th century BC Jason and his Argonauts visited Sozopol. Today especially Bulgarians come to visit Sozopol, although usually looking for other things than a golden fleece.
Apart from it’s rich history, Sozopol also has a large palette of sightseeings such as the Archeological Museum, The Art Gallery of Sozopol, House-museum Alexander Mutafov, Architecture and Arhceological reserve – Old Sozopol, The Fortress Walls VI c. – XIVc. , Chapels, Churches, Houses – Cultural monuments, several fotresses, Thracian mounds, antique necropolis and several reserves. And when we are speaking about sightseeing, we can not miss the “St. Ivan” Island, which is also a natural and archeological reserve with great archeological value.
While there are private lodgings in both the old and the new part of the town, the latter is constantly expanding and offers a bigger choice in terms of prices and quality alike. Private hotels have been also increasing in number in recent years (particularly in the new town), with the Radik Hotel and the Groudov Hotel being among the more popular known ones. It is worth noting though that at the time of the Apolonia festival the town is flooded by people (held traditionally in the first 10 days of September), and prior booking is recommended.
There are a lot of camping sites around Sozopol where many tourists spend their holidays: Kavatsite, Smokinya, Vesselie, Zlatna Ribka and Gradina. They offer bungalows of different categories, sites for caravans, tents and vehicles. Prices are quite moderate, while service is of acceptable quality to less picky tourists.
Judging by occupancy rates, tourists seem to rate best most of the small coastal restaurants and private pubs both in the old and new part of the town. Stalls for fish, pizza places, and snack-bars scattered all over the camping sites are also popular among visitors. Among the most attractive places are Vyaturnata Melnitsa, Sozopol Tavern, Athens Tavern, the restaurants Xantana, Neptun, Drouzhba Fishing Boat, Orpheus, Olymp, Stenata, Kladentsa, Lilia. Some of these are very interesting as they are built over ancient remains after detailed archaeological research and restorations. Such an example is the Stenata Restaurant, the basement of which was used as a grain warehouse far back in time while the Kladenetsa Restaurant was built over a spring, which used to supply the town with drinking water via water pipes. Prices at restaurants are traditionally high. Places at camping sites and small restaurants along the beach offer more moderate prices. There are a lot of groceries and marketplaces. One could buy fish directly from fishermen at the quay.
A long time ago Sozopol was an island, but a 100 meter wide area has been filled so Old Sozopol is now on a peninsula. Just South of where the old town is connected to land is the Raiski Beach - or Paradise - which along with the Northern Tsar's Beach is an important reason why so many Bulgarians come to Sozopol.
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