If the terms Victorian or medieval sound impressively old, try going to a city with numerous sites from the BC years. Situated on a narrow peninsula that juts into the Black Sea, Nessebar was founded more than 3,000 years ago and is one of Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited settlements.
The town was first called Menebria, founded by Ancient Thracians. Just above the border of Greece and Turkey, this area was frequently fought over by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Bulgars, and Ottomans. Nessebar became part of Bulgaria only in 1908.
With that much warfare and religious turnover, you can be sure to find a lot of old churches—more than 40 on the peninsula. All of those—plus ancient Greek ruins, museums, and centuries-old homes—are concentrated in Nessebar's old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. A single, narrow road is the only way to reach the old town, which the Black Sea almost completely surrounds.
After visitors pass by the iconic 19th-century windmill, Nessebar’s ancient defensive walls rise up to greet them, just as they have for thousands of years. Once inside the walls, make a stop at the Archaeological Museum of Nessebar and learn about the town’s rich, complicated history, including how the city was one of the first places to mint coins in the fifth century BC.
Next, wander to the Hagia Sophia Church, one of the oldest churches in the Balkans, predating Istanbul's own Hagia Sophia by almost a hundred years. The fifth-century building, likely built on top of a Greek temple and agora, marks the center of old Nessebar.
From there, meander through the town’s worn cobblestone streets and see what catches your eye. Perhaps you dip into the Ethnographic Museum housed in an 1840 home or admire the 16th-century wall paintings inside the Church of St. Stephen. Nessebar is essentially a maze of different centuries.
— Sarah Durn
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