Journey Through The Black Sea Coast

BALCHIK

Neither you are a botanical lover nor a seascape admirer we could invite you to visit Balchik. It is a small, pretty sea town of another time, situated just 25km north from International Hotel Casino & Tower Suites.

With its sandy cliffs, a series of ravines running down to the sea with whitewashed cottages and a couple of kilometers west along the seafront promenade, Balchik is a really nice destination to visit. Established in the sixth century BC the town was a valued place for Greeks as a safe sea haven as well as an important center for viniculture.

Its significant landmark is the Palace on the sea shore. In 1924 the Romanian Queen Maria Alexandrina Victoria De Edinburgh (1875 – 1938) picked the picturesque locality to build her summer residence, "Quiet Nook”, which construction took more than a decade. This is not a palace as all the rest but a lovely architectural and park complex with cozy individual villas, The Queen Maria`s concept for the complex was inspired form the Bahay Religion - the study preaches equal rights between religions, sex and race. And her “Quiet Nook” is as if a whole world is gathered in this small piece of land with mystic bohemian atmosphere and aristocratic finesse. And everything is built-in the natural scenery as it has always been here, waiting for you.

Your visit in the Palace could be organized as a trip discussion for familiarization with the history of the place. And it is a pretty interesting history.

The Botanical garden of the Palace accommodates collections with over 3500 plant species and a unique flora diversity.

Dos:

* Any exploration of Balchik should include the Ethnographic Complex that consists of a reconstructed nineteenth-century school house and the Church of St. Nikola.

* Go there hungry for the taste of perfect fish and seafood meals.

Dont's: 

* If you love sunbathing, don`t expect any sandy beaches in Balchik - there are various piers and jetties, protruding into the bay, where you could position yourself.

NATURE AND ARCHEOLOGICAL RESERVE KALIAKRA

Legends always fascinate people. One of the most famous thought saddest legends tells about the beautiful Kaliakra and 40 other Bulgarian maidens who jumped from the coastal rocks into the sea to escape the Ottomans, but first they braided their hair together to make sure no one would back away.

We invite you to witness the mystery, enchantment and stunning beauty of the nature and archaeological reserve Kaliakra - a headland some 60 km north from the International Hotel Casino & Tower Suites. You will love the astonishing panorama opened from the tops of the 70-meter high cliffs of Cape Kaliakra. The nature reserve is the nesting grounds of over 300 bird species because it sits on the Via Pontica, a major bird migration route from Africa to Europe.

Do`s: 
* Visit the museum set up in one of the caves of Cape Kaliakra to see how the ancient fortress looked like in the past.

Dont`s: 
* Don`t forget to take a camera or a smart phone to capture your moments in Kaliakra.

NESEBAR

International Hotel Casino & Tower Suites invites you to visit Nesebar - one of the most ancient and picturesque towns in Europe. Its rich cultural heritage is mixed with a romantic and sea atmosphere. Being a crossing point of various civilizations during its 3000-year existence, nowadays Nesebar keeps its Old town as an architectural historical reserve listed in the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

* Do:

- Visit at least three of its 12 preserved churches to witness wall paintings of high artistic value dating back to the end of 16th century.

- Take a tour around the entire Nesebar peninsula - you would love the scenery and you will see the panorama of Slanchev Bryan (Sunny beach) that is in close proximity to Nesebar

* Don'ts:

- Don`t miss to try some typical local tastes such as fish on a tile, or a green figs jam.

- Don`t buy a souvenir before visiting the Archeological Museum of Nesebar and seeing the collection of ceramic pots, stone plastic figures and golden jewels as well as the icon collection.

SOZOPOL

Sozopol is a favorite spot of Bulgaria’s artistic community because of its significant rocky cliffs, small pave streets with nineteenth-century houses, fine beaches, bars, cosy restaurants lively promenade. The Greek named the town Apollonia Pontica after Apollo, the patron of seafarers and colonizers and prospered by trading Greek textiles and wine for Thracian honey, grain and copper. Centuries later the Byzantines called it Sozopolis, the "City of Salvation”.

The town is divided into two parts: the Old Town on the peninsula, and the modern, Harmanite district on the mainland. It is 35 km south of Burgas - the next largest city in Bulgaria after Varna. Its harbour also serves as one of Bulgaria's chief naval bases and its yacht port is one of the best in the country.

For the first ten days of September Sozopol hosts the Apolonia Arts Festival, comprising classical music, jazz, theatre and poetry and open-air concerts take place throughout the summer.

South of Sozopol, the coast offers some of Bulgaria's most glorious stretches of sandy beaches; the estuary of the Ropotamo River, then the mountains of the Strandzha, covered with deep forests.

Dos: 

* See the stone anchors in the local Archeological museum (summer daily 8am-5pm, winter closed Sat&Sun)- they dated that Sozopol is the first of the Greek colonies along the coast, founded around 610 BC by a party of adventurers with the philosopher Anaximander (who is credited with making the first world map and being the first theoretical astronomer.

* Pass through the touristic hub of Sozopol - a cobbled concourse between the peninsula and Harmanite, flanked many souvenir stalls and portrait artists.

Dont`s: 

Don`t forget to taste the seafood prepared in the small family restaurants and taverns of Sozopol.