During the recent Easter break in March, we went to the coastal side of Bulgaria to utilize the three day holiday. While our base was a relatively big city called Burgas, we went on day-trips to nearby cute towns like Sozopol and Nessebar.
As we arrived in Sozopol just a 40 minute bus ride away from Burgas, we noticed that the town was almost deserted. No beachside bars and cafes were open and the beach itself was in shabby state. But it was lovely to walk around its beaches, explore the charming old town and enjoy the views. Luckily a few restaurants were open, so that made our exploring even more enjoyable.
Sozopol is a small town on the coast of Black Sea. It sees most activities in the summer months, but we felt that summer was just around the corner when we saw businesses renovating their properties and beaches being filled with sand and flattened. Due to its size, the whole town of Sozopol is easily walkable, and the walk was very relaxing too as we admired the coastal views and the architecture in its old town.
It was a little cold and windy, but nothing that a shot of homemade Bulgarian rakia couldn’t solve!
I noticed mostly red and white wrist bands tied and left on the newly blossoming trees in several places, and I was curious what that could be. A little search over the internet revealed that Bulgarians celebrate Baba Marta Day on March 1st when people exchange the wrist bands and wear that throughout the month until a stork or a blossoming tree is seen. They then leave the wrist band, or sometimes a tassel on the tree symbolizing the coming of spring. After finding that out, I felt even more so that spring had already started!
A stroll in the old town with its pretty cobblestone streets led us to a restaurant that was open. We went in and excitedly found out that it’s set in the perfect seaside location with a view of a nearby island as well.
Just at that moment, the sun made its reappearance from among the clouds, and we spent a relaxing hour or two there admiring the views from our table, watching the antics of the hovering seagulls and of course enjoying our food and drinks.
After leaving the restaurant and walking a little further, we reached the port of Sozopol and discovered thousands of transparent jellyfish on the water! The port was sleepy with majority of the boats docked. We saw some locals repairing their boats, possibly getting them ready for the upcoming warm season.
Even though the town was very quiet and had few visitors, I really enjoyed our leisurely time in this picturesque seaside town just a short drive from the more bustling city of Burgas.
Stories from Europe 
Reblogged this on Vietnam Travel & Trade Portal .
I love the thing with leaving the bands when you see a blossom! That’s so sweet.
Yes, so cute! And I could spot them everywhere so it was really fun hehe.
Hi Pooja. It’s a great blog. Didn’t you take your motorcycle this time ? It’s a bit far though. Summer has arrived here in Portugal and I’m loving it after the prolonged winter. Lots of good wishes from Dai
Good morning Dai. Thank you. No, Bulgaria is too far to take motorbikes hehe. We were there only for 3 full days. The weather is actually very nice here too, Dai. It’s usually 21-23 in the day and a bit chilly in the mornings and evenings. Hope you’re having a nice start to the day today!
Yes I noticed your warm weather, Pooja. Here we are expecting 27c today with a possible afternoon thunderstorm. My day has started well, Pooja. I have two guests arriving from Belgium after lunch and I have to go to see my accountant. Have a pleasant day, Pooja.
That tradition involving wrist bands is really interesting! As a person who was born and raised in a tropical country, I had always taken sunny days and blooming flowers for granted, until I started traveling abroad. I think spring is now my favorite season as colorful blossoms adorn all corners of a city during this time of the year.
Yes, it’s interesting how cultures from around the world have their own ways of celebrating the start of spring, as it’s the one season that is full of joy, hopes and new life sprouting everywhere 🙂 I really like colorful autumns too, but spring maybe even more so now as it’s followed by summer and has more sunny days hehe.
The culture of tying the wrist band is amazing. A stroll in the walkways of blossoming trees , is heaven. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful visit.
It is indeed! It was lovely to walk around the parks and seaside too, and the temperatures were ideal too. Thanks for stopping by!
What a lovely gesture and way to welcome in the season of Spring. 🙂
It is! And spring deserves such a cute welcome hehe.
Most definitely 👍🏼😊
Interesting to read about your visit to this small town! The trees are pretty, the seagulls posing look funny, and I can’t help but wonder how many jellyfish! Even little ones! Baby jellyfish, never thought of that before! 😄
Haha the jellyfish were surprising for me too! It was like staring into the night sky – the more you look, the more stars you see of all kinds 😀
I enjoy exploring destinations with you, Pooja, that I have never visited myself. Thank you for taking me along on this journey to Bulgaria. Living in a landlocked state, your report makes me long for the ocean!
Thank you, Tanja! I come from a landlocked country (Nepal) too, so the sea/beach is definitely my favorite place to be. How far is the nearest beach from where you live?
I just did a quick search, Pooja, as I did not know this off the top of my head. From Colorado Springs to the Pacific Coast near Los Angeles, it is 1139 miles (about 1822 kilometers). Too far for a weekend! 🙂
Wow that’s a long way! :O We can drive down to Greece covering all those kilometers. I can imagine how it feels like to live in such a huge country hehe.
so pretty
It is, thank you Tanja 😊
Very nice holiday destination! I love Sozopol! Great post!
Thank you! Sozopol is a cute place to visit 🙂
I have heard so much about this tourist town. In your pictures, it’s so calm. I’m sure it would have been buzzing a few weeks down. Lovely pictures, Pooja!
You’re right! It was so quiet when we were there, but it still made for a nice daytrip. Luckily some restaurants were open, otherwise it’d have been too chilly to be outside whole day. Thank you for dropping by and leaving a comment! 🙂
you are welcome, Pooja! Bulgaria is certainly not a popular destination for Indians. For decades. this place was popular among the Russians 🙂
Thank you so much for great informative article about sozopol, i booked my holiday apartment in https://dreambgapartment.com and soon i will go this awsome sozopol castle… Thank you