Sea Sense Boutique Villa & Relax Zone

If you are staying in this fabulous town, be sure to organize a walk in the architectural and archaeological reserve "Old Sozopol". One of the most interesting buildings is the church "St. Bogoroditsa", dating back to the 15th century. It was built on the ruins of a previously existing Christian temple and was half dug into the ground so that the empire's law on the size of churches could be observed. It was restored in the 17th century, when Debar master woodcarvers made some of the most remarkable iconostases in Bulgaria. Today the church is a functioning temple and is included in the UNESCO list of world cultural landmarks. In addition to it, it is worth paying attention to the other three churches: "St. George", "St. Zosimus" and "St. Cyril and Methodius" (Sozopol Archaeological Museum), dating from the 19th century, as well as the remains of a medieval church with a basilica, which was the seat of the Sozopol Bishopric from the mid-10th to the 17th century. In the old town, you can also find many houses from the Bulgarian Renaissance era that have survived to this day. The most famous of them are the Kurdilis house, which now houses the Ethnographic Museum, the house of Grandma Kukulisa Hadzhinikolova and the Kurtidi house (also known as the Thracian Inn), where there is an exhibition of fabrics, clothing and crafts from the region.

Perhaps the most interesting and emblematic landmark is the architectural history museum "Southern Fortress Wall and Tower". The story surrounding its opening is more than intriguing. In 1994, a Sofia construction entrepreneur decided to buy and restore an old and dilapidated house in the old part of Sozopol and settle down to live there. However, even at the first sod, the workers came across something unusual - numerous buildings from different eras. Ten years later - in 2004, the restored southern fortress wall, dating from the 4th century BC, and the tower attached to it were opened to visitors. The southern fortress wall houses a granary dating from the 5th-4th centuries BC, and above it there were also barracks where the guards who guarded the fortress walls lived. There you can also find an ethnographic exhibition, a sailor's corner, part of a water system from the 5th century BC, a replica of the famous bronze statue of Apollo, as well as a freshwater drinking well built in the 4th–3rd centuries BC. Numerous ancient objects have been found in it, which is why it is believed to be part of a cult complex, a nymphaeum, created in honor of the three nymphs.

In the immediate vicinity of Sozopol is a popular tourist attraction - the castle near the village of Ravadinovo. The castle began construction in 1996, and its construction continues to this day. The building is an impressive architectural work that combines different styles - medieval European, modern and traditional Bulgarian. The outside is decorated with brass ornaments reminiscent of the knightly times. Dense ivy wraps around the stone walls of the building. The castle is surrounded by a park with fountains, mysterious and elegant statues, bridges, arches and a lake with white and black swans. You can also find other attractions near the castle such as a winery, an art gallery, a chapel, a games and entertainment hall, as well as a stable and a zoo.

In the immediate vicinity of the ancient city are the three islands of St. Ivan, St. Peter and St. Cyril. The largest Black Sea island – St. Ivan, is named after the monastery of St. John the Baptist, built in the Middle Ages, an important literary center and the last residence of many Patriarchs of Constantinople. The monastery was repeatedly destroyed by the Turks, but in 2010 something remarkable happened here – during renewed excavations around the open part of the altar of the oldest temple on the island, a coffin was found containing a tooth and pieces of bone from a hand and a facial part. It was later established that these were the relics of St. John the Baptist, brought here on his birthday by a man calling himself Thomas. Today the holy relics are exhibited in the church of St. Cyril and Methodius, which attracts a huge number of pilgrims.

The area is home to many natural parks and landmarks. The most famous of these is the Ropotamo Reserve, which includes the Lion's Head rock formation, the Arkutino swamp, and the Ropotamo River estuary. North of the river mouth is the island of St. Thomas, better known as the Snake Island because of the huge number of sea snakes swimming in its waters. Half of its territory is occupied by wild cacti, brought here in 1933 by Tsar Boris III. In summer, they bloom in beautiful yellow and red colors. In addition to nature, Sozopol impresses with the many clean and still undeveloped beaches in the area.