The beaches of Nesebar: photos, reviews, a map and descriptions

The resorts of Bulgaria boast a variety of beaches. The beaches of Nessebar are no exception. Here you can easily find both small wild beaches and equipped beaches with rescuers and first aid.

Despite the fact that the majority of Bulgarian beaches are sandy, in Nessebar you can also find small pebble beaches.

The bottom relief is also different. There are beaches with a very gently sloping bottom, ideal for families with children. While there are also precipitous bottoms, ideal for people who do not like to come into water for a long time.

Bulgaria is washed by the Black Sea, which is not a very salty body of water. That’s why swimming there makes it more difficult than salty seas. The water is usually quite clear, although sometimes it is muddy due to sand or algae.

The only disadvantage of the beaches in Nessebar is the lack of cabins for changing clothes.

So to help you decide better, we have prepared a selection of the most interesting beaches of Nessebar with a brief description and photos.

There is some confusion with the names of beaches in Nessebar. For example, the beach to the north of Nessebar is called the North, and in Sunny Beach it is considered the South. There are signs with both variants and it confuses tourists. To make things a lot more clear, we give descriptions in addition to the traddtional names of the beaches. In this article we have not considered the hotel’s private beaches and fully paid beaches – in Nessebar there are enough free beaches.

A beach on sand dunes – the South Beach of Nessebar or simply the Dune

In our view the South Beach of Nessebar is one of the best in the town. The reviews of the majority of our familiar tourists only confirm this view.

Please note that there are often quite high waves. It is because of the influence of the bottom topography and the location of the beach in the open sea, not in a bay.

Sand dune, where you will sunbathe, is under the protection of UNESCO. You can benefit from the amenities, comforts and security (there’s even an ambulance). There is a large park nearby and even faucets of fresh water to wash your feet.

There are paid and free zones. The paid zone is closer to the sea, and from the free zone you will have to walk a bit.

In summer the beach is a bit crowded, because it is located close to many hotels.

The surface layer of the beach: sand;
The bottom: sandy, with a very gentle slope. It takes a long time to go into the water;
The temperature and the purity of the water: the water is a bit cooler than in the North Beach, but much cleaner;
Prices at the beach: sunbeds and sunshades cost for 8 levs per unit;
Free zone: it is big, but located 15 meters from the sea, you can come with their sunshade;
Security: at the beach there are rescuers and an ambulance car;
Amenities and comforts: nearby there are faucets with fresh water for washing feet, we did not find cabins for changing clothes and WC;
Food: nearby there is an unpretentious eatery, where they sell fast food and corn;
Available space at the beach: during the peak season there is a lot of people, but there is always a free space;
The size of the beach: about 2 kilometers, if to include the beaches of hotels, the free zone is more than a kilometer;

The key advantages of the South Beach, in our opinion, are its developed infrastructure, clean sand and the seawater and beautiful views of Old Nessebar. We recommend it!

If you’re interested, check this out: a detailed description of the South Beach of Nessebar (a beach on a sand dune)

A beach behind rocks (a beach near the city park)

This beach is quite small and it is difficult to get to it. It is necessary not only to go down the stairs, but also to climb over a heap of stones.

The beach and the bottom here are sandy, the depth is dialed quickly and is ideal for adults. Waves at this location are a rarity, and the water is a little warmer – the beach concealed by the peninsula of the Old Town.

If you go to the nearest park (which is very nice), you can find a nice gazebo, several benches, a playground for children and free fitness equipment.

If you wish, you can come with your own sunshade. This beach receives quite a number of tourists, but there is always a free place to rest and relax.

If you come here early in the morning, you can see small crabs among rocks and shoals of tiny fish swimming in the water.

And also from the beach there is an excellent view over Old Nessebar and a dock for yachts.

The surface layer of the beach: it is sand which is separated by a narrow strip of stones from the city;
The bottom: sandy, with a fairly steep descent into the water. The depth will be up to the neck after 7-10 meters;
The temperature and the purity of the water: the water is quite warm and clean, but sometimes there are algae;
Prices at the beach: the beach is completely free;
Security: no security since this is a wild beach;
Amenities and comforts: next to the beach there is a large park with a gazebo, benches and a playground;
Food: you will have to go to the town (1-2 minutes) where there are cafes, ice cream shops and fast food establishments;
Available space at the beach: during a peak season it is crowded, but almost always there is a free space;
The size of the beach: the beach is quite small, about 200 meters wide and 3-4 meters depth;

It is difficult (or not quite so difficult) to say why we liked this beach. There are no cabins for changing clothes or any other amenities. However, you will not need to go to the sea for a long time and the nature of this place is very beautiful…

You might be interested: a detailed description, photos and reviews of the wild beach behind rocks.

The North Beach of Nessebar – a beach in Sunny Beach

The North Beach of Nessebar is located between the city and Sunny Beach, where it is called the South Beach. The beach is big, comfortable and covered with fine sand. There are changing cabins, restaurants right on the beach, sun loungers and sunshades which you can pay for 8 levs each.

As an equipped beach, you can expect a lot of people there, so it is difficult to get closer to the sea.

On the beach there are rescuers. Their stations are located in every 50 meters. There are restrooms as well. You can play a variety of water sports. There is even a promenade for walking and sightseeing.

The North Beach of Nessebar smoothly flows into the beaches of Sunny Beach, which stretches from 15 kilometers to the north.

To be honest, we did not really like the North Beach of Nessebar and we were there just a few times.

This beach is obviously focused on pumping money from tourists. You can notice that right away that it is bit unpleasant.

Our impression for this beach turned for the worse when we saw how the caretakers rake the algae from the beach and back into the water.

The surface layer of the beach: fine sand. Rarely you can find a pebble beach;
The bottom: sandy, a fairly average descent;
The temperature and the purity of the water: the water is quite warm, the beach is in a bay. There are a lot of people, and therefore the water during peak season may seem slightly cloudy;
Prices at the beach: sun loungers and sunshades are priced at 8 levs each, while prices of the other items are quite high;
Free zone: the free zone takes about one-third of the beach, alternating with paid sunshades. You can also bring your own sunshade.
Security: at the beach there are rescuers and an ambulance car;
Comfort: there is a shower with fresh water, changing cabins and rest rooms;
Food: directly at the beach there are several restaurants offering fairly high-priced meals;
Available space at the beach: during peak season there are a lot of people. It is likely that you will not be able to find a vacant space.
The size of the beach: the beach smoothly flows into the beaches of Sunny Beach, which stretches 15 kilometers;

Small beaches in Old Nessebar

The Old Town has lots of tiny beaches, but most of them are tiny. The surface layer of these beaches consist of very small shells and also sand in other areas.

Most of the beaches on the peninsula are wild. The only equipped beach is Old Nessebar Beach, where there is a rescuers’ station, paid sunshades (which cost only 5 levs), medical service, a changing room and a rest room. This beach is very tiny, but there is almost always enough free space.

Old Nessebar Beach is located in a place where the peninsula protrudes into the sea, a little to the south and is hidden from sea waves. The water here is usually very warm and quite clean.

The surface layer of the beach: small shells, which do not cut your feet;
The bottom: shells and some of sand, a pretty average descent;
The temperature and the purity of the water: the water is quite warm as the beach is in a bay. It is a sparsely crowded beach, so you can always find the waters clean.
Prices at the beach: sun loungers and sunshades cost 5 levs each, while prices of other items are quite high;
Free zone: the free zone occupies about a quarter of the beach. The rest of the beach is reserved for paid sunshades and sun loungers. But there is enough free space for all;
Security: at the beach there are rescuers and an aid post;
Comfort: there are changing cabins and a toilet;
Food: you can go to one of the restaurants of the Old Town, but prices there are quite high;
Available space at the beach: you can always find your place at this beach, since it is not quite a touristy beach.
The size of the beach: quite small, like a half of football field or even less than that.

It is not very interesting to rest here all the time. But it is worth to come here at least once. The scenery around is really fantastic. The only thing that confused us was the presence of a seaport nearby.

Useful article: an overview and reviews about the beaches of Old Nessebar

Beaches on breakwaters – inconvenient, but with very clean water

Between Old Nessebar and Sunny Beach there is an embankment of about 2 kilometers long. During the evening there are rides, rather stupid beach competitions and music. One of these “stupid” contests consists of throwing an egg to a guy’s face. One shot costs one lev.

During the day, some people swim here. It is very inconvenient to go into the water as you will have to dive right from a pier. But there is a plus – the water in this place is amazingly clean and clear.

The beaches of Nessebar on a city map

As we promised, at the end of the article there is a map with the beaches of Nessebar marked on it.

Our view: brief reviews about the beaches of Nessebar

To be honest, in Nessebar has more than just enough number of beaches. Even in the beginning of September the water was warm and clean.

Prices at the beaches are high. Renting a sunshade will cost 8 levs per day – it is better to buy it for 10-12 levs or bring your own.

For those who are not big fans of beaches, Nessebar has interesting sights such as the old part of Nessebar and historical places.

Among the beaches of Nessebar we especially recommend Sand Dunes and the wild beach behind rocks (near the city park). If we talk about the whole of Bulgaria – we like Pomorie and a wild beach on a spit. There it was really cool.

Despite the fact that the sea water near the coast of Nessebar was clean and clear, it seemed a bit too cold (especially when compared to the Adriatic Sea in Montenegro). During our holiday there was a great weather. Even in a single stormy day the sun was shining, and the depths of the sea lured vacationers to compete with the waves.

For me, the favorite beach in Nessebar was the beach behind the rocks. There, we could always find a free place and it offered us amazing view of the old town, especially during the evening. There are small crabs and oysters which you can see in the clear waters especially during early in the morning.