Fodor's Expert Review Nessebar Old Town

There are several ancient towns scattered along Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast, but few would argue with Nessebar's claim to be the highlight. One of the oldest settlements in Europe, it can trace its origins back more than two and a half millennia to the time of the Thracians and Ancient Greece. Its strategic appeal through the ages is immediately apparent: it sits on a rocky peninsula—half a mile long and 300 yards wide—connected to the mainland only by a very narrow isthmus, making it easily to defend. Today the entire town is preserved as a 'museum city', and its twisting maze of narrow cobbled streets is an endlessly fascinating place to wander. They are filled with historical monuments from every stage of its development—remnants of Roman walls, old Byzantine and Orthodox churches, and hundreds of old houses.