Sunny Beach in Bulgaria is a long and beautiful sandy beach on the Black Sea. For Swedes, it is perhaps the most famous place in Bulgaria after the capital Sofia. Many people sunbathed and partied here back in the 1970s and 1980s. But what does it look like today?
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Sunny Beach
Sunny Beach is an approximately 7 kilometres long and in places very wide beach with soft fine-grained sand on the Black Sea in Bulgaria. There are lots of hotels here and during the high season the beach is usually full of tourists of different nationalities.
For many Swedes, the beach is known and when I (Helena) took my PCR test before departure, the guy who did the test asked where we were going. "Ah Sunny Beach!", he said immediately when I said Bulgaria. We were planning to see a lot more than Sunny Beach, but we couldn't help but make a stop to check the situation ...
Sunny Beach is located on the Black Sea, just north of the UNESCO city of Nesebar.
Sunny Beach - past and present
We don't really know how it was on Sunny Beach before, we have never been to Bulgaria before. But before the trip we received many comments, and several were about Sunny Beach. Comments like "the worst trip I made in my life", "not so fun restaurants either" and "too bad that most people associate Bulgaria with Sunny Beach" were not particularly uplifting. But many have travelled in the 70s, 80s or 90s. Could it have changed?
What seems to be the same both before and now is the soft, fine-grained sand and the lovely water. Otherwise, a lot has probably happened. We cannot vouch for hotels and restaurants, as we did not have time to test them (and our general experience is that you may need to choose a little carefully), but we checked out two beach bars. And wow, we say, welcome to the 21st century!
Cacao Beach Club
The first beach club we passed was Cacao Beach Club. This is a really nice place with modern and "chill" decor, with plenty of lounge sofas and soft cushions. Here you can sip a drink under a parasol between dips. We would have liked to settle down here for a while, but no, there was apparently a lot to do. yet more delicious place.
Bedroom Beach Club
The Bedroom Beach Club glows white against the sky and the beach. Under the open roof, people are lounging on lounge sofas or in the pool.
It strikes us that perhaps it is not only Bulgaria that has changed, but also the tourists. Surely many young people travelled on "drunken trips" in the past when drinking was rampant? There is certainly a lot of partying today, but it feels like today's young people want a little more than just alcohol while travelling.
Our group of five ordered a bottle of red bubbly to share. What a luxurious feeling!
There was a really nice atmosphere in the beach bar and we loved the music that rocked in the background. Absolutely awesome nice to relax in the lounge sofas or the pool!
More to do at Sunny Beach
If you spend a little more time at Sunny Beach than we did, you can shop in the stores along the pedestrianised Flower Street, or in the Royal Beach Mall. Of course, there are also plenty of restaurants, pubs, bars, casinos and nightclubs. But still, Bulgaria is much more than Sunny Beach!
See more in the neighbourhood
Just south of Sunny Beach is Nesebar, whose old town centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This town is definitely worth seeing, and also a cosy place to stroll around. If you head north along the coast, you can also visit the pleasant and interesting Varna, Bulgaria's third largest city, and the lovely little town of Balchik with its palace and botanical garden.
Have you been to Sunny Beach? If so, was it recently or maybe in the 1970s or 1980s? How was your experience?
Facts about Sunny Beach
- Country: Bulgaria
- Oblast: Burgas
- Location: On the Black Sea, just north of Nesebar.
- Name: Sunny Beach (in Bulgarian: Слънчев Бряг). Slăntjev Brjag)
- Length: 6-7 kilometres
- Width: Up to 120-150 metres
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Jocke F says:
Went to Sunny beach in the early 90s, it was one of the best places we have been to. Absolutely wonderful food, including something called Spider. Good drinks and nice people and clean everywhere. Would love to go there again.
29 July 2021 - 8:46
Helena says:
Great that you had a good experience! We are also happy to go to Bulgaria again 🙂
29 July 2021 - 9:12
Lisa says:
Nice to hear that you describe Bulgaria as a nice destination today. Things are changing and in Bulgaria's case clearly for the better. Travelled as a 20 year old with my sister to Romania which was then a cheap destination for us young people. Got basically the same food served lunch and dinner throughout the stay. Rented a car together with some people from the Czech Republic who could not rent a car themselves. We went to Bulgaria and everything was terribly dirty. Dirty and in very great need of restoration . Toilet without working light source etc. The beaches were wonderful and the weather sunny and nice so we had a nice week after all. Maybe you should try with a motorhome after your great stories from a new Bulgaria.
29 July 2021 - 9:37
Helena says:
Yes, travel destinations change. And you do that yourself too. You may not be looking for the same thing when you are 20 as when you are 50, for example. I think you describe your trip nicely! Think that it is also interesting and gives perspective to travel in many ways! Exciting if you would get away with a motorhome. We ourselves are thinking of being able to travel here by motorhome on occasion.
29 July 2021 - 13:48
Minette says:
Nice to see your pictures from Sunny Beach. But I can't say I'm tempted to go back there. Neither the beach club nor the shopping centre, which did not exist when I was there, attracts me. There are so many other destinations that I would rather travel to. However, it has been fun to follow your journey via Instagram and on the blog.
29 July 2021 - 11:28
Helena says:
I understand exactly what you mean. We liked the beach club a lot, but we never aim our trips at this type of destination in the first place, but rather like to travel around and see things etc. It depends on what you are looking for! However, we thought Bulgaria had a lot to offer and are considering travelling back, but then with the motorhome. Glad to hear that you liked to follow the trip! We have a lot left to tell you about 🙂
29 July 2021 - 13:50
Veiken says:
We travelled around Bulgaria a few years ago, but not Sunny Beach. Beautiful nature, but it's not something I want to go back to.
The son of the house went to Sunny Beach with his son two years ago. Once, but never again was his judgement!
I
29 July 2021 - 11:51
Helena says:
Interesting to hear your experiences. The feeling we got is that hotels and restaurants can vary greatly in quality, which of course can affect the experience a lot. Then it depends on what you are looking for too!
29 July 2021 - 13:52
BP says:
As I've commented before, Sunny Beach has gone from strength to strength since we visited in the 1980s. There is no comparison - except for the beach then, which was absolutely superb then too.
29 July 2021 - 19:40
Helena says:
Yes, I also get the feeling that a lot has happened. We have not been here before, but according to what we have heard from others. And right here felt very modern and fresh now 🙂
23 October 2021 - 12:29
Susjos says:
How nice that it has changed for the better, the photos look great! Is it still cheap in Bulgaria?
I've never been there, but I've certainly heard of Sunne beach!
Have fun!
Hugs
29 July 2021 - 23:57
Helena says:
Yes, those are good prices! Then again, it is possible that it was even cheaper in the past, I don't really dare to answer that.
23 October 2021 - 12:30