Primorsko (Bulgarian: Приморско) is a small town and seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. It has some of the longest sand beaches in the country, with a combined length of 10 km (6.2 mi).
Understand
[edit]Primorsko is 35 km (22 mi) south-east from the province centre Burgas and 40 km (25 mi) north-east from the nearest border crossing with Turkey (Dereköy/Malko Tarnovo). Along the coast, Primorsko falls between Sozopol and Tsarevo (with a few smaller places in-between). Primorsko has a population of about 3000 people (2021). It's the centre of Primorsko Municipality (obshtina), which also includes another small resort town: Kiten across the bay to the south.
While the area has been inhabited since pre-historic times, the town of Primorsko itself was established in the 19th century. It was founded in 1879 as village named Kyupria (Кюприя), by Bulgarian refugees from Eastern Thrace (as that region had remained within the Ottoman Empire after the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878). The name was probably derived from the Turkish word 'köprü' - bridge, pier. During a nationalistic turn against "un-Bulgarian" names in the 1930s, the village was renamed to Primorsko ("Seaside [Village/Place]"). Under the Communist regime, it was declared a national resort in 1951, and gained town status in 1981.
Primorsko is mainly visited by Eastern Europeans on holiday from countries such as Serbia, Slovakia, Czech Republic and also Bulgarians themselves. There are a number of lovely beaches, nice restaurants and bars, clubs and even a water park in this coastal town where you will rarely hear a word of English, which makes communication a fun, yet slightly daunting, challenge if you do not speak a Slavic language.
Ropotamo
[edit]About 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Primorsko starts the Ropotamo nature reserve. It has an area of 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) and includes the mouth of the Ropotamo itself, the river's associated longoz forests and marshlands, the Arkutino Marsh and Arkutino Beach, the ancient sanctuary Beglik Tash, St. Thomas Island, and partially - the rocky headland Maslen Nos (Oil Cape).
Get in
[edit]By bus
[edit]The cheapest way to get to Primorsko is by taking a minibus with other people from the bus station in Burgas, further north up the coast. Burgas is easily reachable from anywhere in Bulgaria or surrounding countries by air, train or bus.
By taxi
[edit]A taxi from Burgas to Primorsko will be quite expensive. If you choose the wrong taxi as the drivers sometimes think it would be a good idea to overcharge you for the journey with a meter that increases in price at a very fast rate indeed! Be sure to negotiate a price before you get into the taxi and if there are a number of taxis then don't be afraid to get them into a price war with each other to see who will offer the lowest cost for a journey.
Get around
[edit]
Everything in Primorsko is within walking distance and so there is no need to use any other mode of transport once you are there.
See
[edit]Primorsko is primarily a seaside resort, so it's not surprising that there are few sights in the town itself.
- 1 History Museum (Исторически музей), ul. "Albatros" 5 (250 m/yd west of the central square). M-F 08:00 - 12:00, 13:00 - 17:00 (closed Sa-Su). Small but modern museum (opened 2015). Archaeological exhibits from digs in the area (incl. Beglik Tash), as well as the customary ethnographic exhibition about rural life in the late 19th/early 20th century. Website in Bulgarian only. 10 лв.
- 2 Seaside Alley. Seaside street, nice for walking.
Abandoned:
- Residence Perla - Former government residence built in the 1970s for Bulgaria's Communist dictator Todor Zhivkov and other members of the ruling elite. The surrounding forest was cultivated as a game preserve. The residence was privatized in the 1990s, but the mafia boss who bought it was assassinated. Now the once-luxurious white building remains closed, though its beach and pier are in use.
- Perla 2 construction site - the construction of a second building started in the 1980s and it was near completion when the fall of the regime doomed it. Bats have made the unfinished building their home, including some rare species, and it attracts urban exploration enthusiasts (and random curious tourists).
Outside of town:
- 3 Beglik Tash (Беглик Таш) (7 km (4.3 mi) north of Primorsko; a hiking trail starts at the Ropotamo reserve parking lot). A megalith sanctuary, a natural rock formation re-shaped by humans for religious purposes. Used by the ancient Thracians, possibly since prehistoric times. First serious archaeological studies were in 2002-2004, now the site is open to the public. Recovered artefacts date to the Early Iron Age (10th–6th century BC), classical antiquity, and the Middle Ages.
- Maslen Nos (Oil Cape) - a rocky headland north of Primorsko. Dangerous to navigation since the times of the ancient Greeks. Their ships, loaded with olive oil in amphorae, would crash into the rocks and spill their cargo, hence the name. The tip of the cape is closed off (navigation light), but on its southern side there's a publicly accessible sand-and-pebble beach with a small pier.
Do
[edit]- Waterpark – While not in the same league as water parks in Western European resorts, this water park is certainly worth visiting as it has some flumes, a large pool and massive U-shaped slide which looks dangerously interesting!
- Beaches – There are a number of beaches to visit with shallow waters, making them safe for swimming. The summer weather is fantastic with temperatures often rising above 30°C, so make sure you have sun cream with you and look after your belongings on the beach.
- St. Ivan Island ("Snakes island") – Near the village, you can search for a boat or small ship for an excursion to there. It is called snake due to the number of water snakes that inhabit the island. Naturally grown cacti can also be observed there.
Buy
[edit]Eat
[edit]Drink
[edit]- Bottled Water – It is strongly advisable to drink bottled water in Bulgaria as opposed to tap water.
Sleep
[edit]A good way to find accommodation is to arrive at the bus station where there will be a number of people waiting to offer rooms for any number of nights. Do not expect them to be able to communicate very well in English, if at all. The best thing is to know a few Bulgarian phrases about accommodation in order to get the best price and do not be afraid to refuse a room if you feel it is below the quality you expect. Also, a suggestion would be to keep your passport and valuable belongings with you rather than leaving them in the room, just to be cautious.
As a rough guide you might pay as low as €5 per person per night for a room, or perhaps up to €15 a night depending on the quality of the room.
Go next
[edit]- Sozopol – Back up the coast towards Burgas is the town of Sozopol which has a lot of history and culture. It is certainly worth a visit as there are also some nice beaches, shops, bars and restaurants and a lot of accommodation, just ask the taxi drivers to find you a place to stay for the night.