Rezovo (Bulgarian: Резово) is a small village on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, at the border with Turkey, which makes it the most southern point of the coast, and the most south-eastern settlement in both Bulgaria and the continental European Union.
Understand
[edit]There are a few hotels and guest houses, but Rezovo's potential as a seaside resort is limited by the lack of beaches - the shore is rocky, and Rezovo's only sand beach is tiny. Nevertheless, it can be a nice end-point for a day trip from any town or resort further north the coast. Rezovo is 75 km (47 mi) south-east of the province capital Burgas, 25 km (16 mi) from the municipal centre Tsarevo, and 10 km (6.2 mi) from the nearest other settlement along the coast, the larger Sinemorets at the mouth of the Veleka. Rezovo has a permanent population of about 80 people (2021), and a varying contingent of tourists, hotel staff, and border police.
The village lies wholly within Nature Park Strandzha, at the mouth of the small Rezovska River (or Rezovo River, Rezovska reka, lit. "river of Rezovo"). The river itself demarcates the border between Bulgaria and the European part of Turkey (Eastern Thrace), and Rezovo directly overlooks the Turkish bank of the river and the Turkish village of Beğendik (Demirköy district, Kırklareli Province). Despite the very close proximity, there's no border crossing - the nearest one is at Malko Tarnovo, and you need to backtrack all the way to Tsarevo to reach a road that gets there.
Get in
[edit]The only connection to the rest of the country is the tertiary National Road 9901 which runs along the coast south from Tsarevo, passing through Varvara, Ahtopol and Sinemorets before reaching Rezovo. Unlike other places on the coast, Rezovo has no yachting marina. The nearest official port of entry is Tsarevo.
By bus
[edit]Buses shuttle along the coastal road both from Tsarevo and Burgas. The ubiquitous Union Ivkoni/Etap Adress/Group Plus runs a once-daily bus from the capital Sofia to Tsarevo and nearby Ahtopol, 15 km (9.3 mi) to the north.
- 1 Bus Station. Small wooden bus shelter with timetables stapled to the wall. On the main road through the village, a bit north from the modest town hall (Rezovo is too small to have a mayor, and it's run by a "mayor's deputy").
Get around
[edit]See
[edit]The local sights match the small magnitude of the place. Even the village church is a modern-built chapel, with its bells slung on a low wooden frame.
- 1 Border Flagpole. The Bulgarian half of the pair of large flagpoles that bracket the mouth of the Rezovska. There's a viewing platform at its base, with benches and a pyramid marker for being the most south-eastern point of Bulgaria and the EU on the continent.
- 2 Fishing port. You can get a nice view of the river mouth from its improvised pontoons, just try not to bother the fishermen.
- 3 "The Old Quay" (head east from the Panorama restaurant, then follow a dirt road south to the shore). Concrete beams connect a few low sea rocks. The water looks pretty when the weather is nice, but you wouldn't want to get caught there in bad weather.
- 4 The Smooth Rocks (dirt road heading east from the middle of the village, across the fields next to an antenna tower). Coastal rocks shaped and smoothed by erosion, forming a green-tinted cove. Best admired from the top of the cliff, especially in bad weather.
Halfway between Rezovo and Sinemorets is the mouth of the Silistar, with a beach on its sandbar and a camping ground, a protected natural area within Nature Park Strandzha. Accessible via a gravel road that splits off Road 9901.
Do
[edit]- Rezovo Beach. Tiny sand beach and fishing harbor in a cove next to the Flagpole. Unsurprisingly, no lifeguards.
For lovers of long hikes, there are footpaths and dirt roads running atop the steep shore all the way from Rezovo to Sinemorets, with a few beaches in between, including the large Silistar Beach and the beaches of Sinemorets itself. Marked on OpenStreetMap.
Buy
[edit]There's a small store ("supermarket") on the main road through the village.
Eat and drink
[edit]Unsurprisingly, both local places are quite casual. Might not be open off-season.
- 1 Restaurant Panorama („Панорама“), ul. "Kraymorska" 10 (on end of the main road, where it hits the "seaside" street). As the name suggests, in a house with a terrace that overlooks the mouth of the river and the beach.
- 2 Restaurant Morska gradina („Морска градина“, Sea Garden) (at the Bus Station follow the gravel "street" west). Seafood restaurant in an odd, open structure with several floors. Provides a view of the sea, which was probably the intention.
Sleep
[edit]A couple of small hotels and a number of guest houses or villas for hire. Some even show up on booking websites. Unsurprisingly, open only seasonally.
- 1 Hotel Silistar. Check-in: 15, check-out: 11. Small three-star hotel in a modern 4-storey building. Offers doubles, triples, a small and a large suite.
Go next
[edit]Your only choice is to go back, up the coast - the resort villages of Sinemorets and Ahtopol, the port of Tsarevo, historic Sozopol, and the province centre Burgas.