Innovative property investments
Investment Property in Bulgaria
Coastal Areas
Sozopol
Pleasant seaside resort
Sozopol, an ancient fishing village at the south eastern end of the Bulgarian Black Sea, sits on a rocky headland and is one of the country’s most pleasant seaside resorts.
Summer visitors may swell the population from 5,000 to 80,000 making it easy to rent out a property in season but its distance from the larger resorts and their day-trippers in the north and the restrictions on traffic in the town centre mean that it remains an enjoyable place to explore its picturesque heart.
It is also highly accessible: only 20 minutes along a new and well-served dual carriageway from Bourgas city with its international airport, shopping and services.
Ancient fishing village
The many anchors from the 2nd and 1st millennium BC found in Sozopol’s harbour and now housed in its Archaeological Museum, along with the 6th century BC coins bearing an anchor - the town’s symbol - from its days as the Greek city of Apollonia, attest to the town’s longstanding maritime traditions.
Today the harbour continues to be filled with fishing boats bringing in their daily catches of popcheta, karagyoz, safrid and tsatsa.
They now supply the many seafood restaurants lining the lively promenade, thronged with strolling people in summer, there to enjoy its atmospheric old town and excellent beaches.
Three excellent beaches
Sozopol boasts not one but three excellent beaches.
That of the old town is the favourite - nestled in a protected, horseshoe-shaped bay with shallow bathing and many amenities.
Just to the south of the old town and nestled amongst rocks is the private Raiski Zaliv beach - or Paradise Bay.
Then a kilometre or so to the south, on the other side of the Harmani headline, the new town has its own beach, with an ancient necropolis for a backdrop.
In summer you have over 10 daily hours of sunshine to take advantage of them all.
Picturesque old town
The old town is a wonderful example of Bulgarian 19th century architecture within a warren of cobblestone streets.
In fact there are 45 outstanding examples of stone-ground-floor, wooden-upper-floor houses and their overhanging bay windows to discover.
The house of Dimitur Kaskaridis, once the house of a fish trader is now an art gallery; the house of Grandmother Koukoulissa Hadzhinikolova is today home to the Sturshel Newspaper whilst that of Una Psarianova functions as the popular Stenata Restaurant.
Cultural riches
Intermingled amongst them are ancient churches (St Zosim and of Sts Cyril and Methodius), marketplaces, attractive bars (Vyaturnata Melnitsa, Sozopol Tavern, Athens Tavern), cafes and restaurants (Xantana, Neptun, Drouzhba Fishing Boat, Orpheus, Olymp, Stenata, Kladentsa, Lilia) - some of which are built over and incorporate ancient ruins.
In September, Sozopol’s annual 10-day Apollina International Arts Festival has the town bustling with lovers of opera, classical music, dance, theatre and cinema.
Throughout the year, the town’s large local community ensures that a good selection of shops and services are always available.
Property areas and price guide
Long favoured by Bulgarian and Eastern European visitors, its popularity with British tourists is growing fast generating good rental prospects.
Strict building controls have helped to maintain the town’s character but do limit the range of property choices.
The old timber-frame houses of the old town are highly sought after and rarely come onto the market.
Resale apartments are available in the town’s newer district and, on the edge of town, several developers are offering off-plan properties in complexes.
In 2006, the average price per square metre in Sozopol was 900 EUR (600 GBP), with prices ranging between 800 and 1,300 EUR (540-870 GBP) by the end of the year.
Downloadable Reports and Documents
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