Tsarevo – the gate to Strandzha mountain from the Black Sea
Tsarevo city is spread over three bays with steep rocky shores, beautiful beaches and there is a large park by the sea. It offers excellent opportunities for holidays on the Black Sea. Besides, the proximity of Strandzha mountain and the main road that starts from here and leads to Malko Tarnovo provides opportunities for eco walks and exploring the Strandzha traditions and customs in the nearby and famous villages of Brodilovo, Balgari, Kosti and Kondolovo. In case of a more extended stay, one can also visit the nearby Black Sea settlements of Primorsko, Varvara, Ahtopol and Sinemorets to see beautiful seascapes, beaches and to walk on hiking trails in nature.
The best things to do in Tsarevo – map, landmarks and beaches
USEFUL: For planning your visit to the place or accommodation in the nearby settlements, can use the collection of assistive tools – Google Road Map with calculator in km, flights to Bulgaria, rental cars, weather forecast, hotel search, timetables of buses in the region, see this link.
The town is 65 km south of Burgas, 16 km from Primorsko and 56 km east of Malko Tarnovo.
Also, Tsarevo offers a wide selection of accommodation – hotels, guest houses, small family hotels, lodgings, villas, and bungalows. There are many restaurants, fast food pavilion, taverns, bistros, pizzerias, bars, and pubs to satisfy every taste.
The beaches of Tsarevo
Nestinarka Beach
It is the largest beach in the town with a length of 600 m, and the width reaches 90 m. Its location is in the southern part of Tsarevo. Lifeguards take care of the safety of vacationers. Sunbeds and umbrellas are available, as well as water attractions – water skiing, jet skiing, a boat for a short trip and more. Also, there are many restaurants and bars behind the beach. Behind it, there are hotels and a campsite with bungalows. For this reason, the place is famous with the name “Camping Nestinarka.”
Vasiliko Beach
Its location is in the old part of town in the Vasiliko neighbourhood. Its length is 230 m, but the beach is quite narrow – no more than 15 m. Close to it is the church “Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary” that lays on Cape Castro.
Central Beach
As well as its name suggests – its location is in the central part of the city near the big park of Tsarevo. It is not very big – 300 m length, but no more than 15 m widths. There are lifeguards and beach restaurants. The charm of the beach is on its steep slopes with green colour, as well as the interesting eroded limestone rocks in its southern part, called by local people “Gargi”.
Landmarks in Tsarevo
The church “Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
One of the most memorable symbols of Tsarevo as it is visible from almost all the coasts of the city. It lays on the high cliffs of Cape Castro in the old part of the town. It was built in 1831 on the site of an older temple. At the present time, it is open, and believers visit it. In fact, its stone facade cladding is restored. Also, the church is declared a cultural monument.
The church “St. Tsar Boris Michael “
Its location is in the centre of the city and was built in 1936 with the assistance of Bulgarian Tsar Boris III. For this reason, the name comes from the Bulgarian saint and king with the same name – Boris I. He lived in the period 828 – 907 AD, and in fact he imposed Christianity as the official religion in Bulgaria in 866 AD.
The port
It is the southernmost port on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, with functions for the public transport of regional importance. Passenger ships, yachts and fishing boats dock here. Also, from here the boats start a trip into the water area of Tsarevo.
Offers for hotels in Tsarevo
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Limestone rocks “Gargi”
They lay between the port and the central beach of Tsarevo. These are unusual rock forms obtained as a result of the erosion of white limestone The length of the coastal strip composed of these cliffs is about 700 m. Approximately 300 m of them are walkable and are a pleasant place for walks and pictures.
The Sea Garden
As a matter of fact, it is the most extensive seaside garden on the Southern Black Sea coast after the Burgas Sea Garden. It covers an area of about 50 acres, covered with deciduous and coniferous vegetation and flowers. Also, there are alleys for walks, benches for relaxation, playgrounds and amusement park. It lays between the harbour and the central beach of Tsarevo (above the “Gargi” rocks) and offers beautiful sea views.
The museum
Here you can see many finds discovered in the territory of the municipality of Tsarevo – Ahtopol, Sinemorets, Rezovo, Bulgari. Those are amphorae, anchors, coins, jewellery and more. Of particular interest is the unique gold treasure discovered at Sinemorets and dated to the end of the 3rd century BC. Due to its exquisite quality, specialists determined it as one of the masterpieces of ancient jewellery. For this reason, the original at present is at the Bulgaria national museum in Sofia, and here it is exhibited a copy.
Origin of the name of the town
Until 1934 the village had been called Vasiliko. From 1934 to 1950 it was named Tsarevo, and in the period 1950-1991, it is called Michurin. Since 1991 up to the present time the name has been Tsarevo. The new name is a Bulgarian version of Vasiliko (from “vasilevs”, which in Greek means tsar, king).
A short history of Tsarevo
According to the Turkish traveller Evliya Chelebi, who passed through Vasiliko in the 17th century, here there was a fortress called Vasilikoz. People of Prince Vasil built it. As a matter of fact, he was a grandson of the Byzantine emperor Constantine.
According to another hypothesis, on the other hand, the name Vasiliko comes from the phonetically close Bosilek, the name of a village in the Karnobat district, from where the first settlers arrived. Probably, among the founders of the town, there were also expatriates from the settlements in Stranzha Mountain.
With this name Vasiliko, the Arab geographer Al Idrissi mentioned the settlement as early as the 12th century. The primary industries at that time were fishing, logging and animal husbandry.
After Bulgarian Liberation in 1878, Tsarevo remained within the borders of Eastern Rumelia. It finally became a part of Bulgaria after the Balkan War in 1912. In 1913, similarly to other Black Sea cities (Primorsko, Pomorie, Sozopol and Nessebar), refugees from Eastern Thrace settled here.
In 1967 Tsarevo was declared a climatic seaside resort of national importance. Besides tourism, the other primary industry for the city is fishing. During the period of socialism, in Tsarevo there was also a shipyard whose activity declined after 1990. At the present time, its massive structure lays in the south of the city, at the exit from Tsarevo towards Varvara village.
Continue of the walk
If you are planning a more extended stay in Tsarevo, do not hesitate to visit the beaches and walk along the hiking trails in the nearby settlements of :
- Primorsko (17 km)
- Kiten (11 km)
- Campsite “Yug” and the wild “Coral” beach (10 km)
- Varvara (10 km)
- Ahtopol (15 km)
- Sinemorets (21 km)
In case of driving in the west direction on the road to Malko Tarnovo, into the Strandzha mountain, you can stop at :
- The protected area Marina Reka (12 km)
- Balgari village (17 km)
- Kosti village (24 km)
- Kondolovo village (23 km)
The Brodilovo village and the extinct volcano “Goliama Papia” are on another way nearby. They are all part of Strandzha Nature Park.
USEFUL: To get a quick and easy idea of where these places are – see the destinations marked on our Google map. There all the landmarks we’ve written about, are marked as tags with links.
To plan your trip to them, you can use the selection of assistive tools: Google Road Map with calculator in km, flights to Bulgaria, rental cars, weather forecast, hotel search, timetables of buses in the region.
Offers for hotels in Tsarevo
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