Sunny Beach

Tourism

Sunny Beach has a very small permanent population, but during the summer the resort is home to many thousands of tourists. The main strip of high-rise hotels backing onto the beach is 5 kilometers long and extends along a wide bay between Sveti Vlas and Nessebar.

History

The resort's construction began back in Communist times, in 1958. Construction work began at a site where there were two old wells that supplied Nessebar with water in ancient times and during the Middle Ages.

Transport

The airports serving Sunny Beach are Burgas Airport and Varna Airport.

Sunny Beach (Sunny Beach bus station) is connected by bus to all larger Bulgarian cities.

Attractions

Attractions for tourists include the beach, water sports, and the nearby historic site of Nessebar. There are two water parks near the resort. The Decade of Symphonic Music, part of the International Folklore Festival, fashion shows, and various beach competitions are held in Sunny Beach. The Golden Orpheus song contest was held here until 1999.

Climate

Sunny Beach has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa). Average annual temperatures is around 14 °C. During the summer the sea temperatures stay around 26 °C. Winters are cool, windy and have moderate rainfall.

Media

The BBC has broadcast the programme Booze, Bar Crawls and Bulgaria: Stacey Dooley Investigates. This focussed on the negative aspects of the Sunny Beach resort such as excessive drinking, overpriced private medical treatment and the availability of illegal drugs.

The UK's Channel 4 have commissioned Dragonfly Film and Television Productions to film three episodes of the next series of What Happens in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria. The show portrays the activities of Britons who escape their mundane lives to enjoy the lawlessness of Sunny Beach.