With established resorts, new resorts and resorts under construction, the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast sometimes appears to be one big development site. In summertime, when the crowds flock to the bustling compounds of Sunny Beach, blue-collar paradise Primorsko and nouveau riche-attracting Lozenets and St Vlas, it can become overwhelming. Nevertheless, there are some places between Burgas in the north and Rezovo in the south that have miraculously resisted concrete development. What about the strip of coast between Cape Emine and Burgas? The holiday-making spots along this stretch of coast have grown so much that all the beaches there are overdeveloped.

Kraymorie

A relatively hassle-free beach a few miles out of a sprawling urban centre? This is not the feverish dream of a sea-deprived tourist who does not want to stray far from the big city, but a reality. 

Kraymorie Beach is in the eponymous neighbourhood of Burgas and, although narrow, it is long. The nearby fishermen's settlement of Chengene Skele, famed for its fish tavern, is an added bonus.

Otmanli Beach  

Under Communism, a dozen kilometres south of Burgas, a forested peninsula was designated as a holiday ground for workers from different companies all over Bulgaria. In the thick oak forest of Rosenets Park, these employers built cheap holiday facilities for their staff. 

Today these pochivni stantsii, or rest homes, are still there – some are still company owned while others were sold off and now operate as no-frills hotels. There is a popular fish restaurant and... the heavily guarded LukOil sea port. Between the refinery and the sea there is also a beach – small, relatively calm and with some infrastructure.

Veselie, Kavatsite, Smokinya  

Until the 2010s, the Veselie, Kavatsite and Smokinya camping grounds, south of Sozopol, shared a beach that was quiet and pristine, a long, pleasant strip of sand. At its southern end, there was a picturesque rock in the sea. Rising dunes with sand lilies and poplar woods separated it from the road. The strip was also one of the last refuges for naturists in Bulgaria.

Overdevelopment has taken its toll. Today, most of the beach is cut off from the road by a line of car parks built right over the dunes. Sunbathing is organised and beach bars have mushroomed. The naturists are no more, but at least the rock is still there.

Alepou aka Drivers Beach

This narrow, mile-long beach south of Sozopol is known as Drivers Beach because of the proximity of an old asphalt road – the two are so close that drivers can just hop out of their cars and take a dip in the warm waters of the Black Sea. Many people continue to do just that. The beach is so large that it never gets crowded.

Modern development has been creeping towards Drivers Beach for some time. There are big resorts at both ends of the strip, including one under construction.

Arkutino

Sand dunes, sand lilies, calm water and Snake Island rising from the sea, covered with wild cacti – Arkutino, in Ropotamo Nature Reserve, is considered one of the most romantic beaches on the Bulgarian south Black Sea coast. 

Particularly if you do not mind the bar and the fancy beach umbrellas. Nearby rise the remains of a holiday facility built during Communism for gifted children; it was left unfinished when the regime collapsed, but a modern developer is now working on turning it into a luxury resort.

River Ropotamo Estuary

Regarded as one of the best wild beaches in Bulgaria, the Ropotamo Estuary is not that easy to get to. 

You can either walk to it from Arkutino to the north, which involves trekking through a forested area, or try the approach from Primorsko in the south. If you go for the latter you can park by the turnpike on the northbound forest road and walk the last mile to the beach. Both the views and the tranquillity are amazing. The odd eel or two that the river might disgorge into the sea may be a bit of a shock, but are completely harmless to humans.

Perla Beach  

Until the 1990s, only a select few could enjoy the sand and sea of a pleasant forested bay north of Primorsko. 

These were Communist officials holidaying in an exclusive summer residence, Perla. Today, the Perla residence is abandoned and going to seed, and the masses have taken over the beach – sort of. There are no organised sunbathing facilities, but there is a hip beach restaurant. The sea is not always good for swimming – a sea wall built during Communism obstructs the natural water circulation, leading to regular clogging with debris and seaweed.

International Youth Centre beach

A long sandy strip and crumbling Communist-era hotels: the remains of the International Youth Centre, or MMTs as it is known in the vernacular, is a memorable setting for one of the best beaches in Bulgaria. 

The MMTs was built in the 1960s as a get-together resort for young people from the East bloc, and was one of the best things young Bulgarians could experience in the summer. After the post-1989 privatisation, some of the buildings still operate as hotels, but most of the MMTs is dilapidated and the oak forest is taking over. The beach is still there – pleasant, long and relatively quiet. You will see many middle-aged Czechs, Slovaks and Poles who keep returning because they cannot part with the glorious days of their youth.

Mouth of Karaagach River

Kiten's south beach is as crowded as it can be in this popular low-cost holiday destination, and deservedly so. 

It is long, sandy and calm. Bars and beach umbrellas for rent are dense in its northern parts, which are close to town, but farther south most of the sunbathers are people staying at the nearby camping ground. The beach ends in a picturesque cove by the shallow mouth of the Karaagach River.

Delfin camping  

Tucked under picturesque cliffs, with golden sands that gently slope towards the sea, the Delfin camping site advertises itself as the last genuine camping ground preserved in Bulgaria. 

It is located on a small peninsula north of Ahtopol and has some tourist infrastructure, including bungalows to rent. Right next to it is one of the few remaining strips of sand in Bulgaria where naturists can still get some tan undisturbed.

River Veleka Spit  

The River Veleka, which starts its short journey to the Black Sea in Turkey, flows entirely through the Strandzha mountains and then enters the sea at a spit of sand. 

On the south side is the village of Sinemorets, one of the larger construction sites on the Black Sea in the past 20 years. Fortunately, the Veleka Spit is (mostly) untouched, with its short, but picturesque beach confined between the sea and the river. Careful here: the currents are treacherous.

Butamyata Beach

Butamyata's name comes from the Bulgarian words buta, or push, and myata, or hurl, that describe pretty well the choppy sea here. 

However, in calm conditions swimming at Sinemorets's southern bay is easy and pleasant. Nice and easy to access, the beach is developed, with lines of beach umbrellas on the sand, a tavern booming out music, and the strong smell of fried fish.

Listi Beach

Listi Beach is a long, pristine stretch of sand, protected by rising cliffs, the Strandzha forest and the fact that there is no road leading to it. 

You can reach it via the eco path that starts from Butamyata beach and goes south along the coast. Nature lovers and campers are a fixture at Listi, staying for days in tents. When you see the beach, you will understand why.

Silistar Beach

Silistar Beach, the last beach in Bulgarian territory north of Turkey, is at the end of an eco path that starts from Sinemorets and runs south. 

However, it can also be reached by car, via the road to Rezovo. It is beautiful but more commercialised, with a camping site, a tavern and a forest of umbrellas taking up a good portion of the sand.