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The beautiful and historically fascinating European nation of Bulgaria which became a fully fledged member of the EU in January 2007 is fast becoming a popular destination for international tourists.

Bulgaria is now easily and cheaply accessible from across Europe and the UK and therefore the long summer season from the beginning of May to the end of October becomes seaside holiday season in Bulgaria and from November to March there are plenty of winter sports to enjoy.

If you're thinking of visiting this fascinating nation you need to know where to begin so that you get the very most out of your visit ' for example, you might want a city break in which case you'd be best advised to go to the capital of Bulgaria which is Sofia and to travel there in the spring or summer. If you're planning a winter ski trip or even a spring or summer hiking and biking adventure instead then you'd be best off visiting the mountainous interior'but the most commonly held opinion is that if you want to see the nation at its best you'll head for Bulgaria's beautiful Black Sea coastline in the summertime.

Bulgaria's coastline is home to everything from private islets to package holiday resorts, from ancient port towns to breathtaking cliff-top views - and a great place to begin an exploration of the best bits of the coastline is in a small town by the name of Sozopol.

Sozopol is reputed to be one the most ancient towns in the entire nation with a settlement recorded on the same spot dating as far back as the Bronze Age. Extensive underwater exploration has revealed anchors and relics dating back as far as the second and first millennia BC and to this day some of the best highlights of Sozopol are its ancient buildings, fort and relics.

Sozopol is also a bustling summertime seaside resort because it has pristine soft sandy beaches and because the waters of the Black Sea on this part of Bulgaria's coastline are warm and clean. There are also bars, restaurants, shops and plenty of exciting things to do and see in Sozopol making it a great location for all the family to enjoy a holiday.

Every year in September the town plays host to an international art and culture festival which showcases the very best in new talent as well as introducing famous names from the worlds of literature, film, theatre and dance for example. The Apollina Festival of Arts as it is known is taking place this year between the 31st of August and the 9th of September and the whole town of Sozopol comes to life.

If you fancy combining a trip to the festival with an exploration of Bulgaria's national parks and nature reserves you can also do so as Sozopol is within a short distance of the world famous Strandja National Park and Nature Reserve which is well worth a visit'this means you can have a two centre holiday and get to see and experience so much of the wealth of amazing sights, sounds and flavours that Bulgaria is becoming increasingly famous for.