The ancient Black Sea is an almost landlocked lake but it connects to the Aegean and the Mediterranean Seas by way of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles straits in Turkey. Some of the beaches are beautiful and provide the only beaches to certain countries like Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, and Ukraine. The waters are clear and almost sweet.
We are going on a virtual tour by countries in a clockwise order starting with Turkey. Just remember that Turkey has the most beautiful beaches on the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. But here we are writing about those on Turkey's north coast on the Black Sea.
Turkey Beaches
On the Black Sea Coast, Turkey has an array of beaches many of them secluded and others totally ignored. The water can be from a light turquoise to a dark grey depending on the weather and the color of the sky. The area as opposed to other parts of Turkey is laid back and people are very friendly and outgoing.
Amasra is a nice seacoast town located west of Sinop. It has its own fortress and is a good start for our visit to the north coast.
Sinop is a fortified town located east of Amasra and a good place to start visiting the different beach resorts.
Trabzon or Trebizond is the north coast's one of the best.
Ordu and Giresun are small towns on the way east where to spend the night in a small hotel.
Samsun is the big town in the area, busy and modern but with little to see.
Bulgarian Beaches
Bulgaria's Black Sea coast has been famous with Eastern European for decades. When the Soviet empire existed, people from other communist countries with no possibility of going to Western Europe or the rest of the world used to flock to Bulgarian Beaches for their holidays.
Cacao Beach is a beach strip of the Sunny Beach Resort. The sands are fine and feature some dunes. The waters are clear and the beach features all amenities for visitors like restaurants, bars and many water sports facilities.
Golden Sands (Zlatni Pyasatci) Beach is located 17 km from Varna, Bulgaria's biggest city on the Black Sea. The name says it all. The sands are golden stretching for about 4 km.
Albena Beach is ideal for family vacations. The beach is 500 meters wide and features pure fine sands. It is great for sunbathing, but it can be very hot in summer.
Dyuni Beach at Dyuni Holiday Village is located near Sozopol and the city of Bourgas. It is a safe beach for small children always under parent's supervision. It is a sheltered bay ideal for many water sports.
Primorsko Beach is a ten km sandy beach. The sands are golden and warm and the waters are shallow with a sandy bottom.
Smokini Beach, near Sozopol is a camp site. The waters are blue and warm and the sands are fine and clean. Many families with caravans and motor homes frequent this beach.
Shkorpilovtsi Beach is the longest and widest beach strip in Bulgaria. It is located south of Varna and north of Byala. It is an example of an ecologically clean beach.
Sinemorets, located on Bulgaria's southern coast is an amazing resort village. The sands are white and the waters warm and clear. Mouth Beach on the north is the open creek where the Veleka River flows into the sea. Waters are deep as compared to others in the area, so it is not recommended for children.
Nessebar beach resort extends over a small peninsula. It lies 37km northeast of Bourgas. Its beach is considered to be one of the finest along the Black Sea coast due to a large sandy strip of land between the town and the village of Ravda, covered with clean golden sand.
Romania Beaches
Like Bulgaria on the south, Romania has been famous for its beaches over the times. I remember hearing about Mamaia and Constanta for years until I finally visited them a few years ago.
Constanta, spelled Constantza has a warm climate in summers and features miles of white sand beaches, vineyards, ancient historical monuments and above all many hotels and resorts for tourists.
Mamaia is the # 1 resort in Romania with long stretches of beach. Mamaia is located just 5 km from Constanta and it is visited by many Germans and northern Europe residents.
Neptun or Neptune is the resort for the young and young at heart. It is located 240 km from the capital city of Bucharest. It is a place for singles and young couples who like the all night parties.
Olimp or Olympus Resort has the most modern beach hotels in Romania with discos, water sports, restaurants and bars.
Eforie Black Sea Resort is located 12 km from Constanta and is a great beach for families
Venus Beach Resort is a modern one near Mangalia
Costinesti has nice villas accommodating 4 persons in a room with entertainment, restaurants, discos, bars and many games on the beach for the young.
Beaches of Ukraine
They are mostly located near Odessa and on the Crimean Peninsula
Arcadia or Arkadia beach is the most developed beach of Odessa. It has a shaded boulevard with restaurants and entertainment options. You may decide to visit all the different clubs along the boulevard or go down to the beach.
Otrada Beach is another of Odessa's beaches. You get there by taking a cable car that will bring you direct to the beach while you enjoy from the beautiful views. It consists of many small beaches all very well equipped with amenities for families and children.
Lanzheron is near the town center of Odessa and is the most preferred by tourists. It stretches for many km of different beaches all providing warm Black Sea waters and many entertainment venues.
Delphin Beach has a sand quality which is better than any other one in Odessa. It is clean and well kept. It is much recommended for a beach day while in Odessa.
Luzanovka is the competition of Arcadia Beach. It offers many water sports like wind surfing, diving or Jet Skiing.
Fountain Beach is located south of Arcadia and offers all amenities and small cafes along the coast.
The Peninsula of Crimea offers not only beaches but a lot of History. The south coast has a subtropical climate with beaches attracting millions of Ukrainians, Russians and from other nationalities each year. Famous for it mineral waters, they feature many health resorts. The Black Sea is not as warm as some seas, but the water reaches 22-25° C during summer months and is often warm enough to swim in till late October making Crimea an ideal tourism destination.
Russian Beaches in the Black Sea
Anapa is the largest family resort town in Southern Russia, was founded in 1846. Anapa features perfect white sands mixed with pebbles for a stretch of about 50 km. The shallow sea is an invitation for families with small children.
The city of Sochi is nicknamed "Russia's summer capital". It hosts about 3 million visitors a year. Just think how cold it can be in northern Russia, so without leaving their country they may enjoy the beach on the shores of the Black Sea. Sochi is also famous for its mineral water springs especially in places like Agura, Matsesta and Khosta. People have been arriving here for health treatments since the time of the Byzantines and the Romans.
The local resorts are famous for treating all sorts of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological, hematological, and dermatological problems with its mineral waters.
The former Soviet Republic of Georgia, now independent, has about 300km of coast stretching from the border with Russia to the border with Turkey. Many of the coastal resorts offer treatments for cardiovascular, central nervous system, functional, joint and gynecological diseases. The temperatures are mild on the water and the outside; and the salinity of the water is about one third of the waters of the Mediterranean. Some Georgian Resorts on the Back Sea are:
Batumi, Kouleti, Ureki, Grigoleti, Mtsvane, Kontskhi, Tsikhis and Dziri.
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