Surrounded by a girdle of trade-union rest homes, AHTOPOL is a tranquil, sea-battered little place whose peninsular position echoes that of Sozopol and Nesebâr. From the bus station, situated at the western end of town, the main street leads down towards a small fishing harbour. Just above is a museum (Tues-Sun, irregular hours) which recalls the original Greek settlement of Agathopolis, and a flight of steps leading into the rather bland town centre. At the head of the peninsula, surrounded by well-tended flowers, stands the Hram Vâsnesenie Gospodne (Chapel of the Ascension), a low, unadorned structure with vivid nineteenth-century frescos behind its icon screen.

The peninsula has several tiny shingle beaches separated by rocky headlands, with a much larger sandy one to the north, beyond the rest-home colony. A bureau next to the bus station rents out plentiful rooms (US$9 and under), a much better bet than the three dilapidated hotels (US$18-36) on the clifftop road. You'll find cafés and a market on the street across the park from the bus station.