I visited this WHS in 2023 and to make sure I could get the best out of my visit (as well as have safe parking) I booked a hotel just in front of star attraction of this site, the Church of St. Stephen inside the old town proper in the middle of the peninsula, away from the infamous Sunny Beach area. I was allowed access via the main gate to unload my luggages and then I was allowed a private spot in the outdoor parking at the marina.

Undoubtedly Nessabar's forte are its medieval churches, which is why it earned its nickname as "the Bulgarian Ravenna" and "the pearl of the Orthodox world". According widespread local legend there once were more than 40 churches existed only on the small territory of the peninsula and nowadays 10 of them have been preserved and restored. More than the number of churches, what is important is the overall picture they gives us today about the nature and achievements of medieval church architecture. Some are remains such as those of the basilica church of St. Sophia or the basilica church and tower of the Holy Mother of Eleusa, which are important remains of the bishop's residence and part of a monastery complex. Another two churches which are merely a shell but include lots of brickwork decorations are the Church of St. John Aliturgetos and the Church of the St. Archangels Michael and Gabriel. These four churches are free and don't require any ticket.

The rest require a separate ticket or a combined multi-day ticket which you can buy from the museum or from one of the churches. I opted for the one which includes all churches, the archaeological museum and the mill since there was an interesting temporary exhibition inside the latter on the objects and graves excavated from the church grounds. If truth be told, in my opinion the churches of St. Theodore and of St. Paraskeva have much more to offer on their exterior than their interior, especially the latter one with its pentagonal apse jutting out to the east (and a wooden/metal roof). The same can be said of the Church of Christ Pantocrator which perhaps has the most complete exterior of all the churches, although it houses a display of medieval fresco fragment from different churches worth seeing too.

Perhaps the smallest church and the least appealing from the outside (in a way it reminded me of some of the churches in the Troodos mountains in Cyprus) is that of St. Spass, but it really is worth visiting inside for its great frescoes painted in 1609 with funds from a local wealthy citizen. I really liked the false marble designs which reminded me a bit of the frescoes of the Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe. In my opinion this church interior should not be missed. Another small church is that of St. John the Baptist with only a few traces of frescoes. Its exterior typically represents the transition between the shorter basilicas and the cruciform churches, with a cylindrical drum above its central part ending with a hemispherical dome.

In my opinion the highlight of this WHS, and the one church not to be missed for its interior, is the Church of St. Stephen also known as the New Bishopric. The three-nave basilica is magnificently ornate with frescoes from the 16th century both inside the narthex as well as inside the church proper. Most of the frescoes are related to the life of the Virgin Mary, to whom the church was initially dedicated. I visited during the hottest part of the day (although it was cool inside), which meant I had the place all to myself for most of the time (so much so that I also sneaked behind the curtains to peek at the lovely frescoes behind the iconostasis). There's also some original furniture inside the church such as the bishop's throne and the pulpit. Upon close inspection, on the left hand side of the church when facing the iconostasis, you'll notice 16th-19th century graffiti of sailing boats on some of the mural paintings and ornamental lower parts of the walls. It is believed that these were done by sailors who sought protection for their vessels and crews through them.

Although the peninsula of Nessebar can get quite busy, the high entrance tickets for the churches meant that mostly group tours were entering so it was quite easy to time my visits when the churches at hand had little or no visitors. I also enjoyed the interesting museum once it was included in the all-in ticket, and just next to it lies the UNESCO WHS incription marble plaque.