Kiten, Bulgaria
Price Category: 3 What's this?
Sightseeing nearby: Ropotamo River - Beglik Tash
Location: The town of Kiten is smaller than the nearby Primorsko with its population less than 1,000 people according to latest data. The town is situated on a small peninsula at the south end of the Primorsko Bay, 56km south of Bourgas.
History: The present-day village lies over the ruins of the Urdoviza Fortress situated on the cape itself. The Romans called the settlement 'Oroudiza'. The settlement was abandoned at the time of Bulgaria's fall under Turkish domination and was re-inhabited only after the Liberation. The village was founded in 1931 by fugitives from Greece but it has developed into a tourist destination only after 1970. 
Places of Interest: A legend tells that the beautiful lace Stana of Urdoviza agreed to marry the Sultan only in exchange for exempting the land, which she managed to ride through from sunrise to sunset, from taxes. The Sultan kept his word and exempted the area around the village, which is still called Hasekiya (meaning 'tax exempted land'). The name of the nearby bay of Atliman (meaning 'the horse's bay') also comes from this legend, as the horse, which Stana rode, was exhausted to death when they arrived to this bay at sunset. Besides the steep end of the rocky cape, one can feast his/her eyes on the river of Karaagach, which flows into the sea at the southern part of the Urdoviza Bay. The marsh mouth of the river is full of fish. One can also take a few hours' walk by the river up to its spring in the almost virgin nature of the Strandzha mountain.
Accommodation: Kiten offers plenty of private lodgings and small hotels, which have grown substantially in the past few years with the expansion of the tourism industry. Alternatively, one can choose among the camping sites in or close to the village: Atliman, Les, Koral, Koop and Yug. Local people are helpful and friendly, while rents are comparatively low (i.e. generally lower than in the nearby town of Primorsko).
Catering: There are a lot of small restaurants and snack bars. Besides, for those who prefer to cook for themselves, local people offer just-caught fish, fresh vegetables and fruit.
Transport: Regular bus lines connect Kiten to Bourgas; one can also take a taxi or (if not in a hurry) the small open-air road 'train' from Primorsko, which is just 5km away.
