Varna: the capital of the Black Sea coast

Varna is the third largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, its population is 335.000 persons. Varna and its surroundings are considered a premier resort on the Black Sea coast, both for beach tourism and cultural tourism, hence it is known as the capital of the Black Sea coast. It has an international airport that operates direct flights to the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark and other countries. If you are traveling from Spain, you can change at Sofia airport or take the road trip between Sofia and Varna, which is 440 kilometres.

Aerial view of Varna

The history of Varna goes back centuries. It was founded by Greek emigrants in the 6th century BC., who called it Odesos. In the 4th century BC. the city was conquered by Alexander of Macedon (Alexander the Great), and in 15 AD became part of the Roman Empire. It received the name of Varna in the 9th century. In medieval times Varna became a very prominent shopping center, who led the trade with Genoa, Venice and Dubrovnik. The tourist development of the 20th century made Varna one of the favorite vacation spots for Bulgarian and foreign tourists.

Varna presents a great variety of cultural attractions, historical buildings, museums, parks and leisure areas. Among the places of interest it is worth mentioning the visit to the ruins of the Roman Baths, These baths were built at the end of the 2nd century AD and are the fourth largest preserved Roman bath in Europe and the largest in the Balkans.

Footbridge over the Roman Baths of Varna.

In the subsoil of Varna are hot springs and the Romans, who valued water so highly praised Varna as one of the most important cities of the Empire. Even today, anyone can take natural hot spring baths in different parts of the area., for example on the beach of Varna there is a small pool of natural thermal water in the open air, highly appreciated by older city dwellers who use it daily for its healing effects. But if you want to enjoy the hot springs with more exclusivity, there are also several luxury spas that use this natural hot spring for their outdoor and indoor pools. (Contact us for more information).

Varna's gold treasure is also famous, a set of Thracian jewelry dating from the year 4600 a. C. which was discovered in a necropolis and is exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Varna along with objects from the Greek period, roman and ottoman. Find out who the Thracians were here. There are many other museums in the city, including an ethnographic museum with an interesting display of regional costumes and jewelry, the naval museum or a natural history museum dedicated to coastal flora and fauna.

Varna beach is very popular with city dwellers and visitors, has a great length, more of 2 kilometres, It has fine white sand and the water has the greenish color typical of the Black Sea. It is also a very slightly salty water with a temperature similar to that of the Mediterranean Sea., ideal for the bathroom.

The beach is separated from the city by a green strip that forms the “Primorski Park” also know as “Garden of the Sea”. It is the largest park in Varna and it is also the largest landscaped park on the Balkan Peninsula. It is located parallel to the coast, separating the urban area from the beaches, has huge specimens of trees and well-kept flower gardens, It is the main place of recreation for local families throughout the year.

Primorski Park of Varna

Within this huge park there are two tourist places of interest: a dolphinarium and a naval museum. Royal ships are found in the Varna Naval Museum, helicopters, armament and components of old naval machinery, here you can visit a torpedo boat inside 1904 who participated in the Balkan war against Turkey in 1913, and also in World War I and II.

Torpedo boat at the Naval Museum

Varna has everything to become a famous resort town, it has a long beach dotted with terraces and luxury restaurants, many of which are built on the sand of the beach and on raised terraces whose proximity to the sea makes you feel like you're on a boat, the views of the city and the sea from these restaurants and cafes is spectacular. These same places are the favorite place for young people, and not so young, from Varna for nightlife… in Summer people from all over the country go to Varna looking for this type of nightlife… but as we say before, as this area is separated from the rest of the city by the Varna park, the residents of the city are not disturbed by the music of these places…

Beach bars and terraces

But Varna has life all year round because when beach tourism goes, spa tourism remains, casinos and businesses that makes Varna one of the cities with the most foreign visitors in the country considering that it is not a very big city compared to Sofia,, not even as famous as Plovdiv…

And there are not only interesting things within the city, On the outskirts of Varna you can do very interesting short day trips, us from senderismoeuropa.com we recommend the following, heading North following the Coast you can find them in this order:

• Beaches of San Constantino and Elena, that's the name of this neighboring neighborhood of Varna. It is truly a holiday complex, a classic of the Black Sea with several parks, big hotels, small beaches in bays and natural hot springs that are used in their spas.

• Aladzhá Monastery. Past Saint Constantine and Elena, and inward, there is the picturesque Aladzhá Orthodox Monastery, which is very interesting to visit because it is an ancient cave monastery, excavating centuries ago in a limestone rock wall of almost 40 meters high. It was inhabited by hermit monks during the XIII-XIV centuries. It has several levels and corridors carved out of the rock, which visitors can access via external stairs. Next to the monastery you can take advantage of the visit to take a walk through the central part of the Natural Park “Golden Sands”, a protected area with rare tree species that operates as a forest botanical garden. The beautiful Nature that surrounds the Monastery, combined with the picturesqueness of its rock setting, make the Aladzhá Monastery a place of great interest for cultural tourism, ecological and cult.

Ascent to the Aladzhá Monastery

• Albena Beach. The town of Albena a seaside resort with a long tourist history. In our opinion it is about the best beach on the Black Sea Coast. It is a beach of 5 kilometers in length and 150 meters wide, few Black Sea beaches present these figures. Also the sand is fine and white, and the waters are clean and shallow, ideal for children. It is a holiday complex of hotels of all categories, but the luxurious hotels of 4**** and 5***** in regime of “All inclusive”. It is also located within the Albena complex one of the largest water parks in the country and other attractions for family leisure. Albena is one of the safest vacation spots in the country, entry and exit to the complex is done through a guarded security control, which provides confidence to visitors with greater purchasing power, many of them of Russian origin, Ukrainian and German, and of course the Bulgarian elite…

Albena Beach

• Balchik Royal Palace and Botanical Garden. The palace is the former summer residence of the Romanian Queen Maria Alexandrina Victoria of Edinburgh (1875-1938). It is located in a picturesque location on some rocks with impressive views of the Sea. In its botanical garden you can see specimens of various tree species, flowers and there is a covered canopy acclimatized for cactus-like species.

Balchik Botanical Garden

• Reserva Natural de Kamchia. Protected area of ​​the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast where you can see curious rocky landscapes by the sea. It is also a privileged place for bird lovers, It is a place of passage and stop for various birds in their migrations and therefore an ideal place for their sighting..

If you want more information about the city of Varna and its surroundings, contact us, we can offer you tourism services tailored to you in this area or in the rest of Bulgaria. Contact at: info@senderismoeuropa.com