Varna · Варна

The Varna Archaeological Museum is home to a gold treasure more than 6,000 years old – older than the pyramids and the oldest worked gold in the world. Bulgaria's third-largest city is also the unofficial capital of the Black Sea coast, with a large seaside park, Roman baths, and beaches right in the city. A vacation in Varna combines beach time with culture and excursions along the coast.

From Odessos to Sea Capital

Greek colonists from Miletus founded the city of Odessos in the 6th century BC. It later became Roman, Byzantine, Bulgarian, and Ottoman. At the Battle of Varna in 1444, a Christian crusader army was defeated by the Ottomans, and King Władysław III of Poland and Hungary was killed. After Bulgaria's liberation in 1878, Varna became the country's most important port and seaside resort, and the royal family had the Euxinograd summer residence built nearby.

Sights in Varna

The Cathedral of the Assumption with its golden domes is the city's landmark. The Archaeological Museum displays Greek, Roman, and medieval finds alongside the gold treasure from the Varna Necropolis. The Roman Baths from the 2nd century are among the largest in the Balkans, their walls rising in the middle of the old town. The Sea Garden, Morska Gradina, is a park more than eight kilometers long running along the coast, with a dolphinarium, aquarium, planetarium, and monuments. Below it lies the city beach with beach bars and restaurants. The Grätskata Mahala neighborhood, the Greek quarter, has kept its charm with its old houses.

Beaches and Nightlife

The beaches stretch from the center to the resort towns in the north. In summer, life shifts to the coast: beach bars and clubs at the harbor and in the Sea Garden party until morning. If you prefer something quieter, you'll find well-kept resort towns with mineral springs in St. Konstantin and Elena or in Kabakum, north of the city. Golden Sands, one of Bulgaria's largest beach resorts, is only about 20 kilometers to the north.

Eating in Varna

By the sea, you'll eat freshly caught fish: sand smelt, mackerel, turbot, and mussels from the Black Sea. Add a Shopska salad and a glass of local wine. For breakfast there's banitsa, and in summer, cold tarator soup. Cafés and restaurants line Knyaz Boris I Boulevard, the pedestrian zone. Restaurants in Varna are significantly cheaper than in Western European beach resorts, and in the tavernas at the harbor you can sit late into the evening with a view of the boats. A specialty of the coast is midi, steamed or breaded mussels, which are served at almost every beachside restaurant.

Getting Around and Best Time to Visit

The airport is about ten kilometers to the west and is served by many charter flights in summer. Buses and trolleybuses serve the city, and buses also run to the resort towns. The best time for a beach vacation is June through September; May and October are pleasant for sightseeing. Excursions lead to the Aladzha Monastery, the Pobiti Kamani stone forest, Cape Kaliakra, and Euxinograd Palace. In July, the International Ballet Competition, one of the oldest in the world, draws dancers to the city.