Varna, Bulgaria – what to visit

Hey, hey! I love traveling! I simply adore it! Exploring new places and cultures makes me feel alive. I don’t like traveling solo because I love to share my experiences, to be able to tell someone – see, isn’t it amazing?! Maybe this is one of the reasons I started this blog, to share with all of you my passion, the world through my eyes. Now is the time to show you part of my country, a little piece of its tremendous beauty, I hope you will be able to see this hidden diamond the way I see it! Let’s see together what to visit while in Varna, Bulgaria!

Varna is the third largest city in Bulgaria and the biggest one at the seaside.

For those who don’t know, the east border of Bulgaria is our Black sea, around 400km of beautiful beaches! Varna is located in the East North and the city ( and the whole country to be honest) is a mixture between old socialistic and modern contemporary architecture. It is vibrant, colorful and definitely different, compared to all the Western European cities I’ve been to.

It was my second time there, but the first one was so long ago that I felt like it is the first time I’m  visiting the city. We rented an apartment close to the city center. Bulgaria in general is a cheap destination so it is really easy to find something amazing for a small amount of money. In the beginning of the central square you can find the second biggest cathedral church in Bulgaria, after Alexander Nevski in Sofia, called the Dormition of the Mother of God Cathedral. The architecture of the cathedral is really impressive! Orthodox churches are even more impressive from inside, so don’t miss the opportunity to see how amazing the iconostasis are.

The central alley is quite large and goes towards the sea garden. We Bulgarians love spending time with friends and family outside in a restaurant or a coffee place, this is why you can spot many places where to sit and have a drink. Fancy creative interior design is something typical, don’t worry, the prices are not that high even if the place looks posh.

The sea garden is a green heaven inside the city. It goes along the city’s cost ,being the largest, oldest and best known public park, also said to be the largest landscaped park in the Balkans (if Google says it, it is probably true). In the sea garden is located Varna’s Dolphinarium, it offers unique performances and it is one of the main attractions.

Along the sea coast there are many many restaurants – for every taste.

We visited the Mussel House (Мидена къща). The place is big, the food is tasty, especially if you like sea food, the prices are good and you have a sea view as a bonus. They also offer traditional Bulgarian food if you prefer to taste something local.

The weather in Bulgaria is quite cold in the winter and really hot in the summer. This is why seeing palm trees growing freely is not a typical view while being there. We Bulgarians don’t like when someone tells us what to do and we didn’t accept that we cannot have palm trees on the beach. This is why we have one! It is called Rappongi beach and you can chill under the palm tree! A fake palm tree, but still, a palm tree! The beach looks quite exotic and from distance you cannot spot the difference…almost…

Something typical for our beaches is that there are a lot of bars and restaurants at the beach so you can enjoy your cocktail all day long. Some places are even throwing day parties. The water is warm, not really salty and the beach is sandy. One of the most popular bars there is called Cubo – it is open day and night, you can go for a beach day or at night for drinks. We were in Varna out of season (the summer season is between June and September) and some of the places were closed.

We have a quality night life in Bulgaria and Varna is no different.

There are many clubs where you can go, but there was one that I particularly wanted to visit – Xtravaganzza. This was one of the most iconic clubs of our sea capital. I say was because it no longer exists. I’ve heard that they destroyed it this year for some reason. It’s a shame, it was a cool place to party!

The sea garden goes to the port of Varna. It is a nice area to walk around, to sit, relax and watch the sunset. As I mentioned the design of our restaurants is really important, you can have your dinner on a boat, but not in the sea, on the ground! Right next to the public pool there is the famous monument of the Dragons in love. 

Close to the pool we found another restaurant that I really liked called “BM The Bay” . The food is absolutely delicious, the service was good and hearing the sound of the sea makes it a really romantic place.

If you have a car, there are many beautiful places around Varna that you can visit. Unfortunately we didn’t have a car nor time to explore everything, but there was one place that I was determined to see – Kaliakra cape.

Kaliakra (in Bulgarian: Калиакра) is a long and narrow headland in the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, 12 kilometres east of Kavarna, 60 kilometres northeast of Varna.

The coast is steep with vertical cliffs reaching 70 metres  down to the sea. Kaliakra is a nature reserve, where dolphins and cormorants can be observed. It also features the remnants of the fortified walls, water-main, baths and residence buildings. During the summer season there is a direct transportation from Varna, but in May when we were there there wasn’t. You can reach it by taking the bus to Kavarna (costs 3.5 euro one way) and then a taxi (7.5 euro one way). It definitely worths the efforts to reach the place, it is so stunning. I have never imagined that our Black sea can be that blue! The entrance costs less than 2 euros and you can easily spend 2 hours there. It is a heaven for photography lovers! There is so much history behind this place! You can visit the museum or to have lunch with an impressive panoramic view. Local sellers offer their handmade souvenirs – traditional Bulgarian clothes, shoes, plates, dolls, etc. 

Close to Kaliakra cape there is a beautiful beach called Bolata.

The Bolata Cove with a small sheltered beach lies just north at the mouth of a picturesque canyon, also part of the nature reserve. Another place to visit in the region is the Mussels farm Dalboka. I haven’t been there personally, because as I mentioned it is hard to get there without a car, but all of my friends recommend it for the delicious food and the amazing sea view. Will visit, next time.

See you soon when Travelista goes to…

If you want to explore other European destinations, you can find more information in my travel section.