Varna

Varna (Варна) is a large city on the Black Sea coast in the northeast of Bulgaria. It's the larger of the country's two major sea ports, and a gateway to the seaside resorts on the northern part of the coast. With a population of nearly 350,000, Varna is the third-largest city in Bulgaria (after Sofia and Plovdiv) and it is often called "the sea capital" (morska stolitsa) of Bulgaria. It also holds the headquarters of the Bulgarian Navy and merchant marine, and several institutions of higher education.

Understand

The Cathedral

Ruins of the large Roman baths amid modern residential buildings

Geography and orientation

Varna is roughly in the middle of the northern Bulgarian coast, at the bottom of the 8 km (5.0 mi) wide Gulf of Varna. An artificial shipping channel splits the gulf's coastline in two and connects the sea to the long and narrow Varna-Beloslav lake, which in turn is fed by the small Provadiyska River. The city of Varna lies on the northern side of the gulf, on a stretch of relatively flat land under the steeper slopes of the southern edges of a low limestone plateau. The tall Asparuh(ov) Bridge connects Varna to the outlying neighborhoods on the southern side, Asparuhovo and Galata. The only other way to cross the lake is the free ferry at Beloslav, 16 km (9.9 mi) west of the city centre.

The oldest parts of Varna, including the so-called Greek Quarter, spread fan-like from the north-east to the north-west from the point of the modern port. Further away is a layer of 19th and early 20th century expansions, including the main pedestrian street and the Cathedral. After them follow in another wide arc the concrete panel block neighborhoods of the Communist era. The sea resorts start immediately north-east of the city, almost seamlessly melding with it in a built-up strip stretching along the coast. These are Sts. Constantine and Helena (in the Communist era: Druzhba, "friendship"), Chayka ("seagull"), and Golden Sands (Zlatni Pyasatsi). Further along the coast to the north are the village of Kranevo, the Albena resort, and the town of Balchik. South of the Gulf of Varna, notable along the coast are the resort and protected area around the mouth of the Kamchia river, as well as the resorts at Shkorpilovtsi and Byala.

History

Due to its favorable natural conditions, including hot springs and a harbor, the area has been inhabited since pre-history. The so-called Varna culture left behind graves with some of the oldest gold artifact in the world (4600 BC - 4200 BC). In classical Antiquity, the seafaring Greeks established here the colony of Odessos, and like many Greek settlements, it later became a part of the Roman Empire.

In 1443-1444, not long after medieval Bulgaria's fall to the Ottoman Empire, the city saw the final battle of the failed Varna Crusade, an attempt to liberate the Balkans from Ottoman rule by combined Polish, Hungarian and Burgundian forces. The crusaders lost the decisive battle; the young Polish king Władysław III Jagiełło was killed, earning him the epithet "of Varna" (Varnenchik in Bulgarian).

Under Ottoman rule, Varna continued to develop as an important economic and military center. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the city was fortified and formed one corner of the "quadrilateral of fortresses" (Ruse, Silistra, Varna, Shumen) that guarded this corner of the Empire. The city repeatedly played a part in the series of Russo-Turkish wars, including the Crimean War, but none of those fortifications have survived to this day. Between 1881 and 1866, a British company built a railway that connected Varna to the river port Ruse, making it the first railway on what would later be Bulgarian territory. The railway allowed freight transported on the Danube to be shipped faster to Istanbul by avoiding the lengthy detour north through the Danube's delta, and this led to the further development of Varna as a commercial port town.

After the Liberation of Bulgaria (1878), the 1880s saw a rapid modernization and expansion of the city, with new streets laid in a modern, rectangular layout. In that period were built the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God, the main landmark and symbol of Varna, and the summer palace of Bulgarian monarchs north of the city (later named Euxinograd). One of the foreigners who settled in Varna at the time was the Czech archeologist Karel Škorpil, the "founding father" of Bulgarian archeology. In the 1890s, Škorpil invited to the city the Czech landscape architect Anton Novak, who was put in charge of designing and overseeing the creation of a large landscaped park by the sea - the Sea Garden.

Like a number of other Bulgarian cities, Varna was renamed by the Communist regime - between 1949 and 1956, it was called Stalin in honor of the Soviet leader ("Stalingrad" was already taken by a much more famous city in the USSR). In the late 1950s began the development of mass tourism along the coast with the construction of large vacation resorts for both domestic and international tourists. In 1962, the city hosted the 15th international Chess Olympiad. A distinctive style of chess pieces was created for the Olympiad, which served as the base for mass-produced chess sets that can make a nice souvenir today, if you can find one in vintage stores or online.

Tourist information

• Visit Varna, the city's official tourism portal. Available in Bulgarian, English, Russian, German, Romanian, and French. In addition to sights, transport, etc, it also has an event calendar.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Varna Airport (VAR  ^IATA) (8 km (5.0 mi) west of the city centre, right off the A2 motorway), ☏ +359 52 573 323 (info desk). The airport receives flights from over 80 destinations all over the world (but mostly around Europe). The national carrier, Bulgaria Air, serves the only domestic line - to the capital Sofia, twice daily in the summer. (updated Feb 2023)

Getting there and away:

• By bus – Bus line 409 (see below) connects the airport to the city center and the outlying resorts (Sts. Constantine and Helena, Golden Sands); make sure to have some small-denomination cash for the ticket machine (10 лв note at most). For more details, see below.
• By taxi – There's a taxi stand in front of Terminal 2. The airport has a contract with Triumf Taxi (see the warning about taxi scams below).
• By rental car – At least half a dozen car rental services have offices at the airport.

By train

Varna is well connected in Bulgaria's railway network. It's the last stop of two major lines: Sofia-Varna runs along almost the whole length of the country through North Bulgaria, and Ruse-Varna allows a connection to Romania and merges into the other one at the small town of Kaspichan.

From Bucharest in Romania, you can take an international train to Ruse and then change to a national train to Varna (the shorter option), or you can buy a "direct" ticket that will send you on the same train, but the train car will be hitched to a national train at Gorna Oryahovitsa (if you are lucky - if not, you'll have to change trains by yourself again) and it will take longer with more than an hour.

There are multiple daily direct trains from the cities along the main lines: Sofia (7½ to 8½ hours, depending on train; the line passes through the picturesque Iskar Gorge), Pleven (4½ hr), Ruse (4 hr), Razgrad (2¾ hr), Dobrich (2 hr), Targovishte (2 hr), and Shumen (90-130 min, depending on train). Other cities in Northern Bulgaria are less frequent and/or convenient: Vidin (10½ to 11½ hr) and Vratsa (6½ to 8 hours) require changing trains at Mezdra, Veliko Tarnovo can be done by changing at Gorna Oryahovitsa (just outside of Tarnovo; 4 hr to Varna) or a roundabout route through Southern Bulgaria; Silistra requires changing at Samuil (5¼ hr). South of the Balkan Mountains, from Plovdiv there's a once-daily direct train (6 hr) or changing at Karnobat (9 to 10 hr); from Burgas there's also a once-daily direct, but slow train (4¾ hr) or changing at Karnobat (3½ or 4¾ hr); there are two daily direct trains from Stara Zagora (3 hr 40 min) and Yambol (3hr) and various changing options.

• 2 Central Train Station (Zhe Peh Garah, ЖП гара Варна). A pretty Art Nouveau building that was completed in 1925. Roughly L-shaped, it's a twin of Burgas' railway station and impossible to miss because of its clock tower. It has two entrances, one under the clock tower that leads directly to the platforms, and one on the long side of the L - that's where the ticket counters and the arrivals/departures boards are. (updated Jun 2023)

It's within walking distance of the city centre and the Sea Garden, but far from the airport and the central bus station. Getting there and away:

• By foot - To the central street, less than 10 min: leave the station via the exit under the clock tower, then use the pedestrian underpass to cross the street (Primorski Boulevard) and follow the street that leads immediately north/uphill (ulitsa Tsar Simeon I) - it should lead you to the New Yorker store on Independence Square (see below). The station is also about 10 minutes to the port (passenger terminal, yacht marina, amusement park), the beach alley and the southern end of the Sea Garden: leave the station via the exit under the clock tower, but then follow the boulevard east until you reach a crossroads with a street leading south that separates the beach from the harbour.
• By bus - confusingly, there are two pairs of bus stops in the vicinity of the station that serve different lines. One of the stops is right in front of the entrance of the ticket office hall with its counterpart on the opposite side of the boulevard 50 m/yd to the east. The other stop is at a small turnaround and a crossroads 50 m/yd west of the same entrance, with its counterpart 20 m/yds further west on the opposite side. The turnaround stop is more convenient for tourists - buses 9 and 109 go to the resorts, buses 22 and 41 go the Cathedral and the central bus station (see below for public transport details).

By car

Varna is the end point of the eastern half of the unfinished Hemus Motorway (A2) to Sofia that is supposed to run through the northern part of the country. The two parts are connected by European Route E772/National Road 4, which passes through Veliko Tarnovo, Targovishte, and Shumen. On entering Varna, the motorway merges into the large Vladislav Varnenchik Blvd.

European Route E70 crosses the Danube and enters Bulgaria at Ruse, passing through Razgrad before merging into the A2 west of Varna (around Shumen). It provides a connection to Romania (Giurgiu, Bucharest) and Western Europe.

European Route E87 runs in a north-south direction, and the Bulgarian part mostly follows the sea coast. To the north, it connects Varna to Mangalia, Constanta and Tulcea in Romania, and Odesa in Ukraine. In the southern direction, it passes through a number of resorts before reaching Burgas and goes inland to cross the border into Turkey at Malko Tarnovo/Dereköy, continuing towards Izmir and Antalya, with a connection via E80 to Istanbul.

By bus

• 3 Central Bus Station (Avtogara Varna, Автогара Варна), 158 Vladislav Varnenchik Blvd (1.8 km (1.1 mi) north-west of the Cathedral, next to a large roundabout where two boulevards cross), ☏ +359 52 757 044, info@autogaravn.com. 24/7. Serving long-distant connections to Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Burgas, Plovdiv, Istanbul, Greece, Romania, Central and Western Europe. A modern building opened in 2024; the Communism-era 1970s relic was demolished. Like many bus stations in Bulgaria, there are multiple ticket offices: there's the municipal transport company that serves mainly short range routes, and the offices of various private bus lines. The station is right next to Grand Mall Varna. Public transport stops (see below) are on the large boulevard immediately south of the station—the stop towards the centre is on the opposite side of the street, there's a pedestrian underpass. (updated Feb 2023)

By boat

Varna is one of Bulgaria's four official ports of entry on the Black Sea (the others are Burgas, Balchik, and Tsarevo). The yacht marina is right next to the passenger terminal of the port.

• 4 Passenger Terminal, Port Varna-East (Morska gara, Pristanishte Varna-Iztok). Varna is Bulgaria's only cruise destination. The terminal is within walking distance of the southern end of the Sea Garden (10 min), the Central Railway Station (15 min), and the main pedestrian street (20-25 min). There are a number of bars and restaurants and an amusement park on the grounds of the port itself, some swimming pools right next to the exit of the port street, and Varna's beaches start immediately north of the port's breakwater. 

Just in case you are wondering, Port Varna-West is an industrial port on the far, inner end of the Varna-Beloslav lake.

Get around

On foot

Most sights and attractions are concentrated in the compact old part of Varna and the Sea Garden, where you can easily get around by foot. A pedestrian zone connects the Cathedral square to the main entrance of the Sea Garden, and both are within walking distance of the railway station. There are several beaches immediately below the Sea Garden, and the alley that runs along them starts in the same place as the street that leads to public part of the port, 10 min east of the railway station. Even the bus station is doable—25 min to the Cathedral, along a commercial boulevard. Distances do add up, so plan accordingly.

By bus

Varna has an extensive public transport network served by buses and trolleybuses (electric buses powered by overhead wires). Online maps of bus stops, routes and current bus positions can be found on VarnaTraffic.com and Easyway; both have route planners and can use your GPS position to point you to the nearest bus stop(s), but while their interface (including bus stop names) is in English, the underlying maps are unfortunately mostly labelled in Bulgarian Cyrillic. Varna Traffic also has an ad-supported Android app. OpenStreetMap includes public transport routes for Varna in its Transport layer, so they can be displayed offline in apps that use OSM, such as OsmAnd or Mapy.cz; unfortunately, OSM is often late to reflect changes, including seasonal variation. Also, Varna's official tourism information site has a page on transport.

With the exception of Bus 409 (see below), all lines are run by a municipal company. Paper tickets can be bought from ticket machines at bus stops and in the buses themselves. When they work properly, the machines accept coins, small-denomination notes and credit/debit cards. Tickets are based on duration, not route, and the "clock starts ticking" at the moment of sale. You have to validate (scan) your ticket when you board a vehicle if the ticket is bought from a bus stop or when changing routes/vehicles. As of February 2023, the prices for paper tickets are 2 лв for 60 min, 2.50 лв for 90 min, and 4 лв for a 24-hour pass. You can also buy an "electronic prepaid card" for 10 лв that offers discount prices: 1 лв for 60 min, 1.50 лв for 90 min and 4 лв for a 24-hr ticket. This card also has to be validated when boarding a vehicle. Cards can be recharged in 10 лв increments at ticket machines.

In summary: if you are going to spend a day or two in Varna and plan to use public transport often, it's advisable to buy a 24-hour pass to avoid dealing with the unreliable ticket machines. For longer periods, a pre-paid card may be a more cost-effective solution.

The lines most relevant to tourists (most stops omitted for brevity; stop names are the transcribed Bulgarian names used by the English translations of the route maps):

• Bus 409 – This line connects the airport, the city centre and the resorts to the north-east of the city. The line is co-run by both the municipality and a private company. The municipal buses can be recognized by the "shield with lion and wheel" emblem. The private buses (with large ЧЕНСФИЛД signs) don't accept the tickets bought from the municipal ticket machines and use their own tickets, sold on board by a ticket inspector. The line actually starts at Aksakovo (small town west of Varna). Notable stops along the line are Varna Airport, Central Bus Station (and Grand Mall Varna), the Cathedral (KATEDRALATA stop, on the east side), SEVASTOPOL stop (trivial walks to the Archeological Museum to the north, main entrance of the Sea Garden to the south), the next six stops are along the northern boundary of the Sea Garden, then the line goes to and passes through the resorts: Saints Constantine and Helena, Chayka and Golden Sands. After the last stop, instead of simply turning around, 409 loops through the southern part of Golden Sands (four stops) before merging back into the main route (winter route only?).
• Bus 9 – Starts at the Central Train Station (western stop, at the crossroads/turnaround), the Cathedral (KOZIRKATA stop, in front of the tourist information center), SEVASTOPOL and the same six stops along the northern boundary of the Sea Garden, Saint Constantine and Helena resort, Chayka resort, Golden Sands resort, and through Golden Sands Nature Park. Afterwards hooks south to the central part of Golden Sands (4 stops).
• Bus 109 – Reaches the farthest north along the shore. Starts at the Central Train Station and follows the same route as Bus 9, but skips most of Golden Sands to reach its northernmost parts (4 stops, the last is the PANORAMA turnaround).
• Bus 12 – Goes to Asparuhovo on the southern side of the bay. You can take it from the Central Post Office (TSENTRALNA POSHTA stop, right "behind" the Cathedral's park, on the side of the post office), and the Asparuh Bridge over the bay. The last 6 stops are in Asparuhovo.
• Bus 17 – Goes to Asparuhovo and Galata. It starts from the Central Train Station (ZHP GARA-4 stop: to the east, on the "other side" of the boulevard), takes the Asparuh Bridge over the bay, passes through Asparuhovo, right by the Asparuhovo Park, then by a fishing village, and ends in Galata neighborhood (several stops).

By taxi

Be careful with taxis. You may pay 10 times the right price, so check for the fare per kilometer—look at the small square paper plate located in the lower corner of the rear doors' windows. Good taxi companies are: OK Trans (OK Транс), Varna (Варна), Evro (Евро), Triumph (Триумф Такси), Alpha taxi (Алфа такси). The typical price is around 0.79 лв/km.

By electric scooter

As of 2023, the ubiquitous Lime seems to remain the only electric scooter company operating in Varna.

See

Sights and landmarks

• 1 Dormition of the Mother of God Cathedral (Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral). 08:00–18:00. A symbol of the city and a major landmark due to its central location. People use the small park that surrounds it as a meeting place - "at the Cathedral" (na Katedralata). The tourism information center is right across the street. The cathedral was completed in 1886; the Dormition of Mary refers to the Eastern Orthodox belief that Mary died in spiritual peace and was then resurrected and taken bodily into Heaven. (updated Feb 2023)
  • Other notable old Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox churches include the early 17th-century Theotokos Panagia; the St. Athanasius (former Greek metropolitan cathedral); the seamens' church of St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker; the Archangel Michael's chapel; and the St. Constantine and Helena church of the 16th century suburban monastery of the same name.
• 2 Independence Square (Площад "Независимост", Ploshtad Nezavisimost) (south of the Cathedral, across the street). Varna's central square and the starting point of a pedestrian area zigzagging to the entrance of the Sea Garden. The square itself is adjacent to two small parks (one has an equestrian statue of Tsar Kaloyan), the pretty theater and opera building (built 1912-1932), a large fountain in front of the Socialist-era Regional Courthouse, and the New Yorker store (built in 1977 in modernist style as a fashion store in the state-run Valentina chain). 
• 3 Grand entrance to the Sea Garden (Morskata gradina). Also known under the self-explanatory name Primorski park (Seaside Park), the largest park in Varna stretches for several kilometers along the coast, one level above the beach alley. It contains multiple venues. Among those not listed elsewhere are a "children's corner" with various amusements (bouncy castle, bumper boats, etc), a petting zoo, many monuments (including an alley with busts of Soviet cosmonauts), open-air exercise equipment, and many cafes and restaurants. (updated Feb 2023)
• Varna's centre was rebuilt in late 19th and the earlier half of the 20th century by the nascent Bulgarian middle class in Western style, with local interpretations of Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Baroque, Neoclassicism, Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
• 4 Dragons in Love fountain ("above" the swimming pools, on the alley that enters the Sea Garden). Drinking fountain sourced from a hot spring and appropriately topped with a small statue of a pair of dragons. Built in 2010, sculptor Darin Lazarov.  
• 5 Monument to Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship (a 300-step staircase connects it to Knyaz Boris I Blvd (north border of the Sea Garden), between the bus stops St. Nikola and Pikadili Park (lines 9, 109, 409)). A huge abandoned concrete monument dating back to the Communist era, on top of a small hill with a decent view of Varna and the sea. It was built in 1978 together with the park around it. It included a bomb shelter, a bookstore, an eternal flame, and ceremonial halls in the concrete "wings". The text above the arch used to say "ДРУЖБА ОТ ВЕКОВЕ ЗА ВЕКОВЕ" ("friendship for centuries [in the past] for centuries [in the future]"). Warning: there might be homeless people or addicts squatting in the remote corners, so be careful if you decide to explore. (updated Feb 2023)

Museums and other institutions

• 6 Archaeological Museum, 41 Maria Luisa Blvd (500 m (1,600 ft) east of the Cathedral, along the boulevard), ☏ + 359 52 681030, archaeological@museumvarna.com. 10:00–17:00 (May and Oct: closed Su M, Nov-April: closed Sa Su). The museum's collection covers many periods, from the Early Paleolithic (100 000 BC), through ancient Greece and Rome, to the Middle Ages and later. The most important finds are those from the Varna Necropolis (burial site), including some of the earliest known gold artifacts in the world (4600-4200 BC). The museum also manages two open-air archaeological sites, the large Roman baths in the city centre and the medieval grotto of Aladzha Monastery at Golden Sands Nature Park. Adult: 10 лв. (updated Feb 2023)
• 7 Ethnographic Museum, 22 Panagyurishte Str (100 m south of the New Yorker store, then east; southward pedestrian street with a staircase; door to the yard is kept closed, so use the handle), ☏ +359 52 630588. 10:00–17:00; Apr–Oct: closed M; Nov–Mar: closed Sa Su. In a quaint Bulgarian Revival house of the "symmetrical type", built in the 1860s. The collection showcases the rich diversity in culture and lifestyle of the population of Varna in the second half of the 19th and the early 20th century - clothing, domestic crafts, everyday items. Adult: 5 лв. (updated Feb 2023)
• 8 Naval Museum (Military-Maritime Museum), 2 Primorski Blvd (at the south end of the Sea Garden), ☏ + 359 52 731523. Nov–Mar: 09:30–17:30 (closed Su M); Apr–Oct: 10:00–18:00 (closed M). As the name suggests, it focuses on military history at sea, from ancient Greek wrecks to Soviet-era armaments. A nice old building (built 1890), with many items exhibited in the open. Outside the yard is the museum ship Drazki ("Daring"), a 38 m (125 ft) steam-powered torpedo boat that distinguished itself in the First Balkan War (1912); in the summer, it's open to visitors. 8 лв adult, various discounts (free for active military), 30 лв for guided tour (in English?); Drazki admission: 6 лв. (updated Feb 2023)
• 9 Varna Aquarium. The aquarium's exhibition focuses on the Black Sea's flora and fauna which includes over 140 fish species, but also features freshwater fish, Mediterranean fish, exotic species from faraway areas of the World Ocean, mussels and algae. (updated Jun 2018)
• 10 Nicolaus Copernicus Planetarium and Observatory, 4 Primorski park (100 m (330 ft) south ("down and to the right") of the main entrance of the Sea Garden), planetarium.varna@gmail.com. (in English) Jul-Aug, every Th: 17:00 for children (5-10), 19:00 for adults; more frequent in Bulgarian, on a complex schedule; ticket office works for one hour before a show. Built in 1968. There's a statue of Copernicus in front of the building and a tower with a Foucault pendulum that can be glimpsed from outside. A 10.5 m (34 ft) dome with 80 seats, an old Carl Zeiss ZKP projector and some digital stuff. Two different kind of shows - one for children 5-10, the other for older children and adults, but they are in English (or Russian) on only one day of the week. Adults: 6 лв, various discounts. (updated Feb 2023)
• 11 Varna Zoo (Zoopark Varna) (in the Sea Garden, 1.5 km (0.93 mi) north-east of the main entrance - 20 min walk along the central alley; immediately south of bus stop AKATSIITE on lines 9, 14, 39, 109, 409). Daily: Apr May Sep: 09:00–18:00; Jun-Aug: 09:00–19:00, Oct–Mar: 09:00–16:30. A relatively small zoo (2.3 hectares (5.7 acres)) with a variety of animals, both local and foreign. Also operates as a wildlife rescue center. Families with children under 18: 6 лв, otherwise: adults: 3 лв, various other discounts apply. (updated Feb 2023)
• Varna Dolphinarium – The only dolphinarium on the Balkan Peninsula, one of the most entertaining attractions of city. Built in 1984 and has 1134 seats.

Just outside of the city

Easily accessible by public transport (buses 109 and 409). For the rest, see the § Nearby below.

• 12 Aladzha Monastery (Аладжа Манастир) (17 km (11 mi) north of the city centre). The remnants of a medieval monastery that was established in several caves on the side of a cliff. Nowadays, it's in the middle of the Golden Sands (Zlatni Pyasatsi) Nature Park, the smallest nature park in Bulgaria. The entrance fee is quite low, and it's a very beautiful, and quite weird thing to see. (updated Jul 2022)
• 13 Ecopark Varna (University Botanic(al) Garden - Varna) (9 km (5.6 mi) north-east of the city center; bus stop BOTANICHESKA GRADINA on lines 9, 109, 409). Apr–Nov: 08:00–17:30 (closing hour varies by moth, max 20:00 in Jun–Aug). The "poor relative" of the Botanical Garden in Balchik, though both are run by the Sofia University. With an area of 36 hectares (89 acres), it's mostly a private park with both wooded and open parts, and picnic spots with fireplaces and tables. More than 300 kinds of trees and shrubs, 250+ kinds of irises (flowers), a rose garden with more than 70 kinds of roses, etc., as well some archaeological finds and a chapel at the garden's highest point. Adults: 5 лв, various discounts apply; guided tour in English - either 24 or 42 лв (website typo?). (updated Feb 2023)

Other

• The 2.4 km long, 50 m high Asparuhov Most bridge is a popular spot for bungee jumping.

Do

• There is a large tourist place where you can enjoy whatever entertainment that can be bought for money. There is something for every taste. But, you can also have nice walks in Varna.

• Football – PFC Cherno More play football in First League, Bulgaria's top tier. Their home ground is Stadion Ticha (capacity 8250) 1 km northeast of city centre. Their local rivals Sparak Varna are in the Second League.

Buy

There are a couple of large shopping malls (Grand Mall, Pfohe Mall, Central Plaza, Mall of Varna, Varna Towers) turning Varna into an attractive international shopping destination. There are also several international big-box retailers (Metro, Kaufland, Carrefour) on the outskirts and traditional downtown shopping streets with boutiques and gift shops. Plenty of tourist stuff in the resorts sold in small stalls.

Eat

There are many good restaurants at very descent prices comparing other EU countries.

Budget

Near the beach

• 1 Nord, 9002 Primorski. In front of the beach (updated May 2022)
• 2 Morski valk, ul. "Odrin" 21, 9000 Center. Temporarily closed as of May 2022 (updated May 2022)
• 3 Arrest Bar Billiard, bul. "Primorski" №5. (updated May 2022)

In the city centre

• 4 Korean cuisine "Kimbap", ul. "Dragoman" 28. (updated May 2022)
• 5 Restorant Trifon Zarezan, ul. "Sheynovo" 14. Bulgarian cuisine (updated May 2022)
• 6 The Social Teahouse, ul. "Preslav" 53. (updated May 2022)

Around the Primorkski-Park

• 7 Dуrvenoto, ul. "Nayden Gerov" 1. (updated May 2022)
• 8 Chjou, ul. "Vasil Drumev" 3. (updated May 2022)

Some blocks from the city centre around the Boteva Gradina

• 9 Chinese restaurant Asia, ul. "Veliko Hristov" 37. (updated May 2022)

Mid-range

• Alba – A variety of traditional and international dishes at very nice prices. In summer you can choose between sitting inside or the outside garden. Located just across Archaeological Museum in a yellow-green painted house. (updated May 2022)
• Sundogs – Also described as a pub by many, Sundogs is the go-to spot for many foreigners that live in Varna for its urban atmosphere and great food.
• Godzilla – A family friendly place, known for its pizzas.
• Happy Bar and Grill – A Bulgarian restaurant chain, based in Varna. Tasty kebabs.
• La Pastaria – Offering traditional Italian food, home made pasta and pizza. (Dragoman Street 45)
• BM – A nice restaurant offering mainly traditional cuisine as well as sea food. Located at the end of sea garden near to the Port of Varna.

Splurge

• Massa Kitchen – Great atmosphere with a wide range of food options
• Staria Chinar – Traditional and Black Sea food, with many locations in the city

Drink

The beach at night tends to have the most night life in the summer.

There are also clubs and bars in the city but some of them are closed during summer: e.g. Cubo, Horizont, Planet Club.

Sleep

There is a number of hotels in the city ranging from 2 to 5 stars.

North of Varna, along a continuous 20-km-long strip, are the beachfront resorts of Euxinograd, Constatine and Helena, Sunny Day, Chaika, Riviera, and Golden Sands, with a total of more than 60,000 hotel beds, plus several villa communities offering private lodgings.

Budget

• Motivi Hotel. This is a family-run hotel providing comfortable B&B accommodation. It is in the seaside resort of St. Constantine and Helena and has direct public transport connection to the centre of Varna (15 min away). 
• 1 Yo Ho Hostel, Rusie 23. Nice decoration. 48 лв (double room). 

Mid-range

• Alekta Hotel – In the northern part of the Sea Garden, on the outskirts of the town, 200 m from the sea and about a 20-min walk from the town center, which can also be reached by regular bus services or by taxi.
• 2 Amfora Hotel (in St. Konstantin, 8 km north of Varna), ☏ +359 52 363979, office@hotelamfora.com. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. The hotel is nice and not far from the coast (about 15 min). (updated Apr 2019)
• Aqua Hotel Varna, ul. "Devnya" 12 (near the railway station), ☏ +359 52 639090. This modern business hotel has six conference rooms suitable for all kinds of business events. 
• Ellinis Hotel, ☏ +359 52 761 188. Built in 2005, the hotel is on the main road connecting Varna with the sea resorts "St. Konstantin and Helena" and "Golden Sands", 12 km from the airport, 1,500 m from the beach, and 5 min away from the city center. All rooms have balconies with sea views. Single: 29–40 лв, double: 40–50 лв. 
• Petar Enchev Apartment. 2 nice bedrooms with a lounge, dining room, kitchen and shower room about 50 m far from the central beach. 88 лв. 

Splurge

• Hotel Divesta – In the center of Varna, close to the main bus station.
• Boutique Splendid, Str. Bratia Shkorpil 30, ☏ +359 52 681 414, fax: +359 52 681 415, info@boutiquesplendid.net. This hotel is in the middle of the town, opposite a grand cathedral. Single: 85–101 лв, double: 94–122 лв. (updated May 2017)

Stay safe

Varna is in general a fairly safe place, though special caution should be taken in regards to the mafia. There have been several cases of tourists being assaulted by the mafia for improper behavior, such as an Icelandic teenage girl in 2017. Try not to give anyone who might be driving a black sports car, wearing a suit with glasses a bad eye. Common sense, courtesy and respect is always the best thing you can pursue.

Stay away from people offering money change on the street, as they are all cheaters. They usually are located in the area of the cathedral (kozirkata) and also it's a typical place for pickpocketers so be careful.

If you are driving a car be careful where you stop because if you violate the parking restrictions, your car may be removed by the authorities and you will need to pay a penalty fee, not to mention losing a lot of time.

Connect

As of Sep 2021, Varna has 4G from A1, Telenor and Vivacom. 5G has reached the beach strip but not the city.

Nearby

In addition to the resorts along the coast, there are also a few places inland suitable for a day trip.

• 14 Pobiti Kamani (Побити камъни, Stone Forest, Dikiltash) (18 km (11 mi) west of the city centre, halfway between Varna and § Devnya, by the side of National Road 2 which runs parallel to the A2 highway: in Varna, head west along Vladislav Varnenchik Blvd, but before it becomes the A2, there's an exit to the right that then turns left to pass under the highway and continues onto the I-2). The name means literally "stones stuck upright [into the ground]". A natural formation of rock columns of unclear geological origin, up to 7 m (23 ft) high, resembling a stone forest. It's a protected natural area, considered to be the only desert-type biome in Bulgaria. Reaching them requires a car (or a tour bus), or getting off the train at Strashimirovo or § Beloslav and hiking there (about 5 km (3.1 mi) from either starting point). (updated Jul 2022)

Beloslav

Beloslav (Белослав) is a small industrial town on the south shore of the Varna-Beloslav Lake, about 17 km (11 mi) west of Varna's centre. A free ferry for cars and pedestrians connects the town to its railway station and a neighborhood on the Varna side of the lake. In addition to the submarine and glass museums, it can be used as a starting point for hikes - to the Pobiti Kamani and elsewhere.

While Beloslav sees a number of tourists, it's definitiely "off the beaten track". Reaching it requires either a car, or some adventurous use of public transport. Small buses shuttle between Varna's Central Bus Station and Beloslav, and from the main bus stop in Beloslav it's a 10 min walk east to the museum. You can also take the train, but the station is on the Varna side of the lake while the museum is on the Beloslav side, so you have to take the ferry.

• 5 Beloslav Railway Station (гара Белослав, gara Beloslav) (on Road 2008 that follows the north shore of the lake from § Devnya to Varna). Dilapidated, half-boarded-up Communism-era building, but because it's an industrial area, there's a station crew. Nevertheless, it's a good idea to buy a return/round-trip ticket from Varna, especially if you intend using something like an ISIC card. Train availability is not a problem: nearly every train arriving or departing at Varna stops at Beloslav, about two dozen daily, even the fast trains from Sofia. (updated Nov 2024)
• 6 Beloslav Ferry - North (500 m/yd east of the station; after leaving the station, follow the main road east until you see the exit to the terminal branching off to the north (i.e. on the left) - it makes a turn to pass under the main road and the railway tracks). 24/7; about every 20 min between 06:00 and 19:00, less fequently in the off-hours. Free. (updated Nov 2024)
• 15 Museum Submarine Slava (Музей подводница "Слава", Podvodnitsa Slava) (on the lake shore, right next to the southern ferry terminal). Tours every hour 10:00–15:00, closed M. Soviet-built diesel-electric attack submarine of the Project 633 class (NATO name: Romeo class). Slava ("Glory") was built in 1959, and served in the Bulgarian Navy between 1985 and 2011. In 2020, it was opened to visitors as a museum ship. Adults: 12 лв, children: 6 лв. (updated Feb 2023)
• Museum of Glass - small private museum, right next to the sub, part of a still functioning glass factory.

Devnya

Devnya (Девня) is an industrial town of 6,500 (2021), 26 km (16 mi) west of Varna. It's the site of the large ancient Roman city of Marcianopolis, the centre of the province of Moesia Secunda, destroyed and rebuilt several times until the early 7th century, when the Avars finished it off. Parts of it have been excavated. The main part of the city, with the city park, playgrounds, etc, is west of the suburb with the museum.

• Museum of Mosaics - Showcases finds from the area. It's built on top of the ruins of a Roman villa, and a part of the mosaics are exhibited in their original place.
• Amphitheatre - only its foundations remain, a circle of stones on a green meadow. Used by Roman re-enactors for events.
• Karst springs - springs of the Devnya River, not far from the amphitheatre. There's a restaurant overlooking the ponds.

Provadia

Provadia (Провадия, pronounced pro-VAH-dee-ah) is a town of 9,000 people, 38 km (24 mi) west of Varna. It's built in a karst gorge/canyon that cuts through a limestone plateau. Notable mostly for the historical remains nearby, though the views from the plateau alone are also nice.

• Ovech Fortress - on the cliffs overlooking Provadia. Not much is left; restorations include a gatehouse with a fake drawbridge. A large, 79 m (259 ft) well reaches down to the river level, but it's been closed off for safety reasons.
• History Museum
• The Saltworks (Solnitsata) - prehistoric settlement and salt mine. Railway stop Solna Mina in the direction of Varna.
• Cliff monastery - from the Middle Ages; the cells/caves have been made accessible via a scary metal bridge over the precipice
• Old Church of St. Theodor - defunct; in the village of Dobrina, on the other side of the height with the fortress

Go next

Outside the city are the Euxinograd palace, park and winery, the Ecopark Varna Botanical Garden, the Pobiti Kamani rock phenomenon, the cave monastery Aladzha, and the Kamchiya biosphere reserve (UNESCO-protected)

There are many wild beaches south of town like Pasha Dere, Shkorpilovtsi, Karadere, and Irakli.

• Golden Sands Resort – 17 km north from downtown Varna. Similar to Ballermann and Lloret de Mar—restaurants are more expensive but some good hotel bargains can be found if you like beach.
• Sveti Konstantin and Helena – 10 km north from downtown Varna. It is a small, but peaceful and very green resort. Many nice hotels offer mineral water SPA services, due to the abundance of hot mineral springs all over the area.
• Albena – 30 km north from Varna. An old-style resort, with an architecture from the Communist times. Peaceful area though. Since the whole resort is owned by a single private company, it is one of the very few places on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast that does not suffer from overbuilding.
• Balchik – 40 km north. The town features a small palace and a beautiful botanical garden. A few kilometres further along the coast you can find a semi-warm hot spring, and 1 km further the Tuzlata Mud Baths, similar procedure as the Dead Sea—the water is salty but not that salty though. There is a serviced area (M-Su 09:00-15:30, 6/3 лв), but the pools can also be accessed from their southern side walking along the beach.
• Kavarna (Каварна) – 60 km north. The town used to hold the Kavarna Rock Fest, the largest rock event in the Balkans and Black Sea region.
• Cape Kaliakra – 80 km north. The longest cape in Bulgaria. Stunning views to the sea and the red cliffs. A place with rich history and many legends. Worth visiting.
• Kamen Bryag (Камен бряг, literally: Rocky Coast) – 82 km north. The high rocky coast near the small village has been popular among Bulgarian hippies.

Routes through Varna

Ruse ← Shumen ←	W  E	→ Black Sea → Samsun
Durankulak ← Balchik ←	N  S	→ Sunny Beach → Burgas