Varna sightseeing: top places to visit in Varna, Bulgaria

In this article, I will take you on a journey through the must-see sights of Varna and nearby, and show you the top attractions there. Most of the places, described below, can be visited almost any time a year.

Located on the stunning Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, Varna is a city that boasts a unique blend of ancient traditions and modern influences. From its charming city center, through the old ruins, interesting museums and tourist sights, to its wonderful beaches, Varna has something to offer for everyone.

Varna: Bulgaria’s maritime capital, the third largest city in the country, the port of Shoumen, according to a joke – all those are well-known definitions of our beautiful seaside city. In addition, this is one of my favorite Bulgarian cities. I usually spend my summer holiday on the Northern Black Sea, thus in the recent years I have not missed a year without visiting the city of Varna.

Archaeological Museum: a must-see place in Varna

Some people think that museums are usually boring, but this is not the case with the Varna Archaeological Museum. In several halls on the first floor you can see the Varna Gold Treasure, which is the oldest found gold in the world, dating from the end of the 5th – beginning of the 4th millennium BC. It was discovered by chance in 1972 during excavation work along the northern shore of Lake Varna. The place was a necropolis – 294 graves were gradually uncovered and gold objects were found in some of them.

The gold troves and other finds are displayed very interestingly in the museum. Along with the showcases and information boards, you can see in one of the halls restoration of the richest grave from the necropolis – the grave number 43. The person buried there is supposed to be the ruler. So you can feel like a researcher almost on the ground. I am not an archeologist, but as a student I have been involved in archaeological excavations, so I have an idea of what it is.

• Opening hours: 10am – 5pm , days off: Sunday and Monday.
• Ticket price: BGN 10, for people using a discount – BGN 3.

Roman Baths in the city center

Roman baths, also known as the Big Thermae, are an interesting place dating back to Roman times. Their ruins are located in the heart of the city. Once upon a time they were the public baths of the Roman city of Odessos, the precursor of Varna. They were built in the late 2nd or early 3rd century under the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus. With its 7,000 square meters area, the Odessa baths are among the largest known Roman baths in Europe.

There are also Small Roman baths. They are located on Primorski Blvd. (this is the street starting from the railway station and parallel to the shore) just before the Sea Garden.

• Opening hours during the summer period : 9am – 6pm , without a day off.
• Ticket price: BGN 5, for people using a discount – BGN 3.

Varna sightseeing: the Cathedral

The Varna cathedral “Assumption of the Virgin” is the largest church in the city and is among its symbols. It is located in the central part of the city.

Sea Garden

The Sea Garden is another symbol of Varna. It is a big city park by the sea. You can stroll on pretty paths and see lovely gardens with flowers and plants. The Sea Garden is not just a landmark, but home of several other iconic landmarks in Varna.

Aquarium Museum

The Aquarium Museum is both an extremely interesting attraction in Varna and the base of the Institute of Fish Resources, part of the Agricultural Academy. Its designer is Dabko Dabkov, a Bulgarian architect born in Tryavna, who studied in Munich and lived in Varna.

It is located in the western part of the Sea Garden.

As a child, I visited the museum at least ten times. In recent years I have also entered. It’s always very interesting there.

• Opening hours during the summer period: 9:00 – 19:00, without a day off.
• Ticket price: BGN 4, for people using a discount – BGN 2.

More information about the museum can be found here.

Naval Museum

The Naval Museum is another emblematic landmark in Varna. The expositions in it trace chronologically the shipping along the coasts of Bulgarian lands from ancient times to the present days. Part of the museum is the ship “Druzki”, the only preserved torpedo carrier of this class in the world. The museum is located in the southwest corner of the Sea Garden.

• Opening hours during the summer period: 10:00 – 18:00, days off: Sunday and Monday.
• Ticket price: BGN 8, for people using a discount – BGN 2.

University Botanical Garden – Ecopark Varna

It is the first Ecopark in the country and combines artificial and natural ecosystems. It is not as famous as the botanical garden in Balchik, but it is no less interesting to visit for lots of cool flowers and plants to see. It’s a great place to take a walk.

The University Botanical Garden is located next to the main road in the Konstantin and Elena resort area.

• Opening hours during the summer period: 8:00 – 20:00, without a day off.
• Ticket price: BGN 6, for people using a discount – BGN 3.

Retro Museum – Time Machine

This is another museum that has nothing to do with boredom, a place that brought me back to my childhood. The main focus of the Retro Museum is the cars of the communist times – the emblematic Volga, GAZ Chaika (Gull), Moskvitch, Zhiguli, Wartburg, Skoda, Zaz, Trabant. All the exhibits there were as shiny as they were new.

In addition to cars, many things of socialism times can be seen – clothes, shoes, briefcases, my “favorite” format toilet paper (an idea softer than sandpaper 😉 ), washing machines and powders, TVs, radios with the size of a large TV, an especially rich collection of toys, numerous inscriptions and slogans, most of them related to fire safety, public cleanliness and personal hygiene.

It is located in the Grand Mall, just above the Main bus station.

Aladzha Monastery: one of the top places to visit near Varna

It is an old rock monastery, located about 15 kilometers northeast of Varna center. The Aladzha Monastery was established in the 12th to 13th centuries and acted until the end of the 15th or the beginning of the 16th century. You can see there a chapel, a church, remains of murals, monastic cells, kitchens, and a dining room.

There are old catacombs located 700 meters away from the monastery. They can be reached in about 10 minutes of walking along a forest path. The path starts just from the museum.

• Opening hours during the summer period: 10:00 – 17:00, without a day off.
• Ticket price: BGN 5, for people using a discount – BGN 3.

Panorama Galata

“Galata” panoramic platform is a dedicated platform for observing Varna and the sea from the Galata district. The place got better. It now has a nearby parking lot, and they also added benches and a railing. The best views are in the evening during and after sunset.

In addition to the wonderful view of the Varna Bay and the city, on the railing of the site you will see many closed padlocks left by romantically inclined couples who symbolically sealed their love in this way. If you’ve traveled around Europe, you’ve probably come across such romantic places with lots of padlocks.

The site is located 5 kilometers after the turnoff from the main road to Burgas towards the neighborhoods of Asparuhovo and Galata. It can be reached by city bus as well as by car.

Coordinates: 43.172517, 27.926826

Following are some top attractions near Varna.

Stone Forest (Pobiti kamani)

The Stone Forest, in Bulgarian “Pobiti kamyni”, is a desert-like natural phenomenon consisting of a lot of stone blocks and sand dunes. The stones are stone columns between 5 and 7 meters high and from 0.3 to 3 meters thick. The whole area of the Stone Forest is quite big – it takes approximately 13 square meters.

I had visited the Stone Forest several times before this summer, so the phenomenon was not new to me, but it was one of those places that were always interesting.

The Stone Forest is located about 25 kilometers west of Varna, near the village of Slanchevo – along the old road to Sofia.

• Opening hours during the summer period: 10:00 – 19:30, holidays: Monday and Tuesday.
• Ticket price: BGN 5, for people using a discount – BGN 3.

Petrich Kale fortress

The ancient stone fortress of Petrich Kale is perched on the high plateau above the village of Razdelna. The old ruins are a cool spot to walk, see from high up, and experience history.

The climb up to the fortress is a bit of a challenge – it’s short, takes only about 20-25 minutes, but the path is very steep, especially near the end. It’s also made harder by thorny bushes on the slope. It’s thrilling and motivating to see old artifacts while walking and looking down from the top.

The village of Razdelna is located about 29 km west of Varna. You can reach it by car or by train from Varna. The starting point for the route to the fortress is the fountain on the eastern outskirts of the village.

Coordinates: 43.16066932803618, 27.63886549012333.

It is convenient to leave the car by the fountain (if you got there by car). The trail begins 50 meters to the left of the fountain. At the beginning of it there is a blue sign about the fortress attached to a tree.

Ovech Fortress

The Ovech fortress in the town of Provadia is an interesting place 49 km from Varna. It is located on a high plateau and there is evidence that it was used in several different historical periods, being inhabited by Thracians, Romans, Byzantines, Bulgarians, Turks. The fortress offers a beautiful panoramic view of the city.

A visit to the fortress can be combined with a walk through the Historical Park.

Attractions in Varna: Sunset cruise with the ship Pinta Varna

A visit to each of the places above is an attraction itself. But let’s not forget that this is Varna, and as we talk about Varna, we cannot miss the sea. So, let me share a fun and typical maritime attraction – a sunset cruise with the ship Pinta Varna. It usually takes place on Saturday and Sunday evenings.

The ship leaves from the Sea Station. The cruise takes about an hour and a half.

Pinta Varna is a three-masted sailing ship and is a modern replica of the ship PINTA, the one on which Hristofor Columbus was sailing when he discovered America in 1492. Our experience of Pinta Varna was really funny and even slightly romantic.

Information on similar cruises can be found here.

Attractions near Varna: by boat or kayak on Kamchia River

Kamchia is one of the largest rivers in Bulgaria. It flows into the Black Sea. The area around its mouth is full of plants and a forest called a longose. This forest was declared as a nature reserve and thus protected. If you want to try something different, you will surely enjoy a boat ride, water bike or kayak on the Kamchia River near its mouth. It’s a great place to kayak in Bulgaria.

👉 Explore the Kamchia Reserve and marvel at the wonderful nature in the Kamchia Biosphere Reserve. Go kayaking and book your spot here. The tour includes an instructor, training, and full kayaking equipment.

In addition, there is a wide beach at the mouth of the river, without concrete, without many establishments and without huge hotels to choke it. It is not by chance that the bungalow complexes right next to the beach bear the enviable names of Romance and Paradise. This beach is part of a 13-kilometer stretch of beach, the longest in Bulgaria, with numerous dunes overgrown with dry-loving herbaceous plants, reaching all the way to Shkorpilovtsi. On the beach, you can enjoy great sunrises and sunsets.

Kamchia Beach is located 29 kilometers south of Varna. The turnoff for the beach and the resort is from the main road Varna-Burgas in the area of the village of Bliznatsi. The boats depart from the central part of the resort complex. Water wheels are also rented there. But be careful: there are a lot of mosquitoes around the river, especially in the evening, so take the necessary precautions!

Attractions near Varna: Historical Park

Historical Park is an open-air museum complex where you can see many expositions and realistic reconstructions of periods of Bulgaria’s history and their attractive presentation. The park is well organized and has a wonderful setting. In addition to the various objects and expositions, you can enjoy lakes, avenues and open spaces there.

The Historical park is located on the outskirts of the village of Neofit Rilski, about 40 km west of Varna.

How to get to Varna

Varna is situated 441 kilometers east of the Bulgarian capital Sofia. You can get to Varna by car or by public transport – by plain, by train from Sofia, and by bus. Check the bus timetable and book tickets here.

Another big city on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast is Burgas. You can read more about it and especialy about the day trips from Burgas.

Have you ever been in Varna or you plan to? Please share below.

The article was prepared thanks to Varna City Card.