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 (the other one is Burgas), 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.

Geography and orientation
Varna is roughly in the middle of the northern Bulgarian coast, at the bottom of the 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 Provadiya 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 outlaying neighborhoods on the southern side, Asparuhovo and Galata. The only other way to cross the lake is the free ferry at Beloslav, 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 - 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. 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 and 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 and 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 river 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 streets laid in a modern, rectangular layout. The main landmark and symbol of Varna, the Dormition of the Mother of God Cathedral, was built in that period, and the summer palace of Bulgarian monarchs (later named Euxinograd) was established just north of the city as well. 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 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.

By plane


Getting there and away:
 * By bus – Bus line 409 (see below) connects the airport to the city center and the outlaying resorts (Saints 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.



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), and the other one 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 toursits - 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 segment of the unfinished Hemus Motorway (A2) to Sofia that runs in the northern part of the country - the segments are connected by route E772 which passes through Veliko Tarnovo and Shumen. The Bulgarian part of route E70 runs from Ruse and merges into the A2 west of Varna (around Shumen), providing a connection to Romania (Giurgiu, Bucharest) and Western Europe.

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.

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 leading 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 add-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 the 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 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&mdash;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.

Sights and landmarks

 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.

Museums and other institutions

 * Varna Dolphinarium – The only dolphinarium on the Balkan Peninsula, one of the most entertaining attractions of city. Built in 1984 and has 1134 seats.
 * Vladislav Varnenchik Park-Museum – A memorial complex in a unique park in an area of ​​30 acres in the western part of Varna, at the battlefield where, on 10 November 1444, in the name of liberation of the Balkans and southeastern Europe, perished Polish-Hungarian king Władysław III of Varna (Varnenchik). In the exposition are the armor and weapons, paintings, flags and sculptures of the era.
 * Varna Dolphinarium – The only dolphinarium on the Balkan Peninsula, one of the most entertaining attractions of city. Built in 1984 and has 1134 seats.
 * Vladislav Varnenchik Park-Museum – A memorial complex in a unique park in an area of ​​30 acres in the western part of Varna, at the battlefield where, on 10 November 1444, in the name of liberation of the Balkans and southeastern Europe, perished Polish-Hungarian king Władysław III of Varna (Varnenchik). In the exposition are the armor and weapons, paintings, flags and sculptures of the era.
 * Varna Dolphinarium – The only dolphinarium on the Balkan Peninsula, one of the most entertaining attractions of city. Built in 1984 and has 1134 seats.
 * Vladislav Varnenchik Park-Museum – A memorial complex in a unique park in an area of ​​30 acres in the western part of Varna, at the battlefield where, on 10 November 1444, in the name of liberation of the Balkans and southeastern Europe, perished Polish-Hungarian king Władysław III of Varna (Varnenchik). In the exposition are the armor and weapons, paintings, flags and sculptures of the era.
 * Varna Dolphinarium – The only dolphinarium on the Balkan Peninsula, one of the most entertaining attractions of city. Built in 1984 and has 1134 seats.
 * Vladislav Varnenchik Park-Museum – A memorial complex in a unique park in an area of ​​30 acres in the western part of Varna, at the battlefield where, on 10 November 1444, in the name of liberation of the Balkans and southeastern Europe, perished Polish-Hungarian king Władysław III of Varna (Varnenchik). In the exposition are the armor and weapons, paintings, flags and sculptures of the era.

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.

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.

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.

Splurge

 * Hotel Divesta – In the center of Varna, close to the main bus station.

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 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.

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 holds the Kavarna Rock Fest in early July, 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.