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  • Aerial view of the historic Euxinograd palace in Varna, Bulgaria
    Provided by: sandsun/shutterstock

Our travel guides are free to read and explore online. If you want to get your own copy, the full travel guide for this destination is available to you offline* to bring along anywhere or print for your trip.​

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Europe Bulgaria Varna Do & See Euxinograd Palace

Euxinograd Palace

The guide was updated:
Euxinograd, eight kilometres north of Varna along the Black Sea coast, was the summer residence of Bulgaria's post-Liberation monarchs — Alexander of Battenberg, Ferdinand, and Boris III. The palace is modelled on an 18th-century French château, complete with mansard roof, clock tower, and interiors furnished in mahogany and walnut. Look out for the chandelier gifted by the House of Bourbon and the sundial sent by Queen Victoria. The estate's winery, established in 1891, still produces well-regarded white wines and a French-style brandy called Euxignac, and the cellars hold bottles going back to 1904. Tours run three times daily but must be booked in advance by email. The limited access is precisely why the place feels so well preserved.

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Digital Travel Guide Download

Our travel guides are free to read and explore online. If you want to get your own copy, the full travel guide for this destination is available to you offline* to bring along anywhere or print for your trip.​

*this will be downloaded as a PDF.

Price

€4,95

Purchase
Dormition of the Mother of God Cathedral

Dormition of the Mother of God Cathedral

The Dormition of the Mother of God Cathedral, located in the heart of Varna, is one of the city's most iconic landmarks. Built in the 19th century, it features stunning golden domes, intricate murals, and beautiful stained glass windows. Inside, you can admire the finely carved iconostasis and the bishop's throne. Entry is free, but visitors can purchase small candles at the reception as a contribution to the church, following the local tradition of lighting them while praying.
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Roman Thermae Varna

Roman Thermae Varna

The Roman Thermae are the largest ancient public building ever uncovered in Bulgaria and the fourth-largest Roman baths in Europe — a considerable claim for a site sitting quietly in the southeastern corner of a modern city. Built in the late 2nd century AD across more than 7,000 square metres, the complex served as a social hub as much as a place to bathe. You can clamber freely around the chambers and pick out surviving elements of the underfloor heating system. Remarkably, the baths were in use for little more than a century before the cost of upkeep proved too much for a declining empire.
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Pobiti Kamani

Pobiti Kamani

Pobiti Kamani, also known as the Stone Forest, is a fascinating natural phenomenon featuring numerous limestone pillars, some as tall as 10 metres. These formations include hollow and solid cylinders, truncated cones, and scattered rocks and cliffs. The origin of this unique landscape remains a mystery, although evidence of human life dating back to the Mesolithic period has been discovered here. It's an intriguing destination for nature enthusiasts and those interested in geological history. If you visit during the summer, make sure you bring water, a hat, and sunscreen, as the area can get quite hot. The Stone Forest is accessible by car or public transport.
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Aladzha Monastery

Aladzha Monastery

Aladzha Monastery is the most famous medieval rock monastery on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Carved directly into the cliffs, it offers visitors a glimpse into the ascetic life of monks who once lived there. Climbing the steps into the rock face is an extraordinary experience, providing both history and breathtaking views. While most of the interpretation is in Bulgarian, the site is still well worth a visit. Located just 3.7 kilometres from Golden Sands and 15 kilometres from Varna, it is an easy and rewarding trip from the city.
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Euxinograd Palace

Euxinograd Palace

Euxinograd, eight kilometres north of Varna along the Black Sea coast, was the summer residence of Bulgaria's post-Liberation monarchs — Alexander of Battenberg, Ferdinand, and Boris III. The palace is modelled on an 18th-century French château, complete with mansard roof, clock tower, and interiors furnished in mahogany and walnut. Look out for the chandelier gifted by the House of Bourbon and the sundial sent by Queen Victoria. The estate's winery, established in 1891, still produces well-regarded white wines and a French-style brandy called Euxignac, and the cellars hold bottles going back to 1904. Tours run three times daily but must be booked in advance by email. The limited access is precisely why the place feels so well preserved.
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Varna Museum of Archaeology

Varna Museum of Archaeology

The star attraction at the Varna Museum of Archaeology is the gold — specifically, more than 3,000 pieces of worked gold unearthed from the Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis, dating to around 4,600–4,200 BC and considered the oldest processed gold ever found. The necropolis was discovered by chance during construction works in 1972, and the finds rewrote what archaeologists understood about prehistoric societies. Beyond the gold, you can explore artefacts spanning from the Palaeolithic through to the Middle Ages, including Roman surgical instruments, Hellenistic tombstones, and a marble plaque listing, in Greek, the names of Varna's school graduates from AD 221. A collection of around 150 icons from the 14th to 19th centuries occupies the second floor. Everything is clearly labelled in both Bulgarian and English. The museum itself is housed in a handsome late Baroque former girls' school dating from the 1890s.
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Naval Museum

Naval Museum

Housed in a romantic Italian-built villa from 1890, the Naval Museum traces Bulgarian maritime history from the earliest Black Sea navigators of the 6th century BCE through to the Second World War and beyond. Inside, twelve halls across two floors cover naval battles, ship models, uniforms, navigational instruments, and lighthouse optics. The undisputed highlight is the Druzki, a torpedo boat that sank a Turkish cruiser during the First Balkan War of 1912. You can pay a small supplement to board it. In the grounds you'll find anchors, artillery, a submarine, and a helicopter slowly weathering the sea air.
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Golden Sands

Golden Sands

Golden Sands is famous for its stunning golden sand and expansive beaches along the Black Sea. It's located 18 kilometres north of Varna, close to Golden Sands National Park. The resort boasts several kilometres of beachfront. The southern end is the more recently developed and less crowded, while the northern end features numerous bars and small shops. You can reach Golden Sands by public transport. Bus number 109 connects Varna city centre to the resort, although the journey typically takes a little over an hour. Taxis are also available, but they tend to be on the pricier side.
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Golden Sands Nature Park

Golden Sands Nature Park

Golden Sands Nature Park stretches along nine kilometres of Black Sea coastline, 17 kilometres northeast of Varna, forming the western border of the Golden Sands resort. At just 13.2 square kilometres, it is the smallest nature park in Bulgaria, though you wouldn't know it from the variety of trails on offer. The paths are uneven and can get muddy after rain, so decent footwear is advisable. A natural highlight along the way is Aladzha Monastery, where a well provides drinking water. From there you can continue through the forest towards Vinitsa or drop down to the beach at Golden Sands.
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Durankulak Beach

Durankulak Beach

If you’re looking for a peaceful escape from crowded beaches and want to soak up the sun in a secluded spot, Durankulak Beach is the perfect destination. Located in the Shabla Municipality, about 106 kilometres from Varna, this tranquil beach offers a serene atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle. Like many other northern Bulgarian Black Sea destinations, having your own vehicle is essential to reach Durankulak Beach, as there is no public transport available from Varna or Golden Sands. As an added bonus, you’ll be just 2 kilometres away from the Romanian border.
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Retro Museum

Retro Museum

Located in the car park of Grand Mall, Retro Museum transports visitors back to the 1944-1989 socialist period. The centrepiece is a collection of over 50 impeccably restored cars, including Volgas, Moskvichs, Trabants and Škodas, alongside Simson and Balkan motorbikes. The undisputed star is the Chaika GAZ-13 limousine, once the vehicle of choice for Communist Party Politburo members. Beyond the vehicles, the exhibits paint a fuller picture of everyday socialist life: East German household goods, Polish cosmetics, filterless Bulgarian cigarettes and Soviet vacuum cleaners all feature. A wax figure section adds Todor Zhivkov, Leonid Brezhnev and Fidel Castro to the mix, alongside beloved Bulgarian cultural figures. For anyone who grew up in that era, it is a trip straight back to childhood; for everyone else, a window into a world that has largely disappeared.
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Amusement Park Detski Kat Varna

Amusement Park Detski Kat Varna

Set within the Sea Garden, Detski Kat has been keeping children entertained since 2002. With 28 attractions covering everything from rides and inflatables to games and activities, it caters to a fairly wide age range, though toddlers and younger children tend to get the most out of it. Safety is taken seriously, with staff trained accordingly and the park certified to international standards. For parents, there is a pleasant upside: the surrounding greenery and relative quiet make it an easy place to linger over a coffee while the children burn off energy. Prices are reasonable, it runs year-round, and the Sea Garden setting means you are never just staring at tarmac and fencing. If you are travelling with small children, it is one of the more straightforward wins the city has to offer.
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Asparuhov Park

Asparuhov Park

Asparuhov Park dates to 1935, when what had been barren wasteland was transformed into a shaded retreat of wide paved alleys and mature trees, designed by Anton Novak, the same man behind the Sea Garden. A statue of an Asparuh warrior stands at its centre, facing the sea. The park is quieter and less polished than its city-centre counterpart, which is precisely the appeal: squirrels dart between the trees, and the pace is unhurried. The beach below is broad and shallow, making it well suited to families, with sunbeds, bars and water sports on offer. From there, the Bunkera area to the west rewards those up for a short hike through scrubby coastal terrain. Round off the afternoon by heading east to Observation Deck Galata, where you get a sweeping view over the port entrance and the sea beyond.
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