Varna Things to Do

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This natural attraction located about 20 km south-west of Varna and is well known worldwide (thanks to Discovery channel:) ). As scientists say, at this place many-many years ago was the sea bed and the water had hewed such rocks on the surface.

The entrance is just few leva and the territory of this natural park is quite huge. To see a real big stones (the sight that you actually came to see) you will need to walk like 20 min on the hot hot sand under sun (my body denied such a hike). Though near the entrance you will find several big caves (ex-grottos) that still will give you nice shots.

Near the entrance also located souvenir shop that offers you stuff that twice expensive then in any Bulgarian supermarket.

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Varna has so many hidden secrets tucked away in odd niches and the Roman Baths are one such. I had no idea what street they were on until coming across the freebie "Happy" map on my last visit and they certainly aren't signposted (that I noticed). At first sight I presumed it to be some sort of bio-dome but it turned out that what I thought was a greenhouse was in fact the protective covers over one of Europe's finest preserved examples of a Roman Thermae.

The modern Varna is now in the process of hosting Bulgaria's largest shopping mall but the ancient Varna had beaten it by several thousand years as the baths here in Varna were not just a simple bathing affair but had their own street of upmarket shops. In fact the Thermae complex covers about 7000 square metres and looks as if it was originally constructed on three levels. Not bad for a town which at the time had a populus of maybe a couple of thousand!

If this is your thing it makes for an interesting wander and there are useful signs, along with artists impressions, to give you an idea of what it would have looked like in its heyday.

The Baths are open from 10 am to 5 pm, closed Mondays, and the entrance is 4 leva (Jan 2010).

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Varna's Archaeological Museum is housed in the city's former Girl's High School on Maria Luiza Blvd. The building is itself noteworthy, being a perfect example of the functional Neo- Renaissance style. The exhibits are presented in a logical timescale and the multi-lingual explanatory notes for each section are interestingly informative.

The museum presents Varna's history (known as "Odessos" during the Greek and Roman periods) from 6,000 BC by intelligent presentation of locally-discovered artifacts. All the expected museum stuff is here - weapons, jewellery, sculptures, pottery etc and the coin collection is particularly impressive (and displayed chronologically in such a manner as to allow the visitor to relate the city's developement in context with the region as a whole).

What makes the collection unique are the findings from the Varna Necropolis, dating from the 6th Millenium BC. These are some of the oldest pieces of evidence of human civilization ever found and add a bit of history to an era usually regarded as pre-history. The burial ground was discovered around the Varna Lakes in 1972 during commercial excavations. The subsequent archaeological work has yielded an amazing variety of artifacts showing that as far back as 6,000 BC there was an advanced metal-working and pottery-making culture in the area.

The Necropolis finds, as a whole, are of worldwide archaeological interest but it is the 3,000+ pieces of worked gold, weighing over 6 kg, found in the burial chambers that catches the general public's attention.

This is a fascinating, well laid out and educational museum but personally I thought the 10 leva entrance fee a little on the expensive side, especially since photos aren't allowed. By all accounts the washrooms are pretty good tho'!

Website has details of opening times etc and makes up to some extent for the prohibition against photography by providing a comprehensive selection of pics.

In front of the Aquarium in the Sea Garden is a popular children's play area. As well as the usual swings and roundabouts there's also a geographically correct scale model of the Black Sea and the surrounding areas. During the summer this becomes a kid's paddling pool doubling up as an educational resource with the mountain ranges, rivers and main towns and cities all marked.

The pic is taken from Romania looking East!

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Varna is home to the headquarters of the Bulgarian Navy and also the Naval Academy. It's no surprise then to find that the National Naval Museum is located here.

Unfortunately it was closed for renovation during my last visit (as is the website as I write this) and so I'm not sure about details of opening times and entry fees. The normal opening hours were 10-5 Tuesday to Sunday with an entrance fee of 4 Leva.

However even when it's shut there are several exhibits in the surrounding area of the Sea Gardens including the warship Druski. This boat's claim to fame is that it sunk the Turkish cruiser Hamidie during the 1912-13 Balkan Conflict.

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Okay, I'm a sucker for these! I really enjoy teaching music and dance at school and so these are always a 'must' for me!
A group of musicians and a troupe of dancers entertained us in a restaurant near to where our coach had dropped us.
I sat next to the dance area ---of course!
The dancers were great! They were amateur enthusiasts from a local village ---but they were so entertaining. There were two youngsters too ---learning the ropes! A girl sang traditional songs beautifully and the instrumentalists supported the whole thing with tremendous skill.
At times some of us were grabbed by the dancers and we had a chance to try some of the simpler steps.
Would I go again? YES!

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This is supposed to be the largest Roman site in Bulgaria, our ghuide told us.
It's a Roman baths with the usual cold bath, warm bath, hot bath etc. It is an interesting place with artists impressions of how it may have looked in each area. There are also artists overviews of the complex.
However, having been in Jerash (Jordan) earlier this year, we were not as impressed as some of our co-tourists. Also, Bath in England somehow does it better! When Bulgaria has more money it will no doubt develop these sites far more.
Would I go back to the Roman site? No.

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A fascinating place with so much to see!
There are so many beautiful costumes from the agarian past of this region. Weddings, funerals, children's clothes, dancers costumes...
Photos too! Ploughs, agricultural tools, stunning jewellery, fishing nets and so on... the list just goes on and on.
Upstairs, at the very top, are rather grand two rooms which are decorated and furnished in a nineteenth century style ---somehow I was drawn back to the writings of Russian (sorry, I've never read any Bulgarian literature!) authors of the era.
Two possible drawbacks: no photography and you would benefit from your own guide.
Would I go back? If I were in a small group with a guide, YES!