Varna is the third largest Bulgarian city. This is the true pearl of the Black Sea, located by the Varna Bay, which also has a convenient outlet to the sea. In 580 B.C. there was an Odessos colony founded here by the Greeks. But even before that, there had been a settlement located on this place. Later, thanks to the Roman influence, Varna became a large port that had trading relations with Constantinople, Venice and Dubrovnik. In 1393, the city was occupied by the Turks who founded an important military centre here. As for the city’s name, it has the Slavonic origin and means “the black crow".



Sailors in full dress, great amount of tourists and local citizens walking along the shadowy boulevards and buildings erected in 19 and 20 centuries – all of these things help to create a special cosmopolitan atmosphere here. The city is simply charming as a mixture of ancient, medieval and modern cultures co-exist in this place.

Varna lies in the same latitude as the most famous French Atlantic resorts do. That is sun is shining 10-11 hours a day here in summer time (July and August). The sea is exceptionally calm and all the fluxes and refluxes are harmless. Like Sofia and Plovdiv, Varna boasts a wide range of cultural events, historic buildings, museums and art galleries, including the Royal Palace in Balchik and the cave monastery Aladzha. Varna museum represents treasures that come from all the periods of city’s existence, about 2000 golden artifacts that go back to 4000 B.C., Greek and Roman antiques including the ceramics, icons, arms and documents that tell the story of a fight against the Ottoman Empire.

Lots of other museums can also be found in the city, including the Museum of Ethnography with an interesting exhibition of costumes and decorations and the Museum of Natural History dedicated to coastal flora and fauna. Built in the 19th century, The Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral is a true symbol of the city, offering you to see its richly decorated iconoscope and the bishop's throne as well as original stained-glass windows. The other important Varna’s attraction is an amazing Sofia University botanical garden. It surrounds a small palace that belonged to the Roman Empress Maria. More than 3000 kinds of shrubbery, roses and other flowers that grow along streams, fountains and adorned canals can be found here. The city itself is surrounded by numerous gardens, vineyards, green groves as well as private houses and small farms. About 20 km to the west of Varna there is a curious collection of stone columns that rise up to 7 meters high. Scientists found out that this is a geological stalagmite formation that appeared here about 50 billion years ago.

There are various resorts in the Varna region, including the Golden sands, Albena and the Sunny Day. Everyone heard about the healing power of Bulgarian mineral waters. One of the advantages of local resorts is their location in a favorable climate zone thanks to which one can combine balneological treatment with climate and medical dirt treatment.