Topic · 8 pages
Day trips
Places you can see from Varna and be back the same evening: coastal towns, monasteries, cliffs and historic sites. Pages include distances, transport options and what to see once you arrive.
Latest
- Aladzha Monastery opening hours, tickets and how to get there (2026)
Aladzha Monastery: €5 adults, €3 students; open 10:00–17:00 in November (closed Mon/Tue), shut 1 Dec–28 Feb. 17 km north of Varna near Golden Sands.
- Balchik Palace and Botanical Garden: Queen Marie's seaside retreat
Balchik Palace, Queen Marie of Romania's 1920s–30s seaside retreat, is about 50 km from Varna. Tickets: €10 palace plus €10 garden (Oct 2026).
- Best places to visit in Bulgaria: 12 top destinations and how far from Varna
Sofia, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo, Ruse and Nessebar lead the list. 12 Bulgarian destinations ranked by real interest, with travel times from Varna.
- Bulgaria hot springs: 8 best spa towns and thermal pools (2026)
Bulgaria's best hot springs: Velingrad, Hisarya, Sapareva Banya, Kyustendil and Varshets. Closest to Varna: Aquahouse in St Constantine, 9 km away.
- Madara Rider from Varna: a UNESCO and Shumen day trip
The Madara Rider and Shumen are an easy day trip from Varna by train, bus or car: a UNESCO rock relief, Bulgaria's largest mosque and a hilltop fortress.
- Stone Forest (Pobiti Kamani) near Varna: hours, €3 entry, how to get there
The Stone Forest (Pobiti Kamani) is 18 km west of Varna: entry €3, in November 10:00–17:00 (closed Mon–Tue), in December by reservation only.
- Varna to Nessebar and Sunny Beach: buses, times and day-trip tips
No boat runs from Varna to Nessebar: take the bus, about 1h45 to Sunny Beach and 2h to Nessebar, from about €9.50. Times, prices and Old Town sights.
- Varna to Veliko Tarnovo: bus, train and what to see (Tsarevets, Arbanasi)
Varna to Veliko Tarnovo: take the bus (2 h 45 min–4 h 15 min, 14 a day); trains change at Gorna Oryahovitsa. See Tsarevets, Samovodska and Arbanasi.