Varna Guide
EN – Language
⚠️ Orange warningHeavy rain! – MeteoAlarm ↗

What to see in Varna province: 12 municipalities at a glance

Varna province sight by sight: the Stone Forest, Aladzha, Devnya mosaics, Ovech fortress, Kamchia, the Wonderful Rocks and more, with the 100 National Tourist Sites in the region.

Published: Last checked: By Varna Guide Editorial team · How we check facts

Varna province is more than the city and its beaches: its 12 municipalities hold a stone forest, a Roman mosaic villa, Europe’s oldest salt-production site, a cliff-top medieval fortress, a submarine on a lake and the longoz forests of the Kamchia. Below are two or three headline sights in each municipality, the six National Tourist Sites in the province, and a map of every place on this page. Facts are from the municipalities’ own websites, Visit Varna and Wikipedia, checked on 2 November 2026; coordinates from OpenStreetMap.

Varna province at a glance

Municipality Headline sights Official site
Varna Archaeological Museum, Roman Thermae, Naval Museum, Aladzha visit.varna.bg
Aksakovo Stone Forest, Golden Sands Nature Park aksakovo.bg
Avren Kamchia resort, Petrich Kale avren.bg
Beloslav Museum of Glass, Slava submarine, Yatata beloslav.org
Byala White Cliffs, Cape St Atanas, Karadere –
Valchi Dol Ski slope, Centre for Art and Crafts valchidol.bg
Vetrino Thracian mounds of Belogradets vetrino.bg
Devnya Museum of Mosaics, Magic Spring devnya.bg
Dolni Chiflik Kamchia Reserve, Shkorpilovtsi –
Dalgopol Wonderful Rocks, Royak monastery, Kuza Skoka dalgopol.bg
Provadia Ovech Fortress, Solnitsata, Golyamata Kanara provadia.bg
Suvorovo Historical museum, Orman Bunar suvorovo.bg

The 100 National Tourist Sites in Varna province

The Bulgarian Tourist Union started the “Get to Know Bulgaria – 100 National Tourist Sites” movement in 1966: you collect a stamp at each site in a booklet. Varna province has six of them. In Varna: the Regional History Museum (No. 9, the Archaeological Museum), the Naval Museum (9a), the Vladislav Varnenchik Park-Museum (9b), and Aladzha Monastery and the Roman Thermae (9c); these last three joined in April 2019. In Devnya: the Museum of Mosaics (No. 10).

Varna municipality

Start in the city with the gold of the Varna Necropolis at the Archaeological Museum, the Roman Thermae and the Naval Museum, all in the centre; our Varna at a glance page has the basics. The Park-Museum in the west of the city marks the battlefield of 1444. North of the centre, Aladzha Monastery is cut into a cliff in the forest above Golden Sands and St Constantine.

Aksakovo

The main group of the Stone Forest, the province’s best-known natural sight, lies by Slanchevo in Aksakovo municipality; according to the municipality, the columns are spread over about 70 km² in 14 groups. Aksakovo also includes part of Golden Sands Nature Park and the Batova forest, and has a 4 km strip of beach on the coast.

Avren

Avren runs down to the sea at Kamchia resort, at the mouth of the river. Inland, Petrich Kale sits on a rock terrace above Razdelna: a fortress from the 5th–6th century that flourished in the Second Bulgarian Empire and was reached by the crusaders of 1444.

Beloslav

On the lake west of Varna, the Museum of Glass continues a tradition that began with Bulgaria’s first glass factory in 1893, and next to it the Slava submarine is open to visitors. Birdwatchers head for the Yatata marshes just east of town.

Byala

The southernmost municipality on the Varna coast has the White Cliffs, a geological site north of the central beach, the restored ancient settlement on Cape St Atanas, and Karadere, a wild beach with no infrastructure between Byala and Goritsa.

Valchi Dol

A quiet inland town known for the only ski slope in north-eastern Bulgaria, about 250 m long. The municipality lists the Centre for Art and Crafts with its museum collection among its sights.

Vetrino

Vetrino is the quietest municipality on this list. Beside the Varna–Sofia road at Belogradets stand Thracian burial mounds; the 2.1 m stone statue of a chieftain found in one of them is now in Varna’s museum.

Devnya

Devnya stands on the site of Roman Marcianopolis. The Museum of Mosaics shows the floors of a late Roman villa where they were found, and the Magic Spring is the last of the Devnya karst springs still flowing freely.

Dolni Chiflik

Here are the flooded forests of the Kamchia Reserve, part of UNESCO’s biosphere network since 1977, and the long beach at Shkorpilovtsi.

Dalgopol

At the edge of the eastern Balkan range, the Wonderful Rocks rise above Tsonevo reservoir, the road to them running through tunnels in the rock. Also here: the hard-to-reach Royak rock monastery and the Kuza Skoka waterfall, best after snowmelt.

Provadia

Ovech Fortress crowns a cliff-ringed plateau above the town, and 7 km south lies Provadia-Solnitsata, Europe’s oldest known salt-production centre. Nature lovers can add the Golyamata Kanara canyon near Petrov Dol.

Suvorovo

A small town named after the Russian general who won the battle of Kozludzha nearby in 1774, with a historical museum in the centre and the Orman Bunar picnic area by an oak forest.

Getting around and tours

City bus 43 serves the Stone Forest; Beloslav and Provadia have buses and trains from Varna, and intercity bus 14 runs to Devnya. For Dalgopol, Avren’s fortress, Byala’s cliffs and Karadere a car is far easier. If you would rather go with a guide, you can compare Varna region tours on GetYourGuide through the link on this page; we do not sell tours ourselves. Out of season many small museums close on Monday and Tuesday or at weekends, so check the official page before you set off.

Coordinates © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Tours & tickets

Find tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)

Booking happens on the provider’s site.

Sources

The list 28

  1. Varna Archaeological Museum (Regional History Museum)

    Museum📍 Varna municipality · city centre

    One of the largest museums in Bulgaria, in the former Girls' High School, and the place to see the finds of the Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis. National Tourist Site No. 9.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  2. Roman Thermae

    Roman ruins📍 Varna municipality · city centre

    The public baths of Roman Odessos, covering more than 7,000 m²: the largest ancient public building found so far in Bulgaria. On the National Tourist Sites list since 2019.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  3. Naval Museum

    Museum📍 Varna municipality · Sea Garden

    A branch of the National Museum of Military History whose first public exhibition opened in 1923; on the 100 National Tourist Sites list.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  4. Vladislav Varnenchik Park-Museum

    Park and museum📍 Varna municipality · Vladislav Varnenchik district

    Founded in 1924 on the battlefield of 1444, where the army of King Władysław III was defeated, around two Thracian burial mounds from the 4th century BC. National Tourist Site No. 9b.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  5. Aladzha Monastery

    Rock monastery📍 Varna municipality · about 16–17 km north

    A medieval rock monastery cut into a limestone cliff on two levels inside Golden Sands Nature Park, with the 'Catacombs' a few hundred metres away. National Tourist Site since 2019.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  6. Stone Forest (Pobiti Kamani)

    Natural landmark📍 Aksakovo municipality

    Groups of natural stone columns standing in sand 18 km west of Varna, first described in 1829 and still debated by scientists. City bus 43 to 'Razklon Banovo' in Slanchevo; adults €3 (Visit Varna).

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  7. Golden Sands Nature Park

    Nature park📍 Aksakovo and Varna municipalities

    Protected since 1943, 1,320 ha of oak and hornbeam forest along the coast around Golden Sands resort, 17 km north of Varna; part of it lies in Aksakovo municipality.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  8. Kamchia resort and river mouth

    Beach resort📍 Avren municipality

    A seaside resort 25–28 km south of Varna where the Kamchia meets the sea, known for its longoz forests and wide beaches.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  9. Petrich Kale fortress

    Fortress ruins📍 Avren municipality, near Beloslav

    A 5th–6th-century fortress on a rock terrace above the village of Razdelna, described by al-Idrisi in 1154 and taken by the Ottomans in 1388. Reached from Razdelna on a dirt road and a poorly marked path.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  10. Museum of Glass, Beloslav

    Working museum📍 Beloslav municipality

    On the lakeshore where Bulgaria's first glass factory opened in 1893: watch glassblowing and decorate a piece to take home. Wednesday–Sunday 10:00–14:00, adults €7.16 (Visit Varna).

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  11. Slava submarine

    Museum ship📍 Beloslav municipality

    A Soviet-built submarine commissioned in 1959, Bulgarian from 1985, last at sea in 2010 and moored on Lake Beloslav since 2019. Wednesday–Sunday 10:00–15:00, adults €7.16; you cross by ferry.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  12. Yatata protected area

    Wetland📍 Beloslav municipality

    Fresh- and saltwater marshes 2 km east of central Beloslav where 208 bird species have been recorded, according to the municipality.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  13. White Cliffs (Belite Skali), Byala

    Geological site📍 Byala municipality

    Pale limestone cliffs north of Byala's central beach whose layers include a thin band laid down after the asteroid impact 65 million years ago.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  14. Cape St Atanas

    Archaeological site📍 Byala municipality

    A settlement since about the 6th century BC; the ancient settlement and late antique fortress, with a baptistery, an early Christian basilica and a rare late antique winery, were restored in 2013.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  15. Karadere beach

    Wild beach📍 Byala municipality

    The southernmost stretch of the Varna coast, between Byala and Goritsa: a wild beach with no infrastructure.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  16. Valchi Dol: ski slope and art centre

    Small-town sights📍 Valchi Dol municipality

    The only ski slope in north-eastern Bulgaria, about 250 m long on Kushu Bair hill, plus the town's Centre for Art and Crafts with its museum collection.

    ↗ Website

  17. Thracian mounds of Belogradets

    Burial mounds📍 Vetrino municipality

    Two mounds beside the Varna–Sofia road; in Ptichata Mogila archaeologists found a Thracian chieftain's burial (8th–7th century BC) whose 2.1 m stone statue is kept in Varna's museum.

    ↗ Website

  18. Museum of Mosaics, Devnya

    Museum📍 Devnya municipality

    Built in 1986 over a late Roman villa of ancient Marcianopolis, with floor mosaics shown in situ (the Medusa mosaic is its emblem) and the town's gold coin hoard. National Tourist Site No. 10. Oct–Apr Mon–Fri 10:00–16:00; adults €4.09.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  19. Magic Spring, Devnya

    Karst spring📍 Devnya municipality

    The Devnya springs are the largest karst springs in Bulgaria, about 18 °C all year; most were captured from 1954, and the Magic Spring is the one still flowing freely.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  20. Kamchia Reserve and the Longoz

    Nature reserve📍 Dolni Chiflik and Avren municipalities

    The flooded longoz forest of the lower Kamchia, part of UNESCO's biosphere reserve network since 1977, with 258 bird species recorded.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  21. Shkorpilovtsi beach

    Beach📍 Dolni Chiflik municipality

    About 5 km of golden sand; a seaside resort since 1963.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  22. Wonderful Rocks (Chudnite Skali)

    Natural landmark📍 Dalgopol municipality

    Limestone needles 15 to 40–50 m high on the shore of Tsonevo reservoir near Asparuhovo, protected since 1949; the local road runs through tunnels in the rock.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  23. Royak rock monastery

    Rock monastery📍 Dalgopol municipality

    A Thracian sanctuary turned medieval monastery about 2 km from Royak, with inscriptions naming the tsars Mihail Asen and Ivan Aleksandar. Hard to reach.

    ↗ Website

  24. Kuza Skoka waterfall

    Waterfall📍 Dalgopol municipality

    A 10 m waterfall between Lopushna and Polyatsite that flows mainly during snowmelt and heavy rain, so go in late winter or spring.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  25. Ovech Fortress

    Fortress📍 Provadia municipality

    A cliff-ringed plateau above Provadia, about 50 km from Varna, inhabited from the 3rd to the 17th century, with a 79 m deep well. Open Wednesday–Sunday; adults €2.05 (Visit Varna).

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  26. Provadia-Solnitsata

    Prehistoric site📍 Provadia municipality

    About 7 km south of Provadia: Europe's oldest known salt-production centre (5600–4350 BC), which grew into the continent's first prehistoric town.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  27. Golyamata Kanara canyon

    Protected area📍 Provadia municipality

    A 33 ha karst canyon near Petrov Dol where rare raptors such as the Egyptian vulture nest, with remains of rock monasteries.

    🗺 Map↗ Website

  28. Suvorovo

    Small town📍 Suvorovo municipality

    A town 34 km north-west of Varna, named after Alexander Suvorov, who won the battle of Kozludzha here in 1774. A historical museum stands in the centre and the Orman Bunar picnic area lies by an oak forest.

    ↗ Website

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Frequently asked questions

What is there to see in Varna province outside the city?

Close to Varna: the Stone Forest (18 km west), Aladzha Monastery and Golden Sands Nature Park. Further out: the Museum of Mosaics in Devnya, the Museum of Glass and the Slava submarine in Beloslav, Ovech Fortress and the Solnitsata salt site near Provadia, the Kamchia longoz forest and beaches to the south, the White Cliffs at Byala and the Wonderful Rocks at Tsonevo reservoir in Dalgopol municipality.

Which of the 100 National Tourist Sites are in Varna province?

Six sites: in Varna, the Regional History Museum (No. 9), the Naval Museum (9a), the Vladislav Varnenchik Park-Museum (9b), Aladzha Monastery and the Roman Thermae (9c), the last three added in 2019; in Devnya, the Museum of Mosaics (No. 10). The movement was started by the Bulgarian Tourist Union in 1966.

Can I reach the province's sights without a car?

Some of them. City bus 43 goes to the 'Razklon Banovo' stop for the Stone Forest; intercity buses (line 14, Varna–Devnya) and trains reach Beloslav, where a ferry crosses to the glass museum and the submarine; Provadia has buses and trains from Varna (Visit Varna). For the Wonderful Rocks, Petrich Kale, Royak or Karadere you need a car.

Which municipalities of Varna province are on the sea?

Five: Varna itself, Aksakovo (a 4 km strip of beach), Avren with Kamchia resort, Dolni Chiflik with Shkorpilovtsi, and Byala in the far south.

Varna province