- Albena
- Golden Sands
- Obzor
- St. Constantine and Helena
- Kranevo
- Balchik
- Rusalka
- Shkorpilovtsi
Albena
Located 30 km north of Varna in a picturesque bay. The beach is 7 km long and 150 m wide. Nearby is the Baltata nature reserve, a lush green forest. Albena offers spacious beaches with fine sand, clean and calm sea, and modern hotels. It is an excellent place where sports, relaxation, and entertainment come together, making it perfect for family vacations.
Albena is undoubtedly the most popular and arguably the best resort for high-quality family vacations with young children in Bulgaria. It is also one of the most modern resorts in Bulgaria, providing a full range of additional services favored by tourists.
Golden Sands
Golden Sands is located 25 km from Varna within Bulgaria’s national park of the same name. The coastline features a wide sandy beach (up to 100 m) with golden, exceptionally clean sand, which gives the resort its name. The average summer air temperature is +27°C, while the sea temperature is around +23°C.
The resort offers a variety of hotels ranging from 2-star to 5-star, numerous restaurants, cafes, and snack bars serving Bulgarian, European, and exotic cuisines such as Chinese and Indian. The nightlife is vibrant, with many nightclubs, bars, and discos.
The resort offers excellent beach and water activities, including water slides, pools, jet ski rentals, diving schools, yacht trips, parasailing, bungee jumping, and water skiing. Golden Sands is also home to Bulgaria’s first water park, opened in 2003.
Kranevo
A resort village located 5 km south of Albena and 12 km from Golden Sands. It boasts clean golden beaches, a calm sea, and proximity to two of Bulgaria’s largest seaside resorts. Regular bus routes connect Kranevo to Albena, Golden Sands, and Varna.
Kranevo is known for its impressively low prices and many traditional Bulgarian restaurants (mehanas) and discos, making it an attractive budget-friendly vacation spot.
Balchik
This seaside town is 38 km from Varna and has a unique charm. Balchik is situated on the northern coast, where steep hills meet the sea. The streets are arranged in terraces along the slopes, with stairways winding between houses, creating a picturesque view. The town's architecture features a distinctive seaside style with white walls, red-tiled roofs, and yellow accents.
Balchik has long been a favorite retreat. The Romanian Queen Maria built a palace here (now a landscape museum and botanical garden). The town is famous for its budget-friendly restaurants, small sandy beaches, and the Queen’s palace with its stunning botanical garden.
Obzor
Obzor is located between Bulgaria’s two largest coastal cities, Burgas and Varna, about 60 km from each and approximately 20 km from Sunny Beach. Its unique climate combines sea, mountain, and forest air, making it not only a great vacation spot but also beneficial for treating bronchitis and asthma.
The resort offers a variety of entertainment, including discos, bars, water slides, and a wide sandy beach. The sea in Obzor is typically 2-3°C warmer than in Albena and Golden Sands. Prices here are 2-3 times lower than in larger resorts, making it an attractive alternative for tourists.
Rusalka
Located in a rocky coastal area 50 km north of Albena, Rusalka sits in an oak forest along the exotic Bird Bay. It was established in 1968 by the French company Club Med as a modern resort complex. Unlike bustling beach resorts, Rusalka is a tranquil retreat ideal for family vacations and active sports.
The resort features diverse beaches, ranging from sand and pebbles to rocky shores. Its underwater landscape makes it a great spot for divers and snorkelers. Rusalka also has a small lagoon with healing mud, a sailing sports center, and a summer theater. Nearby, Kameni Bryag offers fascinating rock formations and secluded bays, attracting trekkers, backpackers, and nature lovers.
Shkorpilovtsi
A small coastal village south of Varna, ideal for those seeking peace and quiet. The area offers vast beaches with fine golden sand. From June to September, air temperatures range from 30 to 38°C, while sea temperatures range from 25 to 32°C.
Close to the village is the Longoza nature reserve, home to rare plant and animal species and natural mineral springs. Shkorpilovtsi is perfect for budget travelers and those who enjoy a rural atmosphere.
St. Constantine and Helena
This resort complex is located 8 km from Varna, set in a beautiful green park with numerous mineral springs. The resort was named after the ancient monastery of St. Constantine and Helena, of which only a chapel remains.
Situated on a scenic bay with fine quartz sand, the resort features a high coastline with stairs leading down to the beaches. A picturesque promenade runs along the edge of the shore. Many hotels have pools with mineral water and wellness centers.
St. Constantine and Helena is a cozy resort ideal for a quiet family vacation. The infrastructure is rapidly developing, with new hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, discos, and swimming pools. The beach area is narrow (50-80 m wide) but well-equipped.
Hotels range from luxurious 4- and 5-star accommodations to budget-friendly 1- and 2-star options. The mixed forest surrounding the resort keeps summer temperatures pleasant without excessive heat. The resort enjoys around 1,600 hours of sunshine from May to October.
