Day Trips From Golden Sands, Bulgaria

Golden Sands has more than enough facilities to keep you occupied throughout your holiday. But if you have the desire to visit some other tourist attractions, here are some ideas about interesting places to visit.

Balchik and Kaliakra

Balchik is an attractive and interesting seaside town. There is a small, sandy beach at Balchik, but most of the activity centres around the modern yachting marina. This is an excellent place to relax, take a stroll or have something to eat and drink while admiring the yachts. Whilst in Balchik, visit the spectacular Summer Palace. The palace was built for Romania's Queen Maria. The romantic buildings and beautiful gardens attract tourists from Russia, Romania and many other countries, as well as visitors from within Bulgaria.

The nature reserve of Kaliakra, which is just north of Kavarna, is the place to go to watch dolphins, seals and cormorants. There are also the remains of a medieval fortress, including the fortified walls, water-mains and baths. If you prefer more modern technology, you can't fail to be impressed by the size of the many wind turbines that have been constructed along the coast around Kaliakra. Their graceful arms move almost soundlessly through the air, generating electricity for thousands of homes and businesses in the area.

Varna

Varna is the largest city on the Black Sea Coast. It is known as the Sea Capital of Bulgaria, and also as the Summer Capital. The delightful Primorski Park (otherwise known as the Sea Garden) offers a peaceful and quiet place to stroll. The park has bright and colourful flower beds, tree-lined paths and some huge and very impressive statues. It stretches for several kilometres alongside the city beach. You can walk down the paths or steps to the promenade or, if you prefer to take things easy, you can drive down. The park has a great range of activities for children, including "jungle gyms", inflatable slides and even a roller coaster.

Varna is definitely the best city in Bulgaria for shoppers. In addition to a large pedestrian shopping area, there are several stylish new shopping malls. There are open-air markets that offer locally-grown fruit and vegetables, as well as meat, fish and cheese. And of course, some of the market stalls sell clothes, shoes and gifts. If you want to stock up on Bulgarian wines, spirits and cigarettes, one of the best places to shop is the huge Metro hypermarket. Any taxi driver will know where to go.

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Albena and Batevo Nature Reserve

Albena is probably the most prestigious resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Situated in the middle of a large national park, the resort is favoured by wealthy and famous tourists from Russia and Bulgaria. The combination of huge areas of forest land, parks with beautiful floral displays and an excellent beach, make this resort one of the most luxurious tourist destinations in the country. The thermal springs and mineral spa waters are reputed to have healing powers and many of the hotels have spa centres with excellent facilities.

The national park of Batovo includes large areas of forest, which stretch all the way down to the beach at Albena. The scenery is absolutely stunning, with pine-clad hills and amazing sea views. Deep inside the forest land is the amazing ethnographical centre known as Chiflika Chukurovo. The centre is definitely worth a visit; the buildings are rustic and beautiful, there are many interesting exhibits and there is a high terrace with absolutely magnificent panoramic views.

Rousse

Because of its neoclassical and baroque-style architecture the city of Rousse is also known as "Little Vienna". Many of the most beautiful buildings are concentrated in the area of the main plaza. Some of the most impressive buildings also overlook formal gardens that (in the summer) are full of colourful flowers such as tulips and violets. Pretty fountains decorate the parks and gardens and help to make Rousse one of the most interesting cities in Bulgaria.

Veliko Tarnovo

The attractive university town of Veliko Tarnovo is half way between Varna and the capital city of Sofia. Veliko Tarnovo itself was once the capital of Bulgaria. In the old town, picturesque "Bulgarian Revival" houses cover the hillside. Wander through the ancient streets, admiring the ornate woodwork on these beautiful buildings. Take a walk across the magnificent bridges which cross the river and, of course, visit the town's most famous landmark, Tsaravets castle. You can wander freely around the grounds and the ancient passageways or learn all about the history of the castle by joining one of the guided tours.

Sunny Beach and Nessebar

Sunny Beach is the largest seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Busier and (dare we say it) more brash than it's northern counterpart, Golden Sands, the resort attracts thousands of British and Irish visitors each year. The resort is dominated by huge hotels and apartment complexes which span the entire length of the long, sandy beach. Sunny Beach has a vast range of restaurants, bars and nightclubs, plus sports and leisure activities for people of all ages.

The attractive town of Nessebar is founded on an ancient Thracian village which dates back to the 2nd Century B.C. The "old town" includes picturesque and historic buildings, many of which are now used as tourist shops and restaurants. Nessebar is reputed to have contained no less than 41 churches. Although only a few of them have survived, it still offers an interesting selection of religious buildings, such as the Basilica and the Bishop's Residence. You can also see the remains of the fortified walls and Roman and Greek pavements.

 

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