Travel Eye on Varna (Bulgaria)

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Overview:

The city of Varna (population 314 539) is situated at the Bay of Varna, 470 km east of Sofia.
Varna is the biggest city at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It is situated at the same latitude with Cannes, Nice, Monaco and Livorno.

It is nestled in the deep valley between the Frengen Plareau and the Avren Plateau, where two lakes were formed during the polyotsen - the Beloslav Lake is to the west of the city and the other - Varna Lake is within the limits of the city itself. Varna is a city over 110 km long, its width, including the new residential quarters is nearly 9 km. The city is like an amphitheatre and follows the curves of the Bay of Varna.

It is surrounded by lots of gardens, vineyards and deciduous groves. Almost the whole territory is occupied with private country-houses and their small farms. The city is a regional administrative centre.

Varna has a history that could be traced back for thousand years. Due to its favourable location and visibility of almost 270 degrees the small cape, which now hosts the sea station, was inhabited by an ancient Thracian tribe - Corbisy in their small fishermen's settlement. In 6th century BC a Greek polis (settlement) inhabited by colonists and settlers from Millet emerged here under the name of Odessos.

Locality:

Varna is situated in the far eastern region of Bulgaria, on the black sea coast. North of Nesebur.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

Varna enjoys a mild and pleasant climate, with nice beaches covered with crystal clear sands.

Yacht clubs and marinas offer a wide range of marine sports. The resorts also offer bowling alleys, horse-riding bases, tennis courts, swimming pools, squash courts, and mini-sport complexes for children. Numerous indoor sports facilities include tennis tables, billiards, and fitness centres.

Varna's social life revolves around pl. Nezavisimost , where the opera house and fountain provide the backdrop for an array of restaurants and cafés. The square is the starting point of Varna's evening promenade, which flows eastward from here along bul. Knyaz Boris I. To the north of pl. Nezavisimost, Varna's main lateral boulevard (bul. Mariya Luiza to the east; bul. Hristo Botev to the west) cuts through pl. Mitropolit Simeon, an important traffic intersection dominated by the domed Cathedral of the Assumption .

Constructed in 1886 along the lines of St Petersburg's Cathedral, it contains a splendid iconostasis and bishop's throne, supported by a magnificent pair of winged panthers, carved by craftsmen from Debâr in Macedonia. South of the cathedral in the city gardens stands the 'Old Clock Tower' , a fairly unremarkable structure paid for by the city guilds in the 1880s, whose silhouette serves as something of a trademark for the city.

In general, however, the downtown area is a place in which to stroll and enjoy the vigour of emergent enterprise culture rather than visit specific sights. Most of the latter are to the south and east, among the residential streets between the centre and the port, although the very busy but otherwise undistinguished bul. Mariya Luiza is home to the biggest of the city's museums.