Things to Do in Varna, Bulgaria: Kids, Golden Sands, Hotels

This guide covers what to see in Varna, Varna with kids in summer and winter, Golden Sands versus Albena, day trips, public transport, getting there and where to stay. Prices and opening hours were checked against official sources in October 2026, but they change, so check again before you go.

Where is Varna, and who is it for?

Varna sits in north eastern Bulgaria on the Black Sea, about 440 km from Sofia and about 130 km north of Burgas. It has its own international airport, about a 20 minute bus ride from the centre. The city suits families who want a beach holiday with a real city attached, couples after a weekend of museums, spa time and seafood, and anyone combining a few days on the coast with a trip around the north east.

Torn between Varna and Burgas? In short, Varna is bigger, more cultural and close to Golden Sands and Albena, while Burgas is the base for Sunny Beach, Nessebar and Sozopol. Our guide to Bulgaria's Black Sea coast compares them in full.

Things to do in Varna city

• The Sea Garden: a vast park running along the shore and the symbol of the city. Inside are the aquarium, the zoo, the dolphinarium, the planetarium, the natural history and naval museums and a children's amusement park. You can easily spend a whole day here on foot.
• Varna Archaeological Museum: home of the Varna gold, jewellery from the Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis that is considered the oldest worked gold found anywhere in the world. Adults pay €10, school pupils €4 and children under 7 go free. From May to September it opens daily from 10:00 to 17:00; from October to April it opens Tuesday to Saturday, same hours.
• The Roman Thermae: the largest ancient public building uncovered in Bulgaria, more than 7,000 square metres in the middle of town. Allow 30 to 60 minutes; from October to May it opens Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 to 17:00.
• The Dormition Cathedral: the gilded domes in the centre, close to the main shopping street. Step inside for a few minutes to see the murals.
• City beaches: Central Beach, right below the main entrance to the Sea Garden, has a shallow, flat sea floor; South Beach is the widest of the city beaches. Across the bridge, Asparuhovo Beach is longer and calmer, with fine sand and quiet water.

Varna with kids

Varna is one of the easiest Bulgarian cities for families, because most of what children love sits inside the Sea Garden, within walking distance. Official prices and winter hours:

• The dolphinarium has run since 1984 and is the only one in Bulgaria. In spring and autumn (April to mid June, mid September to the end of October) tickets are €19 for adults and €14 for children, and in summer (mid June to mid September) €26 and €23 and show times change with the season, so check its website the day before. Some families skip it for animal welfare reasons; that is your call.
• The zoo is small and easy with young children, with kangaroos, lions, peacocks and black swans, plus a petting area at €2 for 10 minutes.
• Detski Kat, in the heart of the Sea Garden, has 28 rides for all ages and stays open until 22:00 in summer, so it pairs well with dinner on the promenade.
• The planetarium was Bulgaria's first and has a Foucault pendulum. Public shows run mainly in summer, so check the programme before you go.

Varna with kids in summer

Summer revolves around the sea. The city beaches are shallow, but families who want slides, kids' clubs and big pools usually stay in one of the resorts north of town. A good day with small children: beach in the morning, lunch in the Sea Garden, the aquarium or zoo in the hottest hours, and the amusement park in the evening. The large water parks are in the resorts outside the city, so check what is open on your dates.

Varna with kids in winter

Nobody swims in winter, but there is plenty to do: the aquarium, the zoo and Detski Kat open every day, the dolphinarium runs on winter prices and the Archaeological Museum works well for school age children. On a rainy day a hotel with an indoor pool and warm mineral water makes all the difference, which is worth weighing up for a Christmas or February half term break.

Varna in winter: what changes

From October the city switches to winter hours. Museums usually move to Tuesday to Saturday, Aladzha Monastery closes from December to February and the Stone Forest opens in December by prior request only. The season in Golden Sands and Albena runs from May to October, so in winter stay in the city itself or in St. Constantine and Helena, where the Aquahouse thermal complex offers mineral water treatments all year. Check the opening dates of the hotel itself in advance.

In December the city lights up: last year the big tree on Independence Square was switched on on 6 December, St. Nicholas Day, with a children's concert. As for the weather, January averages range from just below freezing at night to about 7°C by day, and the sea wind makes it feel colder. The sea is warm enough for swimming mainly from June to September.

Golden Sands and Albena

Golden Sands lies 18 km north of Varna and is one of the largest resorts on the coast. A long strip of fine sand backs onto a wooded nature park, and the season runs from May to the end of October, with the bay reaching 24 to 25°C in summer. It is the place for an all inclusive beach hotel with pools, and the quieter northern end has hotels that suit families. Golden Sands or Varna? In Golden Sands you sleep on the beach and take bus 409 or a taxi into town.

Albena is about 30 km north of Varna, near Balchik. It is also seasonal, May to October, and suits travellers who want a beach hotel with easy access to Balchik. Between the two sits the small resort of Chayka, home to two of the area's most popular beaches, Chayka and Kabakum.

Looking for Sunny Beach? It is on the southern half of the coast near Burgas, not around Varna. See our Black Sea coast guide.

Day trips from Varna: Balchik, Aladzha Monastery and the Stone Forest

• Balchik Palace and Botanical Garden: about 50 km north of Varna. Queen Marie of Romania built the palace as her summer residence between 1924 and 1936, and the botanical garden holds more than 3,000 plant species. Each costs €10 for adults and the tickets are sold separately; family tickets are €18 for the palace and €20 for the garden, and under 6s enter the palace free. Open 08:00 to 20:00 in summer and 09:00 to 17:00 in winter.
• Aladzha Monastery: a medieval cave monastery carved into a cliff almost 40 metres high, inside Golden Sands Nature Park. €5 for adults, free for under 7s. Open daily 09:00 to 17:00 from May to October; in November and from March to April it closes on Mondays and Tuesdays, and from December to February it is closed.
• The Stone Forest (Pobiti Kamani): natural stone columns rising out of the sand, 18 km west of Varna. €3 for adults, free for under 7s, and the weekly closing days change with the season. Half an hour to an hour is enough, and it is at its best at sunset.

All three are easiest by car. Flying into Varna, you can pick up a rental car at Varna Airport and link Balchik, Albena and the Stone Forest in one day.

Varna public transport and getting there

City buses work well. A paper ticket from a stop machine costs €1 for 60 minutes, €1.30 for 90 minutes and €2 for the whole day, and you can also buy one on board. In the official TTickets Varna app a 60 minute ticket is just €0.51. The key tourist line is bus 409: from the airport via the central bus station, the cathedral and the dolphinarium to St. Constantine and Helena, Chayka and Golden Sands (the Golden Sands leg runs in summer only). Allow about 20 minutes from the airport to the centre and about 50 minutes to Golden Sands.

Between cities a private transfer is simplest, priced per car rather than per person:

• Burgas to Varna transfer: from €110 per car, about 130 km and two hours, handy if you land in Burgas or want to see both halves of the coast.
• Sofia Airport to Varna transfer: from €342 per car, about 440 km and five hours twenty minutes.
• Sofia to Varna transfer: from €345 per car, for a trip that starts in the capital and ends at the sea.

Where to stay in Varna: city, seafront or Golden Sands

Pick the area first. In the city centre you walk to the Sea Garden, the museums and the restaurants. In St. Constantine and Helena, 8 km north, you sleep among pine trees by the beach, with mineral springs and more calm. In Golden Sands you sleep on the beach, mostly all inclusive, and only in season. These are the six Varna hotels you can book with us:

By the sea in St. Constantine and Helena

• Ensana Aquahouse: a 5 star spa hotel opened in 2022, 25 metres from the beach, with 11 indoor and outdoor mineral water pools, a kids' club for ages 4 to 12, a children's pool with a slide and an indoor pool for toddlers. Great for families, and the indoor pools work when it is cold outside, but check the hotel's opening dates before planning a winter stay.
• Astor Garden: 5 stars, 230 rooms in a green park a short walk from the beach, with a balcony in every double room, an indoor pool and three outdoor pools including a shallow children's pool. Bus 409 runs nearby and central Varna is about 15 minutes by car.

All inclusive in Golden Sands

• GRIFID Encanto Beach: 4 stars in the quieter northern part of Golden Sands, 10 metres from the sand. Ultra all inclusive with 3 restaurants and 4 bars, a beach set for every room, a rooftop pool and a children's pool with slides 50 metres away. Check the hotel's opening dates before you plan, especially outside summer.

In the city centre

• Rosslyn Dimyat Hotel Varna: 4 stars opposite the Sea Garden, with a heated indoor pool, sauna and gym included. Connecting rooms are available, under 2s stay free, and the first child aged 2 to 11 on an extra bed with two adults stays free on bed and breakfast. The beach is about 15 minutes' walk through the park.
• Graffit Gallery Hotel: a 5 star art hotel where each floor was designed by a different Bulgarian architect, with a relax zone including an indoor pool and sauna, a walk from the Sea Garden and the museums. Best for couples; under 13s use the pool only with an adult.
• mOdus Hotel: a small 4 star boutique hotel with 29 rooms and 8 suites, next to the Sea Garden entrance and the pedestrian streets. Better for couples and city breaks than for big families.

If mineral water is the main draw, Varna also features in our guide to hot springs in Bulgaria. Planning a longer trip with children? Our family holiday itineraries for Bulgaria have ready made routes.

FAQ

The bottom line

Varna is a strong base for Bulgaria's northern coast: a real city with museums and a huge park, beaches in town and resorts 15 to 40 minutes away. In summer choose between city, seafront and all inclusive; in winter stay in town or in St. Constantine and Helena and plan around museums, indoor pools and winter hours. Book the area and hotel first, then the transfer from Burgas or Sofia.