Itinerary

1. Balchik Sightseeing Tour

   • Meet your tour guide at your convenience from 8:30 till 09:30 am at your hotel in Varna or nearby resort areas. 

   • Head north to the first stop – Aladzha Monastery - a rocky monastery dated from the X-XI century A.D. Nowadays, the monastery is inactive and only a museum sight. 

   • Visit the rocky dwellings of the monks and the museum, where you can find additional info about the monastery's history.

   • Proceed to Balchik (more than a 30-minute drive) with your Varna tour guide. On your way to Balchik, you will see the most famous beach resorts in this area, the Golden Sands and Albena Resort. You can stop at Albena Resort to visit the natural preserve area – Baltata, famous for being the densest northern forest in Europe.

   • Arrive at “White Town”, a small coastal town with around 15000 citizens.

   • Explore the town’s most popular attractions, the Botanical Garden, Romanian queen Maria's summer residence, and its beautifully arranged park. Walk and observe the complex (for about 1.5h).

   • Stop at Cape Kaliakra, an astonishingly beautiful place over 60 meters above sea cliffs. You will visit the ruins of the old medieval fortress XII-XIV centuries there. You will get to know the ancient story of this magnificent place. Admire wonderful views from the edge of the cliffs, and you will get to watch (if lucky) the dolphins play.

   • Eat lunch in a traditional Bulgarian restaurant with local dishes. As an option, you can stop and have lunch at the famous mussel farm, where original dishes from fish and mussels made by original local recipes are served.

   • Continue further north to Cape Shabla, the most eastern point of Bulgaria. Cape Shabla is located in the very eastern end of Bulgaria. There is a lighthouse with an interesting history. 

   • Visit the architectural preserve, Yailata. It is a seaside ledge covering 300 decares (45,3 hectares) and is detached from the sea by 50-60 meters high rock massifs. You can observe a “cave town” consisting of 101 dwellings, ruins of the ancient fortress, human-hand-carved caves, and rocky cemeteries. 

   • Halt at a small coastal village called Tyulenovo. The name comes from the species of seals that lived here. 

   • Proceed to Shabla town and its tourist informational centre and Shabla lighthouse. As an option, you can visit two lakes, Shabla and Durankulak lakes, rich in wild nesting birds.

   • Stop and visit local farms on your way back to Varna, where fruits and vegetables are grown. There is a possibility to buy some. Optionally, visit a local winery with wine tasting and the possibility to buy wines and local spirits.

   Return to Varna and then to your place of accommodation.