The Black sea treasure
The Bulgarian Black sea coast offers a lot of picturesque
spots for traveling and spending a nice holiday. The city
of Varna is the biggest city at the Bulgarian Black sea
coast, situated at the Bay of Varna and offers unlimited
number of accommodation facilities. The city is surrounded
by lots of gardens, vineyards and deciduous groves. The
museums, the Cathedral of the Holly Mother, the Dolphin
show, the Aquarium deserve special attention. Second district
centre is the town of Bourgas, situated in the farthest
western part of Bourgas Bay. The town has many hotels of
different categories, many private lodgings and interesting
landmarks. The older resort on the Bulgarian Black sea coast
is St. St. Konstantin and Elena and it is only 9 km north-east
of Varna and 479 km east of Sofia. More than 50 hotels in
the resort offer accommodation. The resort of Zlatni Pyasatci
is the largest one on the northern Black sea coast. The
constant temperature of 27 degrees C and the microclimate
throughout the season make it a wonderful place for having
a rest and fun. There is a casino, a number of bars, mini-golf
playground, carriages and good conditions for practising
all sorts of water sports. The resort of Albena is located
on a long sand stretch in the open northern part of Varna
bay. Most of the hotels have a terraceline structure for
getting more sun in summer days There is an annual auto-rally
called Albena, folk festival for songs and dances, festival
for TV programs, bridge competition, beach volleyball competition,
etc. The resort has three camping sites - Albena, International
and Ekzotika. The river of Batov is interesting with its
location in a natural forest. Nearby is the village of Kranevo
in the vicinity with remains of the ancient fortress Kranea
and Gerania. There are many youth and school camps, as well
as running mineral water in the village. The town of Balchik
is famous with the botanical garden- the biggest and the
most diverse in the Balkans and attractive to tourists with
its ancient atmosphere that has been preserved for centuries
now. 12 km away from the cape of Kaliakra is situated Kavarna
- a Black sea port for passenger and cargo vessels of medium
type. The town was once again built and became an agricultural
and fishing centre. On the high hill of Chiracman one can
find remains of Roman villas and walls, as well as medieval
buildings and churches. The archeological excavations on
the cape of Shabla are the most interesting sights for the
visitors of the town. Three kilometers away from the town
is the lake of Shabla where more than 100 000 species of
wild geese nest. The resort of Rousalka is situated 59 km
of Varna. There is a typical bird's colony in a pretty rocky
area near the sea. The village of Kamen Bryag is in the
vicinity of the resort and there are interesting rock formations
and wonderful rocky bays with a number of caves and reefs.
The mouth of Kamchia river is one of the most beautiful
sights of the Bulgarian Black sea region. Over 40 species
of beautiful trees and brushes grow in the forest. Ferns,
reed and yellow water lilies also grow here. Nowadays the
frequently flooded area is a reserve that is under the protection
of UNESCO. The reserve is 40 km in length (throughout Longoza
to the river month) and 5 km in width in some of its parts.
There are does, deer, seahawk and eagles, wild boars, wild
cats, etc. The resort complex of Shkorpilovtsi is near the
village of the same name. To the north of the Black cape
is the village of Bliznatzite. Other famous resorts are:
Sunny Beach, located between the village Vlas and Nessebar
; Elenite, Dyuni, Kiten. The town of Nessebar is situated
on a small peninsula and its beach considered to be the
best along the Black Sea coast. There are many churches,
hotels and a regular transport connecting Bourgas and Pomorie
to Nessebar and Sunny Beach. South of the town is the village
of Ravda. There are melon fields, vines and gardens near
the village where one can buy agricultural products at low
prices. Near the mouth of the Aheloy river is the village
of Aheloy. This is where the Bulgarian Tzar Simeon I destroyed
the armies of the Byzantine emperor. The town of Sozopol
lies on a small rocky peninsula in the farthest southern
part of the Bourgas Bay. The landmarks in Sozopol form an
attractive ensemble. The ancient churches of St. Zosim and
St. Virgin Mary, the birthplaces of Mariata Stefanova and
Kreanoolu, the odd cobbled streets and high fences are inseparable
elements of a united complex of three centuries of story.
Interesting places to visit are the Archeological Museum
and the Art Gallery. To the north is the well-known resort
at the village of Chernomorets. 20 km to the south is the
mouth of Ropotamo river. There is a biosphere reserve, camping
sites, very near is the famous island of Snakes. After the
mouth of the river is cape Maslen. Other smaller resorts
are Tzarevo, Primorsko, Ahtopol, Obzor, Biala. Close to
the mouth of Veleka river is the village of Kosti famous
for the fire-dancers. Near Ahtopol are the village of Varvara,
the village of Sinemorets and Rezovo.