Province of Varna, Bulgaria - Where to go and what to do?

Where is Varna Province located?

Varna Province’s territory is located in the North Eastern part of Bulgaria. Like the other provinces on the eastern Bulgarian border, it neighbours the Black Sea and is covered in beautiful sandy beaches.

On its interior part, it borders three other Bulgarian provinces:

Dobrich to the north
Shumen to the west
Burgas to the south

The administrative centre, Varna, is almost 200 km from Ruse and the Bulgarian-Romanian border at the Danube Bridge. As for its distance from the capital, Sofia, there are about 440 km between the two cities. The good news is you can take a plane from Varna to Sofia and vice versa.

Municipalities within the province of Varna, Bulgaria

Twelve out of 265 Bulgarian municipalities are located in Varna Province.

Here’s a list of them:

Avren
Aksakovo
Beloslav
Byala
Varna
Vetrino
Valchi dol
Devnya
Dolni Chiflik
Dalgopol
Provadia
Suvorovo

Rivers in Varna Province

One of the most prominent rivers in the region is the Kamchiya River, the longest in the province (total length of 244,5 km). This is also the largest Bulgarian river that meets the Black Sea and is known for its beautiful scenery and diverse wildlife.

I like to call it the little Amazon as it reminds me of all the breathtaking images and sceneries I’ve seen of the South American giant. Thankfully – minus the anacondas, piranhas and jaguars, so I’d say Kamchiya is a much better place to visit.

The coastal region is home to several important rivers:

Kamchiya
Golyama Kamchiya
Luda Kamchiya
Eleshnitza (a tributary to Kamchiya)
Dvoinitza
Batova Reka
Glavnitza
Devnya
Zlatina
Provadiiska Reka
Fandakliiska Reka
Suha Reka (a tributary to the Danube)
Karamandere (a tributary to Suha Reka)

Geographical features

With almost 4,000 km² of territory, Varna Province not only borders the Black Sea but also covers parts of the Danubian Plain, Eastern Stara Planina (Eastern Balkans), and the valleys Varna-Devnya and Kamchiya River.

It covers the following parts of the Danubian Plain:

The Franga Plateau
South Dobrudzha
The Provadiya Plateau
Ludogorie
The Avren Plateau

Varna is diverse in terms of geographical features – from rocky cliffs and vast forests to long sand beaches (such as Shkorpilovtsi, which is 12 km long) and touristic urban zones. Many parts of the province are under protection as it’s rich in reserves, national parks, natural landmarks, coastal resorts and cultural heritage.

Interesting facts about the province

There are countless exciting facts regarding different areas of this beautiful territory and its stunning landscapes.

However, I’ll mention only a few of them for now:

The administrative centre, Varna, is the third largest Bulgarian city, the largest in the North Eastern part and on the Black Sea coast.
Varna is often referred to as “The Sea Capital of Bulgaria”.
The city is a go-to destination for thousands of tourists throughout all four seasons.
There are more than 20 thermal springs throughout the region.
The province’s eastern border comprises a 32 km long coastline.
The first Bulgarian music festival, “Varnensko Lyato” (Varna Summer), took place in Varna in 1926 and continues to this day.
The famous Sea Garden in Varna is the largest landscaped park in the Balkans.
The last Crusade took place within today’s city of Varna.
People have various opportunities for different forms of tourism, including recreation, spa, balneology, business, nautical, cultural, rural, eco and much more.
You can find the world’s oldest processed gold in Varna’s Archeological Museum. It consists of more than 3000 golden artefacts weighing more than 6 kg.
Varna was pronounced the European Youth Capital in 2017 and the European City of Sport in 2019.