Balchik Bulgaria how to get there. Is it worth going to Balchik? Exchange money at the airport
Balchik is a small resort town in northern Bulgaria. It is located in the Dobrich region, 40 kilometers from Varna (the nearest airport). In this article I will briefly talk about what this city is like, why we liked it and what we didn’t.
We are visiting Bulgaria for the second time, the first time we went in 2013 to the town south of Burgas (having visited the closest places and other places). Flattered by the relaxed and calm atmosphere in which the entire previous trip took place, we decided to go to Bulgaria again in July 2015.
When choosing a vacation spot, we were guided by the following criteria:
- Vacations should be relatively budget-friendly - for this reason, “promoted” resorts such as Golden Sands and the Cote d'Azur have disappeared.
- Rest should be quiet. We don’t like noisy events such as discos and animation; we are much more pleased to stroll along quiet streets, the sea coast, climb natural monuments - and the more of them in the surrounding area, the better!
- No “all inclusive”, at the hotel - only sleep and breakfast. The rest of the time we are our own masters.
Since the southern part of Bulgaria could be considered relatively developed, we decided to look for a vacation spot in the north, closer to the border with Romania. After many hours of reading articles and reviews, numerous inquiries from friends and colleagues, we settled on the city of Balchik.
Road to Balchik
Read about how we traveled from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow; in this article, the starting point will be the arrival in Varna. Varna Airport, on the one hand, seems to be small, but we passed through passport control and baggage claim in literally 10 minutes and went to the Biblioglobus counter (our tour operator), where we were directed to a bus that takes vacationers to hotels.
It so happened that Balchik was the last on the route, so the transfer lasted an hour and a half. In resort towns there are speed bumps everywhere, so a significant part of the trip consisted of constant acceleration, braking, jumping, acceleration again, etc. This caused some passengers to feel motion sick. Thank God, it didn’t go to extremes, but if you have a tendency to get seasick, stock up on some anti-sickness remedies.
An hour and a half later they announced to us that we had arrived. The driver dropped us off near the Naslada Hotel (we will talk about it in one of the following posts).
Balchik. First impressions.
This town greets you at the entrance with a view of a mountain dotted with dachas and gardens.
At first glance, it is a nice and attractive town, but the very next morning we learned one feature that seemed unpleasant to us at first glance - the city is located on the mountains and you need to walk along them. However, this only caused discomfort for the first two days, but then we got used to it and even realized the benefits! On such descents and ascents, calories accumulated during hearty lunches and dinners are well burned :)
The city consists of two parts - “ordinary” and “tourist”. We stayed in the “tourist” part, where hotels, beaches, restaurants, and other attractions are concentrated and order is restored - the streets look well-groomed and neat. To get to the “regular” part, you need to travel several stops by bus or walk two kilometers. There you can admire the dilapidated three- to five-story buildings. But in stores you can buy products at a better price.
The "main" part of the city
Which beach is in Balchik
The question that worries probably any tourist is what kind of beach is in the place where he is planning to go. There are two beaches in Balchik. The first is the beach near the Botanical Garden, the second is the city beach.
The beach closest to us was the Botanical Garden - you could walk to it in 5 minutes, going down the stairs to the sea. The return journey, for obvious reasons, took longer.
This beach does not look very presentable - many are confused by the huge stones instead of the expected soft and white sand. This is an embankment along which the road leads to the neighboring city of Albena (7 km). But first impressions are deceiving. In fact, when you go down the stairs to the water you end up on a pleasant sandy bottom with a smooth descent. On the right across the road is an area with umbrellas and sun loungers. Almost no one drives along the road, with the exception of vacationers who come to the beach by car. Renting an umbrella on this beach costs 4 leva, renting a pair of sun loungers costs the same. You can get by with just one umbrella and spread a beach towel or air mattress on the sand. There are cafes along the beach where you can have a snack or drink a cold beer.
The second beach is located approximately 1.5 kilometers to the north. It looks more civilized - a wide strip of sand, umbrellas and sun loungers, a fresh water shower, a toilet (paid, costs 1 lev), water activities - boats, catamarans, bananas, cheesecakes.
There are more people on this beach, and renting an umbrella costs 6 leva.
The sea was not pleased with its cleanliness - no comparison with the Mediterranean and Red. Every now and then algae washes up to the beach (you can see them in the previous photo). Sometimes there are especially many of them and beach workers remove them with shovels and rakes.
After the storm a lot of algae washed up
There are also water snakes living on the coast. They look similar in appearance to our snake, only not black, but gray. The first time I saw it was on the beach of the Botanical Garden, when I was walking in the shallow water, looking for shells, crabs and small fish. A snake about a meter long swam slowly along the beach. I shouted, “Look, a snake!” At this moment it was worth seeing the reaction of other tourists (among them many Russian-speaking ones), who darted in all directions - some on the shore, some further out to sea :) In fact, these snakes are not dangerous to humans and you can even pick them up (without causing them pain , otherwise it might bite), but catching it is not an easy task, since the snake is even more afraid of you than you are of it :)
In general, the beaches in Balchik can be rated no more than 3 points. They also lose to neighboring Albena.
Where to go in Balchik
In this regard, the city is interesting. The main attraction is the botanical garden and the palace of the Romanian Queen Maria.
This place is worth a separate story! Despite the statements of skeptics like “what didn’t we see there???”, walking in the Botanical Garden is a pleasure. Especially considering that we found a way to get there completely free! We'll talk about this :)
It’s also nice to stroll along the sea promenade between the beaches in the evening - admire the waves, feed the seagulls (which are twice the size of ours), and go to one of the restaurants. You can also book a yacht trip.
There is a local history museum, which we never got around to going to.
Based on the recommendations of Internet users, we visited the restaurant “Blue Lion” (Sinyai Lion) - in principle, we did not regret it. Reasonable prices, delicious food, normal service. The only thing that bothered us was that from our hotel to “Lev” we had to walk 25 minutes through the mountains, and we also found out that in the “paid” restaurant at our hotel the food was no worse and the prices were about the same.
We also walked to neighboring Albena - along the embankment for 7 kilometers. We walked at a leisurely pace with stops for photography in 2 hours. But read about this and our other travels around Bulgaria in the following posts.
You can also climb the mountain and photograph Balchik from above. To do this, it is advisable to have a navigator with an offline map of Bulgaria (for example, Be On Road for Android), since wandering “blindly”, I went to the wrong mountain that I wanted :) Nevertheless, the photographs turned out interesting.
Balchik is a Bulgarian resort, where you will plunge not only into the world of a beach, relaxing holiday, but also feel the historical spirit of Bulgaria. Balchik is an unusual resort because there are real architectural masterpieces and historical monuments here that you will not be able to pass by.
A Greek colony was founded here 2.5 thousand years ago. Until recently, this resort was considered prestigious and most of the vacationers here were members of the Bulgarian Communist Party. Today Balchik is a relatively inexpensive resort with a good selection of hotels and restaurants. In addition, Balchik is famous for its local cafes and restaurants, which serve, according to many, the most delicious food in Bulgaria.
In this article we will talk not only about features of a beach holiday in Balchik, but we will also conduct a mini-tour of the main attractions of the resort.
How to get to Balchik?
Black Sea coast city Balchik located 42 kilometers from Varna, 500 kilometers from Sofia and only 70 kilometers from Romania and is the third largest port city in Bulgaria. Buses from Sofia run regularly to Balchik; travel time is about 7 hours.
Nearest airport located in Varna. The cost of a flight from Kyiv to Varna is $203, and from Prague to Varna - $135. Varna Airport receives many international flights, especially in summer, so getting to the sunny coast of Bulgaria from European countries is not difficult.
Also works in Bulgaria international railway. It is worth taking care of the availability and cost of tickets in advance; it will be more economical to purchase tickets in both directions at once.
By contacting travel agencies in your city that operate in the direction of Bulgaria, you can arrange to book a seat on a bus that will take you directly to Balchik.
Of course, the most comfortable way to get to Balchik is by car. On the way from Kyiv you will be able to visit two more countries: Romania and Bulgaria.
Balchik attracts tourists the presence of comfortable hotels, holiday homes, boarding houses and sanatoriums. You can also stay in a private villa, cottage, bungalow or organize homestay.
Thus, accommodation in a hotel (4 stars) during the high season will cost $45/day for a double room with amenities and a sea view, and breakfast is also included in the price. Renting a seaside villa with a swimming pool will cost $250/day.
Homestay involves renting apartments in a guest house. This is a budget holiday option, where the comfort is in no way inferior to hotels. Thus, renting an apartment with two bedrooms, a kitchen, amenities and a sea view will cost $38/day.
Apartment rentals are no exception in Balchik. Prices depend on the location of the apartment, conditions and period of stay. In any case, this information should be found out in advance.
As mentioned above, Balchik is famous for its delicious cuisine, which will appeal to even the most skeptical gourmet. There are a large number of restaurants serving European and national cuisine, with Russian and Ukrainian cuisine being no exception. The latter is presented in a restaurant called “Evening Odessa”.
The most popular are considered restaurants“Morskoe Oko” (one of the oldest restaurants in the city, which is sold out even in the off-season) and “Koraba” (this is a ship restaurant, from the portholes of which you can see a beautiful view of the sea). Places such as Olympic and Queen Mary are also worth a visit.
Compared to other resorts in Bulgaria, Balchik beaches may seem miniature, but this does not mean that they are inferior in quality, although the sand here is not as soft as, for example, in the Sunny Beach resort.
Favorite vacation spots for tourists are the resort’s two beaches:
- City Beach is the biggest. It stretches 250 meters in length and 60 meters in width. On the beach you can rent umbrellas and sun loungers for a fee, and here you will also find rental points for equipment for water activities. Not far from the beach there is a source with hydrogen sulfide water, which you can get for free;
- New beach located on the territory of the “Two Seagulls” hotel and is considered the best in the city. Here you will find changing cabins, showers, a swimming pool, water slides, as well as sun loungers and umbrellas. Of course, all this is for a fee (from 1 lev).
Entertainment and attractions of Balchik.
The most important attractions, and also entertainment, of Balchik are Botanical Garden and Palace of the Romanian Queen. The palace was built for the Romanian Queen Maria in 1931-1936 and is called "Quiet Nest". This summer residence consists of a chapel, several guest villas, outbuildings, a huge garden and the castle itself. Many legends are associated with the residence. One of them says that the queen’s favorite place was the rose garden, where she treated her guests to opium, and then listened to what they thought of her. Today, some of the rooms are rented out to vacationers.
Botanical Garden of Balchik- this is a great place where you can hide from the scorching Bulgarian sun. The place is romantic and filled with winding paths and hidden staircases that you can wander around all day.
Just 4 kilometers from Balchik there is a wonderful place Toulouse, where tourists come to soak in the thermal springs and improve their health in estuaries with healing mud. What is especially pleasing is that these procedures are absolutely free.
Balchik is a beautiful Bulgarian resort, where both old and young will find entertainment to their liking, enjoy the warm sun and clear sea, and young people will relax from the bustle of big cities and everyday problems.
If you have not found the information you are interested in on our website or on the Internet, write to us at info@site and we will definitely write useful information just for you.
To our team and:
1.get access to discounts on car rentals and hotels;
2.share your travel experience, and we will pay you for it;
3. create your blog or travel agency on our website;
4.receive free training in developing your own business;
5.get the opportunity to travel for free.
The cheapest way to fly to Bulgaria is under your own power. Therefore, if you are an independent traveler who is not afraid to go on vacation as a savage, then you will definitely need information on how to get from Varna airport to the center of Varna and to other resort towns on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria: Ahtopol, Byala, Albena, Burgas, Balchik, Duni , as well as to the cities of Romania: Constanta and Bucharest.
Before traveling to Bulgaria on your own, I advise you to look at the location of your hotel or apartment on the map and get directions to it, and also, if possible, download a map of Varna to your phone and mark public transport stops and important places near the hotel.
Brief information about the airport
Varna Airport (Letishte Varna; code IATA: VAR code ICAO: LBWN) is the largest airport in the north-eastern part of Bulgaria. The airport currently has only one terminal - Terminal 2, which was modernized several years ago. Passenger traffic at Varna Airport is growing every year, thanks to the growing popularity of the destination. The airport is located 9 km southeast of the center of Varna.
Basically, Varna Airport, like , serves charter flights in the summer (from May to September inclusive), but there are also regular flights here: to Sofia and Burgas, Vienna, Moscow, Istanbul and London. An air ticket from Moscow to Varna will cost you from 7,333 rubles round trip.
- From Russia to Varna, charters fly from Moscow, Novosibirsk, St. Petersburg.
- From Ukraine, charter flights to Varna arrive from Kyiv.
Exchange money at the airport
The official currency of Bulgaria is the Bulgarian Leva. 1 lev = 0.5 Euro. Upon arrival, you can change some money for travel from the airport to Varna or your resort, or withdraw it from an ATM at the airport.
Bus from Varna airport to the center
The bus is the only option to get by public transport from Varna Airport to the city center.
City bus stop No. 409 is located in front of Terminal 2. The bus goes to the Golden Sands resort through the center of Varna, including the Varna Dolphinarium and bus station, and the resort of St. Constantine and Helena. Travel time by bus to the center of Varna is 20 minutes without traffic jams, to Golden Sands – 50 minutes. The bus leaves every 15 minutes. The ticket can be purchased from the bus driver. The cost of a ticket from the airport to Golden Sands is 3 levs (€ 1.5) per person.
The bus makes a stop at the bus station at the Varna Mall (Grand Mall Varna), so if you need to get, for example, to Sunny Beach, then first you go to the bus station in Varna, and then make a transfer.
Just keep in mind that in the summer, when there are many flights at the same time, the bus gets crowded and you may not get off the first time.
From Varna airport to resort towns in Bulgaria
Main bus station in Varna (Avtogara Varna) located at Blvd. Vl.Varnenchik 158. From it you can take a bus to the resorts of the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria and other cities of Bulgaria: Sofia, Balchik, Chernovo, Dobrich, Burgas, Kavarna, Shumen, etc. There are 11 bus departure platforms at the bus station. The bus station is open 24 hours a day.
There are ticket offices at the bus station, which indicate the schedule of buses and minibuses in different directions. You need to choose the company with which you will travel and buy a ticket. You can only pay for travel in Leva; some companies accept cards. Buses from 150 companies arrive at Varna bus station.
International buses depart from Varna bus stations to many major European cities: Bucharest (Romania), Odessa (Ukraine), Budapest, Vienna, Prague (Czech Republic) and more. Tickets for all of these destinations can be purchased on the website, where prices from all carriers are compared. It is better to buy tickets in advance, because... During peak season, tickets run out very quickly.
The location of resort towns on the map of Bulgaria can be seen below, the map is in Russian.
If you are passing through Varna and want to see the city and then go to another place, I recommend staying at the popular five-star hotel Grand Hotel Varna 5* or at the Family Hotel Gran Ivan 3* near the station.
Taxi from Varna airport
I want to warn readers that the Balkans are famous for their crazy taxi fares, especially if you rent a car on the spot without prior reservation and at the airport. Taxi drivers in Varna are no exception, and if they see tourists, especially with luggage and children, who need to go to the hotel, they simply quote a very high price, for example, a friend of mine was quoted the price of travel to Albena as 100 Euro.
Therefore, I would like to advise you to take care of a transfer to your destination in advance and order a taxi from a Russian company at a fixed price from a reliable company in order to avoid troubles upon arrival. You are guaranteed to reach your destination comfortably and without problems. A taxi transfer can be ordered not only to Varna, but also to any hotel or apartment in the resort towns of Bulgaria: Ahtopol, Byala, Albena, Burgas, Balchik, Duni and more.
Car rental at Varna airport
Do you prefer freedom of movement and want to be on wheels straight from the airport? Then you can rent a car right at the airport. During the season, there are not enough cars in Bulgaria and I advise you to book a car in advance through the website or Myrentacar, these sites compare prices from different rental companies. But, I would recommend paying attention to the Myrentacar website, because the resource helps you find a car from proven, reliable local rental companies. The main advantages of such rentals are that you can leave a deposit in cash or you can rent a car without a deposit, as well as the low rental cost.
It will not be difficult for you to move around Bulgaria by car, there are no traffic jams like in large European cities, there are loyal police officers and low prices for parking.
How to get to Varna Airport
Unfortunately, any vacation ends someday, which means that sooner or later you will need to go home. If you are traveling to the airport from Varna, first go to the main bus station and then take bus number 409 to the airport. If you are coming from a resort town, check in advance the schedule of buses/minibuses to Varna at the bus station of this city. In Bulgaria, bus schedules are changed and canceled quite often. Upon arrival at the bus station in Varna, take a bus to the airport. If you don’t want to run around in the heat with bags and suitcases and make transfers, order a taxi.
If your trip includes air tickets and transfers, then there is no need to worry. They'll bring it and take it away. And if you are planning a trip yourself, then you need to take care of everything in advance. In principle, Balchik can be easily reached from all large and not very large cities in Bulgaria by bus. But the closest of the big ones is Varna– there are about 45 km between them. There is no airport in Balchik, but there is one in Varna. It’s a long way from Sofia to Balchik, about 500 km, you can, of course, fly to Sofia, and then take a bus to Balchik. But why bother and waste time if you can fly to Varna right away? Airplanes fly from Russia to Varna, there are even direct ones. These planes can be found in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Nizhny, etc. From Moscow, for example, the plane flies in about 2.5 hours. The ticket costs, however, a little expensive, about 8-9 thousand rubles. It’s a little cheaper with a transfer, but transfers can also be very long and inconvenient. Not the lowest prices, it's a shame. At the same time, there are surprisingly low prices in Sofia, so if you really want to save money, take it to Sofia.
Then you need to get to Varna station. Varna Airport is located 8 kilometers from the city center. 
By the way, the airport is already 50 years old. And it has as many as 5 terminals: two for departing aircraft, two for arriving aircraft, and one as a spare one, in case of high season. 
We are looking for a bus stop between terminals 1 and 2, opposite the parking lot. The fare is within a couple of levs. We take bus number 409 (Golden Sands - Aksakovo). 
These buses run from 06 am to 11 pm every 15 minutes. You can also get there from the airport by taxi. Look for a taxi in front of Terminal 4, International Arrivals. They will take you to the center of Varna for 10-15 levs (5-8 euros) in about fifteen minutes, but perhaps more. 
Now we are going to Balchik. On bus station "Avtogara" or "Mladost"(they are not far from each other, almost opposite) you can take buses to Kavarna and Shabla, which pass through Balchik, or take a minibus directly to Balchik. 
This is a fairly common occurrence; these minibuses run every hour, from about 6:30 in the morning. True, if in the morning buses leave every hour, then there may be a break at lunchtime. The journey takes about 40-45 minutes, and the ticket costs around 5 leva. 
You can, of course, catch a taxi. Only then catch a taxi not at the Grand Hotel, but from the Varna Highway. So you will save about 10 leva. But it won’t be cheaper than 50 leva.
It is possible with transfers. For example, get to Albena and then take a taxi.
Like this. If you decide to travel from Sofia by bus, then look at the station for direct buses to Balchik. They go, like, three times a day, and once at night. Of course, this is still a hassle. The drive will take 8-8.5 hours. But it’s relatively inexpensive – about 35 leva (about 18 euros).
As for transport in Balchik itself, it is, of course, buses. From the main station of Balchik you can go to neighboring cities, Albena, Kavarna, etc. You can also find minibuses on the main square that will take you to the station. Well, and taxi-taxi. Taxi drivers in Balchik, by the way, can be surprisingly intrusive.
Balchik is a relaxing holiday, beautiful nature, luxurious beaches, clear sea, excellent service and low prices. Among the popular attractions of the city, where all the entertainment and entertainment venues are concentrated, and, of course, numerous beaches, for example or. A big bonus of Balchik beaches is that there is almost always free space. In addition, due to the fact that the city is small, no matter where you stay, your hotel will always be close to the sea.
Some people go to Balchik because they are looking for peace and solitude, while others come here for 1-2 days to take a break from the noise of the big resort town.
How to get to Balchik and how much it costs
The nearest international airport to Balchik is located in , the distance between Balchik and 52 km. Read more about the airport.
The cheapest and most convenient way to get to Varna is by plane. A direct or connecting flight from Moscow in summer costs approximately 120-150 euros. In September, ticket prices drop by about 30 euros. Connecting flights usually have a transfer in or Istanbul. There are often discounts in this direction on aviasales.ru, but it is usually better to book tickets in advance.
How to get from Varna to Balchik and how much it costs
There are several ways to get to Balchik from Varna: by bus, transfer or taxi.
By bus
A large number of buses run between Varna and Balchik, most of them go either specifically to Balchik, or to cities located a little further - Kavarna or Shabla.
Buses depart from Varna bus station ( address: blvd. Vladislav Varnenchik 158, Varna). Tickets can be purchased at the bus station ticket office. Buses run from 6.30 am to 6.30 pm, but there are also later. Fare 5 levs or 2.5 euros. Travel time 50 minutes.
Transfer or taxi
If you are traveling to Balchik with a group of several people, it will be more convenient for you to use transfer services. There are a lot of companies offering such services, but it is inconvenient to look for them locally (although upon arrival at the airport you can find out information at the help desk); it is easier to order a car in advance. Transfer cost Kiwitaxi from Varna airport to anywhere in Balchik approximately 40 euros. You can order a transfer and choose a car.
Cost of housing near the sea in Balchik
Apartments and rooms in hotels and guest houses in Balchik are much cheaper than in other resort towns in Bulgaria.
Nice double room in a hotel in the first line in June will cost you about 40 euros.
If you want to save money, a good option is to find an apartment or guest house where the rooms have a kitchen. Guest houses usually pay per room, not per number of people, and you can also save on food.
Cost of an apartment or room in a guest house in Balchik in June starts from 18 euros and the further from the sea, the cheaper.
Booking.com offers the most budget accommodation options in Balchik. When choosing a hotel or apartment, you can check the criteria you are interested in in the menu on the left, for example, the desired price, availability of a kitchen, proximity to the beach, availability of parking, and so on.