Albena, one of the most modern resorts in Bulgaria, is located in a small, cozy bay of the Black Sea coast on the slopes of the Dobrudja plateau and is surrounded by the Baltata nature reserve. The sea air and pine forests around have turned Albena into a year-round balneological resort, and the calm sea, shallow near the coast, with a clean 5-kilometer beach, made this place especially attractive for families with children. But excellent conditions have been created here for the rest of other guests. And the excursions from Albena across Bulgaria, which local tour operators offer to vacationers, are so diverse and exciting that they will not leave indifferent even the most sophisticated traveler.
The surroundings of Albena are rich in sights, and the closest of them is the Baltata Nature Reserve. The forest located in the floodplain of the Batova River is the northernmost liana-type forest, a real jungle in the center of Europe. Here you can find unique trees, shrubs, flowers, many of which are listed in the Red Book. Wild animals and birds of these places in other places are extremely rare.
Excursion Balchik - Cape Kaliakra
The ancient town of Balchik is located just 8 km north of Albena. Dazzlingly snow-white, entirely built of white limestone, since ancient times it has delighted travelers with its beauty. At the beginning of the 20th century, a summer residence for the Romanian queen Mary of Edinburgh was built in Balchik and a park was laid out in the image of a labyrinth in Crete. Now this park is a real treasure of Bulgaria, the National Monument of Landscape Art. In addition to all its beauties, it contains the richest collection of cacti. And in the royal residence, called the "Quiet Nest Palace", an atmosphere of exquisite European luxury and oriental bliss reigns.
The path from Balchik leads to Cape Kaliakra - a unique natural and archaeological reserve and one of the most beautiful places on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. The cape juts out into the sea for almost 2 km, its shores, up to 70 m high, are rocky, with many caves. At the tip of the cape there is an observation deck, from which you can admire the dizzying panorama of the surroundings, and the games of dolphins in the Black Sea.
Once upon a time, Cape Kaliakra was the capital of the Dobrudzha principality. Now you can see here:
- Ruins of a fortress and several churches
- 10-meter lighthouse built in 1901
- Monument to Admiral Fyodor Ushakov
- Obelisk "Gate of 40 Maidens"
- Chapel of St. Nicholas
Upon returning from Cape Kaliakra, tourists will have dinner at a wonderful restaurant decorated in a national style, in a walnut forest, with nestinar dances on hot coals.
The price of the excursion for adults and children is 43 and 22 euros.
Among the offers from travel agencies in Albena, it is difficult to determine the priorities. But the children will certainly like Varna, where they are awaited
- Aquapark
- Dolphinarium
- Aquarium
- Zoo
- The largest planetarium in the Balkans
- Varna's seaside park full of entertainment and temptations
Country and People
An excursion with this name leaves from Albena to the city of Shumen and begins with a visit to the famous Kabiyuk stud farm. Here you can see horses of noble blood, enjoy horseback riding or ride in decorated carts. And after that, go to Veliki Preslav, next to which in the 9th-10th centuries was the capital of the first Bulgarian kingdom.
Now on this site the National Historical and Archaeological Museum of Veliki Preslav is open. Here you can see the ruins of palaces, columns, carved slabs, marble and porphyry floors, and the famous Golden Round Church of the 10th century. Once it, richly decorated with marble, mosaics, ceramics, with a gilded dome, rose on top of a hill and was visible from afar. Now the Golden Church is dilapidated, but its beauty is visible in the ruins. It was built in the Roman style and is not at all like the old Bulgarian churches. The chroniclers of the Golden Age of Bulgaria recognized her as the personification of beauty and splendor.
The price of the excursion for adults and children is 52 and 26 euros.
