Varna, located in Bulgaria, is an important port city and a well-known resort destination.
With roots going back to the 6th century BC as a Greek colony of Odessos, it was first documented in the 12th century as Varna, named after the river Varna. Among the various speculations about the origin, the most convincing theory relates this name to the word “var”, meaning “mineral spring”.
Being the third largest city in Bulgaria, Varna is of great importance as a cultural and financial center, and also serves as an important transport hub for the country. As Bulgaria’s largest port, Varna boasts ferry connections to destinations such as Chernomorsk, Port Kavkaz, Poti, Batumi and Istanbul. Its official population is 369,632, with 378,559 in subordinate settlements (2020 census).
Geographically, Varna is located in the northeastern part of the country, near the Romanian border, along the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. To the west of the city there is a long lake, into which the waters of the Provadiysk river flow. Located at about 43 degrees north latitude, Varna roughly corresponds to the geographic coordinates of cities such as Nice, Toronto, Alma-Ata, Vladivostok and Sochi.
The nearby climate favors the cultivation of Mediterranean plants such as pomegranate, kiwi, dates, rice and bay leaves. In summer, the sea temperature ranges from +20 to +30 °C, and on hot days the temperature of the sand on the beach can reach 65 °C.
In the Gulf of Varna, the average wave height is about 61 cm.
To the north of Varna are some of the most famous resorts such as St. Constantine and Elena, Golden Sands and Albena.