Roman Thermae

Varna


The well-preserved ruins of Varna's 2nd-century-AD Roman Thermae are the largest in Bulgaria and the fourth-largest of their kind in Europe. Visitors are allowed to clamber around the various chambers of the bath complex and admire surviving pieces of the advanced floor- and water-heating systems. The baths survived in their original form for only a century or two before the complex was abandoned. It was too costly to maintain as the empire began to decline.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Varna attractions

1. Sveti Atanas Orthodox Church

0.07 MILES

The beautiful Sveti Atanas Church overlooks the Roman Thermae. Dating from 1838, it features numerous icons and an intricately carved bishop’s throne.

2. History of Varna Museum

0.12 MILES

Varna’s ivy-clad city history museum covers the post-independence period from 1878 to 1939, with mock-ups of long-gone 1920s shops and offices,…

3. Roman Baths (Small)

0.14 MILES

There's a walkway running around the ruins of this smaller Roman bath complex, built around the 4th century AD, but there's little to see other than some…

4. Sveti Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church

0.17 MILES

This elegant church was built in 1842 and features a barrelled wooden ceiling and a wonderful collection of naive icons. It’s normally closed, but the…

5. National Naval Museum

0.21 MILES

The National Naval Museum hosts several galleries of model ships and uniforms. Anchors, artillery and helicopters can be seen rusting quietly in the…

6. Ethnographic Museum

0.22 MILES

This charming revival-era mansion built in 1860 houses an interesting collection of traditional folk costumes and furnishings, and has displays on local…

7. St Michael the Archangel Church

0.26 MILES

St Michael the Archangel Church was founded in 1865 and is historically significant as the first place where religious services were given in Bulgarian…

8. Aquarium

0.26 MILES

Housed in a powder-blue art deco building, the city aquarium is worth a look to see the tanks filled with seahorses, piranhas and conger eels, as well as…