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, collections of photographs and postcards, and paraphernalia from local trades such as brewing and printing.
History of Varna Museum
Varna
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.65 MILES
Exhibits at this vast museum, the best of its kind in Bulgaria, include 6000-year-old bangles, necklaces and earrings said to be the oldest worked gold…
Summer Palace of Queen Marie & Botanical Gardens
18.24 MILES
At the far western end of the seafront, this palace was completed in 1926 by King Ferdinand of Romania for his English wife, Queen Marie, when Balchik was…
0.12 MILES
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…
19 MILES
The diverse collection here includes valuable remnants from excavations carried out at the nearby Kibela (Cybele) Temple (referred to at the museum as the…
0.43 MILES
Established in 1878, this large and attractive green space, overlooking the sea, stretches for about 8km and is said to be the largest of its kind in…
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin
0.61 MILES
Varna's cathedral (1886) is topped with golden onion domes. Note the murals (painted in 1950) and colourful stained-glass windows, though you'll have to…
0.85 MILES
The museum presents the flora and fauna of the Black Sea region, divided into sections representing the area's geology, botany, vertebrates and…
0.23 MILES
The National Naval Museum hosts several galleries of model ships and uniforms. Anchors, artillery and helicopters can be seen rusting quietly in the…
Nearby Varna attractions
0.02 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…
2. Sveti Atanas Orthodox Church
0.11 MILES
The beautiful Sveti Atanas Church overlooks the Roman Thermae. Dating from 1838, it features numerous icons and an intricately carved bishop’s throne.
0.12 MILES
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…
0.23 MILES
The National Naval Museum hosts several galleries of model ships and uniforms. Anchors, artillery and helicopters can be seen rusting quietly in the…
5. Sveti Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church
0.28 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…
0.29 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…
0.3 MILES
This charming revival-era mansion built in 1860 houses an interesting collection of traditional folk costumes and furnishings, and has displays on local…
8. St Michael the Archangel Church
0.37 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…