Varna, Bulgaria

yomchi

Hi all,

I spent the last week in Varna which is on the east coast of Bulgaria. I was here primarily for an international Taekwon-Do tournament but there was somethings that enoyed me enough or pleased me enough to post a review.

I'll start with the negative so I can end on a positive note;

1. steer well clear of the taxi's at Varna airport. They are vultures and sit patiently waiting on unassuming tourists to arrive. They charge 6 to 7 times the actual price, for example the driver taking us to our hotel charged us 50 Leva and when we returned to the airport from the same hotel to meet incoming friends the next day, a reputable company charged us 7 Leva. So stay well away from them.

2. Varna city itself is grubby. You have to understand they are a former communist state and still bare all the hall marks of a changing society. Pathways are broken, streets are filthy, the people seem cautious and because of that not very friendly, thats how it struck us. Of course the people we did meet through our sport were beautiful people and very hospitable.

3. Restaurants in Varna mostly do not have english menus and don't seem too willing to help any starving holiday makers!

4. Bureau de change centres -STAY THE HELL AWAY!!!! Do not arrive without your local currency - you will be robbed otherwise by these guys. One of our entourage had a bad experience with one. We found out later you have to be with a local to do business.

5. Where we stayed in Varna, which was beside the Sea garden there was a lot people drinking around the street. Groups of men well on and sitting menacing around corners is not a rare sight. Night time around Varna city may not be pleasant.

6. Prima Hotel Best Western Varna. Simply stay somewhere else. Its located down a back street with no street lighting. Toilet was broken, they admit to advertising double rooms but to not supplying them. The room was clean and the house keeper efficient, the receptionists were helpful enough. Its the location really that I recommend staying else where. The hotel is basic.

7 The food is not nice. No restaurant we visited was worth mentioning. Very poor food.

8. The information centre at the airport, the receptionist could barely speak english and wasn't allowed use the desk phone to ring a taxi. So bring your mobile and the number I provided below!

Good points:

1. The tourist resorts, Golden Sands for example is quite good. Typical touristy spot with plenty of souvenir places etc. It is annoying though as you
walk around restaurant workers and pub workers harrass you into going into their venue - every 5 seconds! If they spot your Irish they will attempt some tacky Gaelic! Its just annoying. Watch for restaurant jacking up thir prices.

2. The weather of course was bliss.

3. Helios Hotel and Spa - very nice venue indeed.

4. The aqua park in Golden Sands is a great venue for kids and grown up kids

5. The reputable taxi company we found - bring this number with you to varna, 052355555 VIP taxi Co. They put everything on the meter and don't mess you about. We got a woman who was driver 15 - lovely person.

6. The old Communist sites were a treat to visit. Big red stars on buildings still over look the city, the Palace of sports and Culture where we competed reminded me of Rocky 4!

All in all it was an experience. Good, bad and ugly. The worst part was some people always trying to make a few quid on you, its not the price involved but its the principle for me. You are always on your guard which is bad really.
That coupled with the cautious unfriendly public and the seedy looking police made what could have been a beautiful place into a strange one. Their tourist board needs a shake up, but I've no doubt they will progress eventually.

Sin é

BuffyBot

Good to know. Bulgaria's getting to be a burgeoning destination but it sounds like it has a little bit to go yet!

yomchi

I hope it gets there soon because it has great potential!

( . )( . )

hey Jon, is Varna the main airport? i'm going to bulgaria with the lads in late december on a skiing trip.

yomchi

Its the main airport for that region. If you did a package trip you'll probably fly into Burgas- thats if its the east coast you're going to?

hedgehunter

Jon,

I have a place for the last few years in Bulgaria, and would like to think that I can address some of your points.

1. NEVER take a taxi in the resorts without first confirming the price before getting in. When inside, make sure the meter is switched on (that includes not having been already switched on before you get in). Taking advantage of locals unfortunately is endemic with taxis in Eastern Europe, although there are trustworthy compnaies now coming to the fore.

2. Bulgarian people are in general cautious of foreigners as they have a stereo type that all Westeners are out to make money at their expense. That said, when you get to know them, Bulgarians are welcoming to a fault- difficult to find a more hospitable nation. Some of the infrastructure is not up to scratch, but there is now EU money pouring into roads etc. Bear in mind that with the Commies, public transport was top notch.

3. The main foreign language in Bulgarian is Russian and to a lesser extent German (due to historical connections; Ex-King and PM has German roots), so unless you go to more touristy places English is not widely spoken. Trust me if you go back, take the time to learn some basic phrases in the local lingo, and people will go out of their way to help you.

4. Never had a problem with a bureau de change in all my time there. That said, always use a main bank, and NEVER use on-street money changers, and you won't go far wrong.

5. Violent crime is VERY rare in Bulgaria. Alot of the unpleasantness that you witnessed were most likely people that were shafted after the fall of Communism. That left huge amounts of people without savings & jobs, leading to the obvious side effects.

6. Don't know this hotel, so can't comment here I'm afraid.

7. Bulgarian food is top-notch but you have to know what you're looking for (i.e. stay away from stalls on the beach). Excellent fish, and most vegetables are organic owing to the (relative) high cost of fertilisers etc.

8. See 3. above. That said, Bulgarian tourism (for Westerners; Russians have been coming for decades) is still in its infancy.

For ( . )( . )

For skiing, yo'll most likely fly into Sofia (or a few flights go to Plovdiv which has a small airport).

If you need any help, feel free to ask.

yomchi

Thanks for the feed back HH, your experience and wider knowledge is appreciated. The local view of westerners is probably spot on as well!