” Sunset breeze over the bay ” – Day Two

The palace and botanical garden in Balchik

Here it comes day two of the adventure – day awaiting to conquer new destinations and breathtaking views. Once pending the night in Varna, we headed north. From the very beginning we knew that once we are in the Varna’s area, we cannot miss Balchik palace of Queen Maria. From what I saw, I advise you not to pass by the palace. The Botanical Garden, which it owns, is maintained and kept with a lot of love. It is unique in itself, it is home of large and numberless variation of plants. The fact that all this is just meters away from the Black Sea adds a great part of uniqueness. Having examined the botanical garden, we focused on the most significant spot in the complex. The marble throne of the Queen, which overlooks the sea and the palace. The palace itself is not that large in scale, but just the opposite – small and cozy. Inside, the style is simple and extends over two floors. The rooms on the first floor are mostly used as gallery and the second floor was restored and made more authentic – similar to the way it looked liked when the Queen lived there.

Useful information:
Keep in mind that you need to purchase two separate tickets: one for the palace and a separate one for the botanical garden;
Palace: May 1 to September 30: 8:00 to 20:00 am .; every day.
November 1 to March 31: 8:30 to 17:00 am; every day.
Children (under 18) – 2.00 levа; adults – 10.00 levа;

For Botanical Garden: Hours to visit: All year
winter period from 8.30 to 17.00; summer period 8.00 to 20.00;
Tickets: Adults 7 levа; Students, university students and pensioners 2 lеvа; Children under 7 years free;
The complex is very suitable for family visits and not only;
Nearby are Varna 44 km. Kavarna and 19 km. (As itself Balchik);
The route is from Varna north on E87;

Gulf Bolata

After spending the morning in Balchik, we headed to perhaps my favourite place during the whole Adventure: Gulf Bolata! The view that opens cannot be described in words so I will just let the pictures show the beauty of this breathtaking place. Here we allowed ourselves to stay longer, in order to feel the sea spirit, also to enjoy the water as we had reached the sea. The bay itself is small and picturesque. Over the years, however, began to gain popularity and more visitors started coming. On the beach there is a nice little restaurant offering refreshing drinks and a casual meal. Highly recommend it, not so much for bathing as for the view. You will not regret a moment spent there.

Useful information:
To see the bay from above and feel the magic you should climb the stairs located just behind the restaurant. Enjoy this moment! ;
The road passes through the road Kavarna – cape Kaliakra. You need to make a turn to the left before you reach the fortress and from there continue straight to the bay itself;

Archaeological complex Yailata

Time progressed and we still had to visit two more stops! We headed from Bolata to the archaeological complex Yailata. The complex is located on a rocky seaside terrace. Both the location and the history are amazing. It’s an ancient civilization dating back to the V century BC. The archaeological heritage has many remains as cave homes, wineries, monasteries and more. The story is impressive and the atmosphere is just amazing. You will  certainly be impressed by the incredible scenery, the remnants of a bygone era and the sea view itself.

Useful information:
Work time: Monday – Sunday from 09.00 to 20.00 .; Admission: adults – 3 levа, students – 1.50 lev;
It is advisable to have put convenient clothes because you will spend some time walking around the reserve and also to be well smeared with sun cream.
Nearby settlements are the village of Kamen Bryag 2 km and Kavarna 12 km;
Route that can reach Yailata is trough Kavarna to cape Kaliakra. Get  the route to Kamen Bryag in  Bulgarevo village. Reaching Kamen Bryag there are already well-marked signs to Yailata.

Cape Kaliakra

We were approaching the end of the day and we left perhaps the most beautiful place for final destination. Namely Cape Kaliakra, this strong, emotionally connected with Bulgarian history, location. A place full of history, magic and beauty. Although part of the cape is a military zone and the access is severely limited, visitors can enjoy a walk and explore the ruins. I’ll tell you a little secret … go at sunset, you will not regret it. For the simple reason that this is the only place on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast where you can watch the sunset over Black Sea.

Useful information:
1 April – 31 October: 9 – 19 without a break. Closed throughout the rest of the year. Adults – 3 lеvа Children 1, 50 lеv;
This is perhaps one of the most romantic places on the Black Sea coast. Surprise your spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend.
Nearby is Kavarna 12km, and numerous villages with guest houses;
The route that will reach the cape of Kaliakra is well-maintained asphalt road leading directly to the cape;

That is how we ended our day. After a pleasant walk on the cape during sunset we headed to Kavarna, where we stayed for two nights in a hotel. For more details, follow me on day three …..