Location

Balchik is a small coastal town/ resort on the shore of the Black Sea.

Located in the Dobrich province, this beautiful resort /city is only 501 km away from Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and less than 40 km away from the city of Varna.

The town is spread on hilly terraces that ensure you can have a scenic view.

The streets are steep and clean.

Things to do

Balchik Palace

The Balchik Palace, formerly known as the Quiet Nest Palace, was built between 1926 and 1937 for the Queen Marie of Romanie, wife of Ferdinand I of Romania.

At that time, Romania had control over this region. While visiting Balchik, the queen expressed her wish to have a summer residence built there.

Nowadays within the palace complex you can find residential villas, a smoking hall, a wine cellar, a power station, a monastery, a holy spring and a chapel.

There is even a small waterfall on the side of the palace, which can be admired from the boardwalk.

As you can see in the photo above, the Balchik Palace is placed above sea level. To be accurate, it is 17 metres (56 ft) high.

Botanical Garden

Balchik’s Botanical Garden is famous for its large-sized cactus species displayed outdoors on 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft), being the second of its kind in Europe.

The Boardwalk

The Boardwalk connects the beach with the resort and here is where you can find most of the restaurants, entertainment and nightlife.

In some areas, the top part of the boardwalk's wall is painted in different colours and gives you the impression of a never ending piano keyboard.

Restaurants

Along the beautiful boardwalk there are many restaurants and terraces where you can eat or have a drink.

As most of the tourists are Romanians or Russians, don’t be surprised to see the menus written in one of these two languages.

Some of the restaurants are themed and have one or two amazing artworks displayed at the entrance or in front of them, on the side of the boardwalk.

Balchik’s Marina

The local marina is a great place to hang out, have a walk and look at the many yachts or speed boats passing by.

You can see boats from all over the world anchored in here.

The Beach

Being located on a small bay, the beach consists of a narrow strip of sand. You can find umbrellas or chaise longues for a small fee.

Many tourists prefer staying straight on the sand, on their beach towels or on their own beach chairs.

Note that some areas of the beach are having less sand and more shells or rocks.

On the beach, you can also find showers where you can wash off the sand out of your feet before heading back to your hotel room.

Carved rocks

While heading towards the Palace, on the sea side of the boardwalk you can admire some artworks carved on the rocks.

Where to stay?

The city and resort offer a wide range of accommodation. You can find all kind of hotels, villas or guest houses. There's something for all pockets!

Parking

Unlike in Varna, parking in Balchik is not a hassle. You can park your car on the side of the road without any problem. No need to look for a paid parking place or that you might get your car towed!

Safety

We felt safe at all times and we found people were very friendly. Some of them spoke English and/or Romanian. While strolling down the streets we saw two police cars.

I am hoping that this post inspired you to add Balchik or Bulgaria on your list of countries to travel to in your lifetime.

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Unless stated otherwise, all photos used in this posts are taken and owned by myself. If you wish to use any of my images, please contact me!

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave your feedback in the comments, I would love to hear your thoughts!

@2018 LaviPicu aka The Lyme Poet. All rights reserved.