The diverse collection here includes valuable remnants from excavations carried out at the nearby Kibela (Cybele) Temple (referred to at the museum as the 'Temple of the Pontic Mother of Gods'), which dates back to the 3rd century BC and was buried in an earthquake 1500 years ago. It was discovered only in 2007 during construction of a hotel. There is also Roman statuary and medieval pottery, with lots of helpful signage in English.
Historical Museum
Black Sea Coast
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
18.64 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
0.91 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…
18.93 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…
18.58 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
18.92 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…
18.15 MILES
The museum presents the flora and fauna of the Black Sea region, divided into sections representing the area's geology, botany, vertebrates and…
18.77 MILES
The National Naval Museum hosts several galleries of model ships and uniforms. Anchors, artillery and helicopters can be seen rusting quietly in the…
St Michael the Archangel Church
18.7 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…
Nearby Black Sea Coast attractions
0.01 MILES
This museum features folk costumes, housewares and jewellery, as well as displays relating to traditional trades and crafts such as fishing, barrel-making…
0.11 MILES
The permanent collection of this gallery holds about 1500 works of art from Bulgarian and foreign artists, though the main draws tend to be the highly…
3. Summer Palace of Queen Marie & Botanical Gardens
0.91 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…
17.74 MILES
Varna's small zoo, in Primorski Park, has around 70 different types of animals, including some llamas, a camel, some big cats (lion, tiger, panther), pink…
18.15 MILES
The museum presents the flora and fauna of the Black Sea region, divided into sections representing the area's geology, botany, vertebrates and…
18.4 MILES
This contemporary art gallery displays rotating exhibitions of mainly visual arts, usually of high quality.
18.51 MILES
You can peruse two floors of 19th- and 20th-century Bulgarian art at this gallery, including works by Vladimir Dimitrov and David Peretz. Various…
18.55 MILES
Varna's towering, multistory city hall is a landmark of communist-era brutalist design.