Located less than 50 km from Romanian Border and 60 km from Varna, Kavarna can be the ideal place if you want to be away from the crowds and have a slightly different vacation at the Black Sea.
Being a fairly small village, tourists do not crowd to come here and this makes it quite attractive, both for people who want to escape from the hustle and bustle specific to the big cities and for people who have a small budget for a vacation. I say this because, from my experience, at least when it comes to accommodation, the quality-price ratio is more than decent. This destination is one of my favorites when I don't want to spend a lot of money and at the same time have some relaxation, fun, maybe visit new places.
Although at first glance it seems that there is not much to do and visit, you will be surprised, Bulgarians know how to make the most of everything they have, managing to put together a consistent list of activities that you can do and places to visit. Which you can visit, even if you don't have a car (I will elaborate on this topic during this article).
HOW TO GET TO KAVARNA:
The closest city with an international airport is Varna. From there, the easiest is to rent a car and drive on an easy road about an hour, even less. Another option to come here is from Constanta, Romania, situated at a distance of 100 km, or Bucharest, which is a little more farther.
For those who do not have a personal car, or who do not want to get involved with driving, the road can be just as simple. There are bus routes from the big cities that run to Kavarna. The best prices, I noticed, are from Bucharest. Most travel agencies offer these tours, without you being obliged to purchase accommodation from them. The options, which I found and to which I leave a link, are from Alltur and Direct Booking.
WHERE TO STAY IN KAVARNA:
For accommodation, you have countless options from both travel agencies and booking sites such as Airbnb or Booking. At Booking you can also choose the desired meal option, with "All inclusive" offers.
Among the options I had when I organized my trip to Kavarna, I chose to book a studio room at Calithea Complex. It had a pretty good rating on Booking, being, by the way, also my recommendation, only if you get here by car. The location is above the town, on one of the spurs of the hill that surrounds the bay. The climb is much too long and difficult to walk, so you will have to use your car to reach the beach. There is a spacious and free parking right next to the beach. Don't risk parking in unorganized places because illegally parked cars will be picked up.
Returning to the accommodation, the studio was clean, spacious, cool and with a superb view of the sea. The staff was kind and if I have another chance, I will return to this location.
WHERE TO EAT IN KAVARNA:
Regarding restaurants, the situation is not excellent, but good and there are few options with decent food. The most common recommendation, both from locals and on Trip Advisor, was for the Bulgarka Restaurant. We didn't get to try their food, because we received the recommendations before leaving the resort.
Instead, we ate at one of the restaurants on the beach, the Royal Beach Restaurant. The food was decent. The staff didn't speak English but were polite. For everything that can be seen in the picture, I paid approximately 60 leva.
THE BEACHES OF KAVARNA:
The resort is not the best in terms of beaches, there are only 4, quite small, but not crowded. They are quite clearly delimited by walls of stabilopos or areas for boats. The first of them is wild, being quite few places even for a towel. The entry into the water is smooth.
The beach in the Royal Grand Hotel area, which is divided into two, one that is with sunbeds and umbrellas of the hotel and does not have its own access to the water, and the second part is public, with a smooth entrance to the water. If you are staying at the Royal Grand, you can enter the water from the public beach.
The third beach is Royal Beach, half with sunbeds and umbrellas, restaurants and showers, and the other half for towels. The sand is fine, and the entrance to the water is smooth.
The fourth beach is located behind the harbor wall, a little hidden and it has no sand, and entering the water is difficult because of the pebbles. I recommend it only for a walk at sunset or sunrise.
PLACES TO VISIT IN KAVARNA AND NEAR BY:
The town itself is not the best in terms of tourist attractions, on the other hand, at a relatively short distance by car, there are several places that are worth seeing. As I said at the beginning of the article, Bulgarians know how to make the most of everything they have, managing to put together a list of activities and excursions from the small Black Sea Coast village.
Nearby, whether you have a car or not, you have the option of visiting tourist places, by purchasing certain tours or day trips. Although I have not tried any of the options that I am going to talk about, I must admit that I will get my revenge at the first opportunity. With attached link here, you can choose between: picnic on the yacht, ride on the pirate ship, visit to Balchik, Jeep Safari, the Bulgarian village of Solnik, the river of turtles and the stone forest, visit to Nessebar or the experience of looking for truffles.
In Kavarna, if you arrive in August, it is good to know that every year, the "Sea Festival" takes place. In 2022, it took place between August 8-14.
Other locations you can visit on your own: - Russalka, about which I wrote a separate article, click here. - Tyulenovo, an ideal location for water sports with kayak or paddle or for admiring the landscape. - The castle and the botanical garden in Balcic, find the article here. - Kaliakra Cape; - Bolata Bay About Kavarna, Kaliakra and Tyulenovo, I also made a vlog. Please like and subscribe if you liked it.
For more travel destinations and photos, you can also follow me on Instagram, or you can subscribe to the newsletter, only your email address is required. Read also about another location where you can go with a low budget in Bulgaria, Veliko Tarnovo.
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