Balchik Palace

The tour starts at 9 a.m. from Varna or any of the nearby resorts. A half-an-hour drive will take us to the picturesque coastal town of Balchik, where we visit a beautiful park with the summer residence of Romanian Queen Maria from the early 20th century. Along the coast, the steep terrain is traversed with terraces - gardens, interconnected by steep stairs, green tunnels and arches. The villa itself, reflecting the original personality and spirit of the Queen, is the work of Italian architects now functioning as a museum.

Palace and Botanical Gardens of Balchik

As part of the palace, in 1926 Swiss botanist Jules Jani designed and built a park complex. Later Sofia University established a botanical garden there. Today, more than 2,000 plant species from 85 families and over 800 genera are grown here. The collection of palm trees, for example, includes 33 species, some of which are more than 50 years old. Here you can see rare and exotic trees such as rubber tree, candy tree, paper tree, ancient ginkgo biloba, large-flowered magnolia and others.