Varna

Varna has a cosmopolitan atmosphere where visitors can mingle with uniformed sailors as they promenade along shady boulevards lined by 19th and early 20th century buildings. Attractions include the 19th century Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin; the 2nd century thermae, the remains of the largest Roman public building in Bulgaria; the granite monument commemorating the 1444 Battle of Varna. The Varna Museum is full of historical treasures of interest. Other museums include Ethnographic Museum, with interesting displays of costumes, masks, and jewellery, and Natural History Museum of coastal flora and fauna. The chief attraction is Botanical Garden, which surrounds the small summer palace of the Romanian Queen Marie. Euxinograd Palace, a royal summer residence built in 1882, and its wonderfully kept formal gardens resemble a French chateau set in beautiful wooded parkland which reaches down to a fine sandy beach.