Central Beach Balchik, Bulgaria: The 300m Town Beach Below the White City Where Queen Marie Wanted Her Heart Buried

Bulgaria | Balchik | Dobrich Province, Northern Black Sea Coast

Balchik is located about 50 kilometres north of Varna.

The name “White City” comes from the white limestone cliffs that rise above the town and give the buildings constructed from the local stone their characteristic colour. Balchik is a small town of modest size whose central beach is correspondingly modest — approximately 300 metres of sand tucked between the marina and the Dambata promenade — but the context it sits in is disproportionately rich.

Queen Marie visited Balchik for the first time in 1921 and was fascinated by the tranquillity of the area and the stunning view of the seashore. She couldn’t forget beautiful Balchik and not so long after that she returned here. The palace was designed by Italian architects and its construction started in 1924.

Queen Marie said: “Love lives in my heart constantly, no heart can forget the experience!” She was the woman who wanted her heart to stay forever in Balchik. Her request was granted — her heart was buried in the chapel she named Star of the Sea at the palace — but after a while it was moved to Bucharest.

The heart was moved. The palace stayed. The Botanical Garden stayed. The beach below the white cliffs stayed.

Getting There: 50km North of Varna, 50-Minute Bus, or 20 Minutes from Golden Sands

The complex is located about 50 kilometres north of Varna.

From Varna Central Bus Station, buses to Balchik run frequently throughout the day — approximately 50 minutes. The beach is a short downhill walk from the central bus arrival point.

By taxi from Golden Sands resort: approximately 20 minutes and €15 to €20. By car from Varna, follow the E87 coastal road north; once in Balchik, follow signs for the Port or Marina and use the parking lots adjacent to the seafront.

The central beach is at sea level; the town is on the limestone cliffs above. The walk from the promenade to the beach level is a few minutes on steps or a ramp.

The Beach: 300m Sandy Bay, Calm Protected Water, €5–8 Sunbeds, Lifeguards, Simple Infrastructure

Central Balchik beach is approximately 300 metres long and lies in a naturally protected bay adjacent to the port. The water is calm — the bay’s geometry reduces swell — and shallow near the shore. Sunbeds and umbrellas: approximately €5 to €8 per set. Lifeguards are on duty in season. Freshwater showers, changing cabins, and restrooms are available. Pedal boats, banana rides, and jet ski rentals operate from the marina section.

The honest scale: this is a town beach in a small northern Bulgarian city. It is not a resort strip like Golden Sands and it is not a wild pristine beach like Krapets. It is the central beach of Balchik — pleasant, organised, suitable for families, and specifically valuable as the base from which to explore the town’s primary cultural attraction.

The Queen Marie Palace and Botanical Garden: 10 Minutes’ Walk, Bulgaria’s Most Famous Royal Site

The Botanical Garden is the main attraction in the town of Balchik. Its 10 hectares surround the small summer palace of the Romanian Queen Marie. The gardens are set on a steep hillside, and descend in 6 terraces to the sea — supposedly one for each of the Queen’s children. There are over 3,000 varieties of shrubs, roses and flowers, set among streams, waterfalls, and ornamental channels.

Queen Marie was the daughter of the Duke of Edinburgh — granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England and of Russian Tsar Alexander II. She was a follower of the Baháʼí Faith, a religion teaching the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people.

The palace was built by Italian architects beginning in 1924. In the palace and the Botanical Garden in Balchik, the symbols of Islam and Christianity complement each other, turning it into a temple of all religions — known as “The Garden of Allah.” There is a small fountain in the “Garden of Allah” that dates back to 1865. The queen named each garden and alley: the “Walk of Wine,” the “Walk of Ages,” the “Hanging Terraces,” the “Divine Garden,” the “English Garden.”

Admission: 15 BGN adults, 7 BGN children (7–18). Open 08:00 to 20:00 in summer. The Queen’s Winery on the complex grounds — built in a manor intended for Queen Marie’s son Nikolai — offers free wine tasting with a wide variety of local wines and spirits.

The White City: Limestone Cliffs, the Dambata Promenade, the Historic Quarter

The Dambata promenade that runs above the beach is the social infrastructure of Balchik — the restaurants, café terraces, and shops that provide the evening programme. The limestone cliff face behind the town is the visual identity: the same white rock that gave the botanical garden its terraced hillside forms the escarpment that the town was built into.

The Balchik Botanical Garden is home to more than 3,000 plant species. The cactus collection includes 250 species, second only to Monaco. Some of the cacti grow in the open air and reach 5 metres.

The Wine: Balchik’s Own Production, Queen’s Winery, Local Variety

Balchik wine is a hidden gem. The Queen’s Winery at the palace complex offers free tasting. The local wine production from the Dobrudja region of northern Bulgaria — the flat plateau above the coastal cliffs — includes Chardonnay, Traminer, and the indigenous Dimyat white grape. A glass of local wine on a terrace above the white cliffs at sunset is the specific Balchik programme.

The Golf Context: Thracian Cliffs, Lighthouse Golf, BlackSeaRama

Balchik is close to some of Europe’s top golf courses, including Thracian Cliffs, BlackSeaRama, and Lighthouse Golf & Spa Resort.

The concentration of elite golf courses in the Kavarna–Balchik corridor — all built in the 2000s on the dramatic plateau above the cliff coastline — makes this stretch of northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast the premier golf destination in Eastern Europe.

Central Beach Balchik is the 300-metre sandy bay below the white limestone cliffs — the Queen Marie Palace and Botanical Garden (3,000 plant species, 6 terraces to the sea, her heart buried then moved to Bucharest) 10 minutes’ walk away, the Queen’s Winery for free tasting, the Dambata promenade above, 50 kilometres from Varna by bus in 50 minutes, and the Thracian Cliffs and Adora Beach nearby for the golf and the cliff cove.

Take the bus from Varna. Walk to the botanical garden first. Swim after. Try the wine.