The Palace and the Botanical Garden in Balchik, joined in an architectural and park complex, are a piece of heaven on Earth and one of the must-see tourist sites along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. They are located about 50 km north of Varna.
The complex was created at first as a summer residence of the Romanian Queen Marie (1875-1938). When she saw the place she fell in love with it. Architects from Italy designed the Palace. The construction began in 1924 and it was finished in 1936.
Small chapels, yards, parks, fountains were created as well as a number of buildings in various architectural styles – Protobulgarian, Byzantine, Roman-arabic, Mauritanian, Transylvanian, etc.
The Queen required those random architectural styles of the buildings. She was a Baháʼí Faith follower – a religion teaching the essential worth of all religions, and the unity of all people.
Jules Jeannys, Swiss botanist, designed and built a park complex as part of the summer residence in 1926. 29 years later, “St. Kliment Ohridski” Sofia University created on this same area a botanical garden.
Nowadays The Botanical garden is famous worldwide because of large-sized cactus species exhibition. It is the second of its kind in Europe after the one in Monaco. There are exotic plant species presented as well interesting for guests and botanic specialists.
Spring and summer flowers are presented, Alpine plants, water plants, fern, protected and rare species, lianas, flowering and evergreen plants.
In this unique Botanical garden you would enjoy more than 3000 plant species from all over the world.
You can easily reach the “Palace” and the Botanical garden with an intercity bus line from Varna bus station.
Admission:
"Palace":
Adults – €10 / 19.56 lv
Children /from 6 to 18 years/ – €3 / 5.87 lv
Organized groups of students over 20 children /from 6 to 18 years/ - €2 / 3.92 lv
Children under 6 years – free admission
Package price for a family visit (parents with children under 18, regardless of the number of children) - €18 / 35.20 lv
Express workers - €4 / 7.83 lv
Pensioners, students and students (up to 25 years) - €3.60 / 7.05 lv
People with permanent disabilities over 50% - free of charge (upon presentation of a valid document)
Botanical Garden:
Adults – €10 / 19.56 BGN
Students – €3.60 / 7.04 BGN
Children up to 4 years old incl. /with family companion/ – free
Pensioners – €3.60 / 7.04 BGN
People with permanent disabilities ⃰ (over 50% disability) – free of charge (upon presentation of a certification document)
Organized visits for children up to 7 years old – €2 / 3.91 BGN /child
Family ticket /parents with children up to 18 years old/ – €20 / 39.12 BGN
Season ticket (multiple-entry/visit ticket), including those accommodated in the DKI CC “Dvoretsa” bed base.
Adults /up to 7 days/ – €16 / 31.29 BGN
Students /up to 7 days/ – €9.40 / 18.38 BGN
Pensioners /up to 7 days/ – €9.40 / 18.38 BGN
Only those accommodated in the accommodation facilities of the DKI CC "Dvoretsa" for 1 /one/ night do not pay a season ticket.
Guided botanical talk
In Bulgarian – €20 / 39.12 BGN
In a foreign language – €30 / 58.67 BGN
Opening hours:
Summer: 08:00 – 20:00hrs, without a day off
Winter: 09:00 – 17:00hrs
Contact details:
Balchik, 1 “Acad. Daki Yordanov”, post box 56
Telephones:
The Palace: +359 579 76854
The Botanical garden: +359 579 76197
