The viewing evenings
A telescope open to the public on set nights.
Mister No — CC BY 3.0 · Tanya Dedyukhina — CC BY 3.0 · Tanya Dedyukhina — CC BY 3.0
The Nicolaus Copernicus astronomical observatory and planetarium stands in Varna's Sea Garden, opened in **1968** as the first public observatory of its kind in Bulgaria and still the largest. It combines three things in one building: a **planetarium** showing the sky with a projector and programmes on the solar system and the constellations; an **observatory** with a telescope used for public viewing evenings; and an **astronomical clock tower** displaying the movement of the sun and the phases of the moon. The planetarium's programmes are mainly in Bulgarian, **though some are available in English or Russian with advance booking** — ask, because it changes the visit entirely for a non-Bulgarian speaker. The place is built for teaching rather than tourism, suits **children from about eight** upwards, and works regularly with schools. Its position inside the Sea Garden makes it easy to fold into a walk there. **Charges are low.**
A telescope open to the public on set nights.
Sun and moon phases displayed on the tower.
Sea Garden, Varna
The Museum of the History of MedicineA museum of medical history in the building of Varna's first municipal hospital,5 minutes walk4.7
The Church of St AthanasiusAn Orthodox church in Varna's old Greek quarter, built in 1838 under Ottoman rul5 minutes walk4.8
The Roman Thermae (Great Baths)Varna's Great Roman Thermae is the fourth-largest surviving Roman bath complex i6 minutes walk4.3
The Varna Museum of Modern HistoryVarna's Museum of Modern History covers the city from the Ottoman liberation of 7 minutes walk4.7
The Ethnographic Museum of VarnaVarna's Ethnographic Museum occupies a house of 1860 in the Bulgarian Revival ma10 minutes walk4.6The largest and oldest public park on the Black Sea, running about eight kilometres along the coast north of the centre and laid out from 1878. It is not only a park but a whole complex: shaded walks under old trees, a naval museum with a submarine, an aquarium, a small zoo, a dolphinarium, this observatory, a summer theatre, monuments, and a path down to the beach. It is free and always open, and it is where the people of Varna spend their evenings — the best way to see the city as it lives.