Albena is a relatively small beach resort on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. It is not as well known to international tourists as the two large beach destinations in Bulgaria – Sunny Beach and Golden Sands, but it is the preferred destination for many Bulgarians. Albena (Албена in Bulgarian) is situated 12km south of the town of Balchik, 14km north of the Golden Sands resort and only 30km from the city of Varna. The international airport in Varna is operational year round and can be accessed from most European capitals.

Located at the foot of hills planted with trees and shrubs, Albena is spread along a small bay. Albena features a 6km long and 150 meters wide beach, well protected from high winds. Unlike many of the other beach resorts in Bulgaria, Albena did not experience a construction boom in the last few years. It features medium sized hotels, mostly built during communist times, but thoroughly renovated. Albena has kept a lot of its original design that envisioned large open spaces between its hotels, with trees and gardens. It has a wide beach that is seldom crowded. In fact, the entire resort is significantly quieter and calmer than the buzzing Sunny Beach and Golden Sands. Close to Albena, and officially part of the resort, is the national nature preserve Baltata. Together they are a unique combination of preserved nature and a modern sea tourist complex offering plenty of opportunity for relaxation and ecotourism.

 The picturesque town of Balchik, with its botanical garden is located only 12km from Albena. The botanical garden hosts the architectural park complex “The Castle” – the residence of the Romanian queen Maria in the beginning of 20^th century. The resort offers excellent conditions for medical treatment, sports, congresses and education. It offers a medical spa, a congress facility, a theatre, and a sports center.

Albena and its vicinity offer a wide range of accommodation options including hotels, guest houses, apartments and villas. A number of new hotels and guest houses were built around Albena in the last few years making it possible for visitors to Albena and the region to enjoy their holiday. The owners of many private holiday apartments also decided to make their properties available for rent to tourists.

Tags: albena, albena beach, albena bulgaria, albena hotel

This entry was posted on Friday, May 8th, 2009 at 11:37 pm and is filed under Travel and Leisure: General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.