A Trip to the Sunflower Fields

Bulgaria is an Eastern European country and a member of the European Union, but its visa isn’t a Schengen visa (at least at the time I’m writing this; it’ll probably change later). So, traveling to Bulgaria is pretty easy.

The place that attracts millions of tourists from Iran and countries like Romania, Germany, Poland, and Russia is Varna, especially an area called Golden Sands. There’s also another area called Sunny Beach, near the city of Burgas, which is about three hours away from Golden Sands.

Bulgaria is also known as the land of sunflowers because it’s full of sunflower fields. The scenery created by these huge fields of sunflowers is really beautiful.

You’ve probably heard about Bulgarian cheese and sausages too. Well, what you’ve heard is true, especially when it comes to the cheese. The quality is really good.

Golden Sands is a tourist area, and as I mentioned, millions of people visit it every year. The main reasons are the cheap hotels, affordable travel costs, sunshine, and festivals.

In general, the beaches along the Black Sea don’t have very clean water because this sea (or lake) doesn’t connect to the open oceans. Golden Sands is no exception. So, if you’re looking for cleaner water and beaches, Turkey would be a better option in the same price range.

If you’re trying to choose between Bulgaria and Turkey, it’s actually pretty simple. If you’re traveling with your family or just want to relax, stay at the hotel, and take it easy, Bulgaria definitely isn’t the right choice for you.

But if you’re traveling with friends and your goal is to burn off some energy, go clubbing, and enjoy festivals, then you’ve made the right choice. Bulgaria is for you.

The capital of Bulgaria is Sofia, which is quite far from the country’s coastal areas.

It’s also worth mentioning that Varna is a beautiful city, and walking around and exploring it is really enjoyable. You can easily take a taxi into the city, and it won’t cost you much. There are also minibuses, which are really cheap.

As I mentioned earlier, there’s another area near Varna called Burgas, which is considered one of their old and historic cities and is especially famous for its seafood. The entire route there is full of sunflower fields, so you should definitely visit this city. It’s about three hours away from Varna.

If you book your hotel in Sunny Beach, you’ll be very close to Burgas. If you ask me, I’d rather stay in this area than in Varna (but that’s just personal preference), because it’s much less crowded and noisy, and it has that old, historic atmosphere.

There are direct flights from Iran to Varna, so getting to this part of Bulgaria is pretty convenient. Usually, traveling in late spring, before the weather gets too hot, or in late summer, when it starts cooling down a bit, is more affordable. There are fewer tourists during these periods too. In the middle of summer, there are so many tourists that you might end up paying twice as much.

When choosing a hotel in this area, I’d suggest skipping the five-star hotels. A clean four-star hotel, which can even be All Inclusive, is usually a more affordable option.

If you’re curious about the types of guests staying at hotels in the area, you’ll mostly see German and Russian tourists in three- and four-star hotels, while five-star hotels tend to have more Iranian, Arab, and Indian guests.

If you’re traveling with a tour, they’ll definitely guide you through everything. But if you’re booking a hotel yourself, make sure to check the hotel’s policies. Some hotels only accept guests from certain countries, and you might run into problems when you arrive.

As for exchanging money, you can easily visit one of the exchange offices in the area. There are plenty of them.