Palace, Villa & Baths · Roman · Bulgaria
Roman Baths of Varna
The Roman Baths of Varna are the remains of a public bath complex built in the late 2nd century AD in Odessos, the Roman predecessor of the city. Covering about 7,000 square metres, with walls still rising up to 20 metres, they are the largest Roman baths in the Balkans and the biggest ancient building in Bulgaria.
Photo: Dina Rogatnykh, CC BY-SA 4.0
Tickets and tours: which to book
Entry is by a simple ticket from the booth at the gate, run by the Regional Museum of History in Varna, which also manages the archaeological museum. There is no timed entry, and queues are rare. Signs in Bulgarian and English explain the rooms, and a plan near the entrance shows how a visitor once moved from the changing rooms through the cold, warm and hot halls.
GetYourGuide sells one product here: a guided walk through the baths in Varna, led by a local guide. It suits visitors who want to understand how a Roman bath worked, how the furnaces heated the floors and how the building fits into the history of Odessos, which the signs only sketch. Check whether the ticket is included and whether the walk continues to other remains in the old quarter.
Many visitors from the beach resorts of Golden Sands and Saints Constantine and Helena see the baths as part of a half-day city tour that also takes in the cathedral and the Sea Garden. Cruise passengers often reach them on foot from the port. For most people the best plan is to visit independently, pay at the gate and spend the rest of the morning in the archaeological museum, where the gold of the Varna necropolis is shown.
What to see at Roman Baths of Varna
Changing rooms and entrance hall
The visit begins at the eastern side, near the corner of San Stefano Street and Han Krum Street, where visitors once entered the apodyterium, the changing room. From the raised path you can see the broad hall and the outlines of benches along the walls. The plan board here helps to identify each later room.
Caldarium and hypocaust
At the heart of the complex is the hot hall, where the floor has gone and the short brick pillars of the hypocaust stand exposed. Hot air from the furnaces flowed between them, heating floor and walls. The huge masonry walls around rise to about 20 metres, and the scale shows how many bathers the building served.
Tickets and tours for Roman Baths of Varna
Live dates and prices from GetYourGuide. Free cancellation on most tickets.
Furnaces and service corridors
Walk around the back of the hot rooms to find the praefurnia, the furnace openings where slaves fed wood fires. Narrow corridors behind them allowed fuel to be brought in without crossing the public halls. Look for traces of the arches and vaults that once carried the roof, and for the drains that took water away.
Frigidarium and pools
On the opposite side lies the cold hall, with the sunken basins of its pools still visible. Bathers ended their circuit here, and the tepidarium, the warm room, sits between it and the hot halls. In the 14th century craftsmen set up workshops among these ruins, which explains some of the later walls.
A short history
Varna began as a Thracian settlement and became the Greek colony of Odessos, founded by settlers from Miletus. It passed to Rome in AD 15 and lay in the province of Moesia with some local self-government. The public baths were built towards the end of the 2nd century AD, when coins of Septimius Severus were dropped in them, and were used for about a hundred years, until the late 3rd century. In the Middle Ages craftsmen worked in the ruins. The Austrian scholar Ernst Kalinka identified them in 1906, the Skorpil brothers studied them, and a team led by Milko Mirchev uncovered much of the complex between 1959 and 1971. Conservation work followed from 2013.
Getting there
The baths lie in the south-east of central Varna, in the old Greek quarter between the main shopping streets and the port. From Varna railway station and the passenger port, walk north-east along the waterfront and turn uphill: it takes about 10 minutes. From the Cathedral of the Dormition, the walk down through the centre takes about 15 minutes. City buses from the beach resorts of Golden Sands and Saints Constantine and Helena stop in the centre, about 15 minutes away on foot. Varna airport is about 8 km west, linked to the centre by city bus and taxi. Street parking nearby is limited and paid, so arrive on foot if you can.
Rules and what to bring
Keep to the paths and walkways, and do not climb on walls or into the hypocaust: the brick pillars are fragile and the drops are sudden. Children need watching near the edges. The ruins are open to the sky and offer little shade, so bring a hat and water in summer. There is no café inside, but the cafés and restaurants of the old quarter and the Sea Garden are a few minutes away. Toilets are limited, so plan ahead.
When to go
Varna has hot, humid summers, and July and August bring the most visitors, from the beach resorts and from cruise ships that dock at the port. Come in the morning soon after opening, or in the last hours before closing, when the walls cast more shade and the light is softer. May, June and September are the best months, warm enough for the beach but pleasant for walking.
In winter the baths keep shorter hours and some days may be closed, so check the regional museum's website before going. Rain does not stop a visit, but the ground becomes muddy. The site rarely feels crowded; even in August, groups move through quickly. Allow 45 minutes to an hour, longer with a guide.
Combine it with
The Varna Archaeological Museum, a 15-minute walk away, holds the world's oldest worked gold from the Varna necropolis and Roman finds from Odessos. The Cathedral of the Dormition and the Sea Garden are nearby. The rock-cut Aladzha Monastery is about 20 minutes north by car, and the stone forest of Pobiti Kamani is half an hour west.
At a glance
| Hours | Roughly 10 am to 5 pm, with shorter hours in winter; check the Varna museum website |
|---|---|
| Closed | Days vary by season; check the regional museum's website |
| Entry fee | Small fee at the ticket booth; reduced for students |
| Time needed | 45 minutes to an hour |
| Best time | Morning or late afternoon; May, June and September |
| Booking | No booking needed; pay at the entrance |
| Access | Paths and steps over uneven ground, some raised walkways; partly suitable for wheelchairs |
| Getting there | A 10-minute walk from Varna railway station and the port, in the old Greek quarter |
| Founded | AD 150 (2nd century AD (midpoint); built late in the century) |
| Civilisation | Roman |
| Area | 7 000 m² |
| Website | archaeo.museumvarna.com/bg/other2/list/id/1 |
| Checked | October 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
When is Roman Baths of Varna open?
Roughly 10 am to 5 pm, with shorter hours in winter; check the Varna museum website. Closed: Days vary by season; check the regional museum's website.
How much is the entry fee for Roman Baths of Varna?
Entry fee: Small fee at the ticket booth; reduced for students.
How long do you need at Roman Baths of Varna?
Allow 45 minutes to an hour for Roman Baths of Varna.
Do I need to book Roman Baths of Varna in advance?
No booking needed; pay at the entrance.
Can I book a ticket or tour for Roman Baths of Varna online?
Yes. GetYourGuide lists one ticket or tour for Roman Baths of Varna, with live dates and prices and free cancellation on most of them.
When is the best time to visit Roman Baths of Varna?
Morning or late afternoon; May, June and September.
How do I get to Roman Baths of Varna?
A 10-minute walk from Varna railway station and the port, in the old Greek quarter.
Is Roman Baths of Varna accessible, and what is the terrain like?
Paths and steps over uneven ground, some raised walkways; partly suitable for wheelchairs.
Is Roman Baths of Varna worth visiting?
Worth it for walking among towering Roman walls, furnaces and underfloor heating in the middle of a modern city. Skip or shorten it if you expect mosaics or statues: the finds are in the archaeological museum, and the baths need under an hour.
How old is Roman Baths of Varna?
Roman Baths of Varna dates from AD 150 (2nd century AD (midpoint); built late in the century).