Golden Sands Travel Guide

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Golden Sands resort © Bulgarian Tourism Authority

Overview: One of the biggest tourist resort complexes along the northern coastline, Golden Sands (locally known as Zlatni Piasaci) is famous for its healing, hot water mineral springs as well as for its beautiful two-mile (4km) stretch of fine sandy beach. The resort is 11 miles (18km) north of Varna, and sits at the foot of the forested hills of the Zlatni Piasaci National Park, which is one of the oldest in the country and features a variety of interesting flora and fauna. Golden Sands offers the whole family ideal holiday conditions with plenty of entertainment, sporting activities, warm and clean water, year round luxury hotels and villas, restaurants, bars and spa treatments, making it one of the more desirable vacation destinations on the Black Sea Coast.
Shopping: There are numerous shopping arcades and outdoor bazaars.
Restaurants: The resort has a range of restaurants, cafes, snack bars and local tavernas that serve a wide variety of first-class international cuisine as well as traditional Bulgarian dishes at reasonable prices. Bulgarian wine and brandies appear on most menus.
Nightlife: A wide range of beach bars, discos and nightclubs keep the action going until the early hours. A casino will satisfy the gambling spirit and there is always a variety of shows and entertainment to be had.
Activities: The resort offers a huge array of activities for adults and children, both in and out of the water. Available are indoor and outdoor swimming pools, some mineral, including waterslides; tennis and volleyball, bowling, mini-golf, fitness centres, horseriding and cycling. A wide range of watersports includes yachting, jet skis, waterskiing and a scuba diving centre. For the more adrenaline seeking, hang-gliding and parasailing is offered. A balneology centre provides treatments and medical programmes for those avid for a bit of pampering or seeking healing.
Negatives: Golden Sands is a large tourist complex and one of the biggest on the northern Black Sea Coast. For this reason it is a little characterless and visitors will miss out on what real Bulgarian life along the Black Sea is really all about.