I arrived in Varna from Istanbul, where after a long journey I attempted to use my Lonely Planet to find the great youth hostel promised in the centre of town.
Maybe it was the map, maybe it was the late hour, maybe it was the fact that it was dark, raining and not an English speaking soul was to be found. After 10 minutes walking around I gave up, checking in to a concrete monstrosity of a hotel frequented by many a Bulgarian lady of the night. Expensive and shoddy as it was I woke to a new day and found the hostel in about five minutes.
My tip? Find two french guys with a car and head north up the coast stopping in fishing villages, stopping at small rural shops to pick up some home made yoghurt, and soak up the glorious rock coastline of northern Bulgaria. In fact French guys with a car are optional.
Varna, Bulgaria