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Some of these trips are now more than 3 years old. If you notice any inaccuracies, or a coffee shop has sadly closed down, please get in touch.
Intro
Should you go?
Summary
Where to stay
Where to work
Remote work visa
Safety
Off work
Duration & season
Food & drink
People
Exercise
Verdict

Varna

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Black sea beaches & aincent Roman ruins

On Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, Varna stands as a prominent resort town steeped in ancient history.

Today, the city balances archaeological remnants with a lively beach scene throughout the summer months.

Bulgaria
Apr 2022
Bulgarian Lev (BGN)
1 week

VAR

335,000

Should you go?

Worth it if in the area.

Worth it if in the area.

Worth it if in the area.

Worth it if in the area.

Worth up to a week's stay if already in Bulgaria or the Balkans, but wouldn't prioritize visiting specifically.

💰 Great value
🏝️ Great for a holiday

Summary

Having spent a bitterly cold, March in Sofia inundated with snow, I wanted to explore another city in the country with the hopes of some warmer weather to be found.

68
63
72
78
Total:
Accommodation
Bad
Ok
Good
Great
78
%
info
New legislation
Recent changes introduced by the Turkish government has made short-term rentals for under 100 days more restricted. Keep an eye on Reddit threads for up-to-date assessments of how the new legislation is impacting short-term rentals in practice.

If visiting outside of the peak summer months, you should have no problem getting a good quality apartment at a great price. Even during peak summer months, prices remain competitive.

Places to work
Bad
Ok
Good
Great
68
%

Varna has a surprisingly good number of coworking spaces to opt from and a range of coffee shops in the cenre suitable to work from.

Value
Bad
Ok
Good
Great
72
%

Eating out is good value, with a good number of options for casual and more formal dining across the city center.

info
The yen is currently at a 34-year low
While this is undoubtedly a negative for the Japanese, it makes for an exceptionally good time to visit Japan from abroad. Although this trend is unlikely to reverse significantly in the short term, it's still worth checking before visiting.
Read more
Excitement
Bad
Ok
Good
Great
63
%

Visiting before the main tourist season, Varna certainly felt on the quieter side. With a relatively small city centre to explore, you're better off visiting during the summer months to fully experience the city's ambience.

Working hours

Bulgaria operates on Eastern European Time (EET), pushing it an hour ahead of Western Europe throughout the year.

🇪🇺 Consider working European hours from Asia?
I've written a guide on how to structure your day to get the most out of the time difference.
Read article
Do you need to speak Spanish?
Without doubt, being able to speak Spanish with a degree of fluency is a huge asset when visiting South America. I had always put off visiting the continent due to my Spanish skills not extending beyond requesting a "cerveza grande".

But even with my incredibly primitive linguistic capabilities, it was not in any way to the detriment of the trip. English is spoken sparsely, but armed with a few phrases, some polite enthusiasm and a translator, it shouldn't deter you from visiting.
Do you need to speak Portugese?
After spending 10 weeks speaking (limited) Spanish across the rest of the continent, I struggled arriving in Brazil.

While I was far from conversational in Spanish, I quickly realised when I stepped out of the airport my vocabulary didn't extend a single word beyond 'Obrigado!'.
‍
In general, English is generally spoken incredibly sparsely. The most flowing interaction I had ended up being with an Uber driver where we periodically shouted out the names of Brazilian footballers playing in the English Premier League.

You can scrape by for a couple of weeks, but if you're planning on staying longer, I'd 100% recommend learning some basics to get the most out of the experience.
No items found.
🔎
November 2024 Fact Check
Given the instability in Argentina over the past few years, I found that most advice on key topics, even if written within the last 12 months, bordered on being dangerously outdated.

I have attempted to summarise some of the most misleading points I encountered.
"Nowhere accepts card"
Incorrect
Card availability is now excellent across the city. Even if you are purchasing a single empanada, bananas from a greengrocer, or buying cans of beer off a man in the street before a football match. Some businesses may offer a 10% discount if you use cash, or charge a small surcharge for card payments.
"It's difficult to get a SUBE card"
Incorrect
This was true in recent years, as there had been a shortage of the cards across the city due to a lack of the plastics needed to create the card. I had no problems going to the nearest off-licence and getting a card on my first attempt. It's worth asking your Airbnb host who may have a spare.
"Buenos Aires is cheap"
Incorrect
The biggest misconception that may still linger, even if you are reading articles from 2023. If planning on eating out heavily, then expect European prices or even higher on more imported day-to-day goods. Eating out aside, day-to-day expenses are still good value by global measures.
"Bring dollars with you"
Partially true
This advice would continue to make sense for Americans who already have dollars, but I wouldn't recommend making an effort to purchase with the intent of exchanging them on the ground. Collecting money via Western Union was convenient and good value, which I would recommend to anyone visiting from outside the US.
"Make sure you get the blue-dollar rate"
Partially true
The dramatic stabilisation of the peso by late 2024 means that this difference is nowhere near as significant as it was 12 months ago. At the time of writing, there was only a 10% difference between the official and blue rate. If you are only in the city for a short period you may not even have to grapple with this.
"Restaurant service is poor"
Partially true
I did see some evidence of this, especially in cheaper,  traditional restaurants. In comical fashion, drinks would not appear or the bill would never materialise. In more contemporary outlets, it was never a problem.
"It is a football mad city"
True
There is absolutely no doubt that this is as true as ever in 2024.

Where to stay

Varna Center
Recommended
Would avoid
There's no reason to not stay as close to the centre as possible in Varna, with the beachfront also nearby.

Where to work

Innovator
Top choice
☕️ Good Coffee
📍 Top location
🥗 On site cafe
🧍Community focused
⭐️ Quality fit out
🌳 Outdoor Space

Situated just a few moments from the main train station, Innovator provides a reliable base to work from within the city. Wifi was reliable, a week pass was good value and there were a number of good spots for coffee within a short walk.

The city centre is within a 10 minute walk making it easily accessible from wherever you might be staying.

The only downside being that there wasn't many places to take private calls from making it a bit noisier than you would ideally want.

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Remote work visa

Remote work visa coming soon
A dedicated remote work visa is available for {$$$}.
This country is actively working on a visa support for remote workers.
There is currently no remote work visa available for this country.
Visa length
Visa cost
Earning requirements
Learn more open_in_new
To the best of my knowledge this information was correct as of Jan 2025. If you notice something has changed drop me a message and I'll update it! Citizen Remote is a great source of up to date knowledge for everything to do with remote work visas.

Safety

Off work

Rappongi Beach

Known for its vibrant atmosphere, beach clubs, and entertainment options, it is one of the more lively beach areas in the area. Easily accessible within a 20 minute walk from the centre of town.

Learn more open_in_new

Duration & season

During my stay in early April, the weather mild but not yet comfortable enough to be on the beach. You'd be best off waiting until June for the best summer days where the city truly comes alive.

One week was sufficient for me in the city, with little reason to stay longer. It wouldn't be a location that I would prioritise returning to for work, but I would definitely consider it for a summer vacation.

Food & drink

Samba Coffee/HQ
Centre
Good selection of food and drinks, with space for working upstairs.
Top choice
Laptop friendly
Бира Бар Ключето/The Key Beer Bar
Centre
Wide range of draught craft lagers plus burgers and bar snacks.
Top choice
Laptop friendly
Exercise
Beach Loop
·
Run
The beach front makes for a perfect morning run with the sun rising up in the distance over the black sea.

People

There was little by means of a remote working culture in the city, with the coworking space mainly made up of local residents.

During the summer months you're likely to see a wider array of holiday makers arrive in the town but is by no means a hub for remote work.

Exercise

Beach Loop
The beach front makes for a perfect morning run with the sun rising up in the distance over the black sea.
keyboard_arrow_down
Beach Loop
The beach front makes for a perfect morning run with the sun rising up in the distance over the black sea.

Verdict

Positives
  • Great beaches immediately next to the city.If you're looking to have immediate access to the beach, this a great option.
  • Good value food and drink options.Eating out is reasonable priced in the city with a good if not unremarkable selection of local and international foods.
  • It has a well connected airport.Especially during peak season, it had good connections to the rest of Europe.
  • Outside of the Schengen Zone.If for whatever reason you have reached your limit of time available within the Schengen group of countries, Bulgaria is an alternative.

Negatives
  • Outside of peak season, it's not particularly exciting.Like most resort towns, outside of the core summer months there isn't a lot going on.
Tips
  • If planning on taking the train from Sofia, plan ahead.Night trains with sleeping births do fill up prior to the departure date, book ahead where possible.

More from Japan
I loved everything about this trip to Japan. I've put together some thoughts on my entire stay in the country, which may come in handy if you are planning a visit soon.
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Everything you need for an exceptional Japanese experience.
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Fukuoka
An unremarkable start to Japan.
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Planning a trip to

Varna

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Suggestions or improvements?

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All information presented in these articles was created to the best of my knowledge at the time of publication. Some links may take you to affiliate pages for services recommended where I may be entitled to a financial reward should you decide to make use of the services. Cookies are used to track the performance of the website and provide analytics on what's working and what's not. Thanks for reading ☕️
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