If you’re looking for a place to celebrate a special occasion, such as a birthday or anniversary, or just feel like treating yourself to a night to remember – Look no further than the L’Ecrivain restaurant. It belongs to Ireland’s Blue Book, a chain of incredible boutique hotels and high-class restaurants. We had a reservation for 19:00 and ended up staying until nearly 23:00, a sure testimony to just how much we enjoyed ourselves!

First off, the restaurant’s design is very prestigious and appealing, and service is without a hitch

On offer are a 90 euro (per person) tasting menu, as well as a three-course seasonal menu for 75 (First, main and dessert). We elected to go with the seasonal menu, as it featured both a lobster risotto and a shrimp dish I’ve yearned to try.

We followed it up with a glass of wine each – I had a glass of rose and Roman had champagne (You may choose to order several glasses of wine, so as to accompany each individual dish to your preference).

The meal began with a small appetizer of clams with potato mousse – Roman later claimed this was one of tonight’s “winning” dishes and perhaps the best clam he’s ever had.

First dishes

Afterwards, we were served our two first dishes of choice, a lobster risotto and shrimps, with fennel and cucumber and red pepper sauces. We shared each other’s food so we can both try more dishes.

Both dishes were outstanding.  The shrimps were crunchy and the lobster risotto was pleasantly tart and subtly flavoured.

For an additional fee we ordered an extra dish of Mackerel, and a good thing we did – as it was by far the best Mackerel I’ve ever had. It was garnished with cauliflower and caviar and was absolutely delicious.

Having finished our first course, we were served a refreshing palate, to prepare us for the main course.

Main Dishes

Our mains were fish and venison. I must say the venison blew me away, it was definitely tonight’s winning dish in my book. The fish was excellent as well, you could really feel the freshness of the ingredients shining through in both dishes, and the presentation was very appetizing.

For dessert we went with a cheese plate and an amazing chocolate cake.
The cheese plate turned out to be a brilliant idea, as it easily proved good enough to be a standalone dish and paired delightfully with our wine.

The chocolate cake with berries was excellent. We ended the meal with tea, served with balls of chocolate, gel and macarons –
a perfect finish to a perfect evening.

The delicious food, exquisite presentation and 5+ star service all play a part in turning the meal into an entire night of culinary delight.

Killarney is a charming town from the 19th century, it’s located in the Kerry County Ireland. There are many things to do and see in Killarney and in its surrounding areas.

I stayed at a homey hotel close to the town center called Harmoni Inn – Glena House. I booked a single room but got a spacious one with two beds. The room was clean and had hot water. The breakfast was really nice with a small buffet and a dish from the menu like a traditional Irish breakfast, scrambled eggs with salmon, and more. The staff was very nice and helpful.

More reviews about the hotel.

I arrived into Killarney from Dublin. The ride lasted about 4 hours. It’s a nice trip on which you get to see some of the beauty of Ireland. You can book a train ticket in advance from this site. If you book it in advance you get a reserved seat and your name will appear above it (I found that to be pretty cool).

Things to do in Killarney

Do a trip to the Gap of Dunloe

There are many day trips you can do from Killarney, but after a little research on the Internet I decided that the place that I wanted to visit the most was the Gap of Dunlow. The trip includes a boat tour that lasts 1.5 hours in a gorgeous area in which you cross several lakes and hike for about 3 hours in an amazing place.

I booked the tour from the company Gap of Dunloe. I arrived in the morning at their office which is located in the town center, and from there I had a transfer to Castle Ross. I had a few minutes to spend in the castle area and then the boat tour started. In the beginning the weather was very stormy with heavy rain, so it was hard to enjoy the view, but after about 20 minutes the showers stopped and the sky turned clear, and from that moment on, the tour was awesome.

We crossed through beautiful landscapes and beneath a few bridges. The tour ended in a place that has a cafe-restaurant. So whoever wanted to, could eat something or grab a drink there. I chose to drink a coffee with the beautiful view. From there I started hiking.

You can do the trail by walking, on a horse carriage, or cycling. If you want to cycle, you need to bring the bikes from the town center to the boat with you. The trail is not flat all the time so if you want to cycle you should be aware that there are some difficult uphills.

You do the hiking independently and there signs that show you the way. I met two German girls on the boat and walked with them. We stopped every few minutes to take pictures and videos and, except for a few rain drops, the weather was lovely. After the hike we had a transfer back to the town center.

You can do the trip in the opposite way; to start with the hike and then to do the boat tour.

You can also arrive independently to the Ross Castle by car or bike and there to pay only for the boat tour.

Visit Muckross House

What a magical place it is. The house was built in 1840 and it’s located near a beautiful lake and surrounded by amazing gardens. Everything is colorful and well-maintained. You can spend hours there just wandering around the gardens.

There’s an option to do a trip with a horse carriage, or a tour, or to walk by yourself and enjoy the silence and the birds’ tweets.

You can also do a tour inside the house which costs 9 Euro.
The place is open every day from 09:00-17:30

Visit the Killarney National Park

Ross Castle and Muckross House are part of the Killarney National Park. In the park there are many walking trails and a there’s a waterfall. You can go with bikes and cycle there.

Beyond that, there’s a fantastic viewpoint which overlooks all the park. And at this viewpoint there is also a cafe-restaurant so you can drink a coffee on the roof balcony with an amazing view. The name of this viewpoint was given by the queen Elizabeth, who visited there and was impressed by the view.

Hang out in a cool Irish bar

In Killarney, like the rest of Ireland, there are many local traditional bars with fun music, lots of alcohol, and a happy atmosphere. I had the chance to visit some bars in Killarney and the one I loved the most was Reidy’s Bar, which is a huge place with many sitting areas outside and inside, and a large variety of drinks. The music there is great and sometimes there’s a live show.

Another bar was Courtney’s Bar, which is a cozier place where many locals and tourists hang out.

Wander around in the town center

In the town center there are many shops, restaurants, coffee shops, and bars. It’s very nice to wander around the main street and side ones. If you want to do some shopping they have a Penny’s store which is actually Primark.

It’s huge store with a big variety of clothes and accessories at affordable prices. If you want to buy an electrical adapter, water, and other stuff you should visit Dealz, which offers stuff for 1.5 euro.

Eat tasty food

Close to the town center there is a local beer brewery called Killarney Brewing Company, which has great beers and delicious pizza. I sat there with some friends and they all enjoyed the beers and pizza. I ordered a tasting of three beers and they were great.

I also loved an Asian restaurant called Khao Asian Street Food. There, I ate one of the best Pad Thai I have ever tried.

A great bar-restaurant is Celtic Whiskey Bar & Larder, where I ordered three small buns with beef, lamb, and salmon and they were really good.

There is also a good gelato place called Murphy’s that has special ice cream flavours. I took the Caramel Special which came with yummy toppings.

If you are looking for an organic coffee shop with vegan options, I highly recommend Lir Cafe which is located at the entrance of the old town. It’s a really great coffee shop. I drank a coffee and ate a raspberries cake there.

Berlin is an awesome city with plenty of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, museums, markets, colorful houses, tours, attractions, and actually everything you could wish for in a big modern city.

I have been to Berlin 4 times. The first time was with Roman a few years ago and the second time was not long ago by myself in September and also we’ve been in Berlin twice for the ITB tourism convention. When we came for the convention we’ve stayed for the weekend in Berlin.

There are probably more cool things to do in Berlin, but here are my top 17 for 2024:

Tips before flying to Berlin

SIM card

On previous occasions I purchased a Sim card for 20 Euros in the Alexanderplatz area. This time we found a shop in the Kreuzberg neighborhood where we bought a Sim for 10 Euros with 4 Gb of data for a period of up to one month. Arrival instructions. Please consider the first time there is a registration process where you need to be authenticated with your passport by an employee. This is why I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.

Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.

The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.

Where to sleep in Berlin?

Berlin has many cool neighborhoods to sleep in. We liked the Kreuzberg Neighborhood which is a fun and young neighborhood. There are also the areas of Alexanderplatz
And a bed that is very comfortable for those who want to explore Berlin.

When I traveled alone I stayed at the Circus Hostel which was amazing and in an excellent location. I found a pretty good price for it; 50 euro per night for a single room (tips on how to find cheap hotels). Crossing the street they also have the Circus Hotel.
To search for a hotel or apartment in Berlin

Car rental in Berlin

Berlin and Germany in general have very convenient public transportation. But for those who want to explore the suburbs or reach more distant attractions like the Tropical Islands, I recommend renting a car. You can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through it because it saves me time (instead of going to several websites) and it also has the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies. 

How to get from Schoenfeld Airport to the city center?

When we landed, we went to the WelcomeBerlin stand to collect our transport ticket which we received courtesy of Visit Berlin. The Berlin Welcome card can be purchased from the stand before leaving the airport. This is a card that reduces the costs of public transportation in the city, according to the number of days you plan to spend in the city. You can buy an ABC card that also includes the trip from the airport to the city.

Once you have this card, you only need to use it once at the machine next to the train or on the bus and from that moment just make sure the card is with you at all times, thus allowing you to travel freely by public transport.

From the airport we took the S9 train and after 9 stops we switched to the subway u3 to the area of ​​our apartment. I recommend using Google Maps to see which public transit is best for your route. There are trains every few minutes and it’s very simple to use public transport in the city.

You can also ask at the booth you buy the ticket from which train you need to get to your hotel or apartment. You can even ask at the airport information stand and buy a ticket at it, if you do not want to purchase the ticket for multiple trips.

Attractions & Activities in Berlin

There are many more cool things to do in Berlin that I did not do and do not appear on the list. You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attraction site is called tiqets, the second is the site Get Your Guide or via Viator.

Go to a hilarious standup show

One of my favorite entertainments are standup shows , so when I found an ad about a standup show that cost 18 euro (including pizza) and had great reviews, I knew that I had to go there – Cosmic Comedy show.

Every Thursday and Saturday they have an open mic night. It means that eight different comedians (some with a lot of experience and some that are pretty new) star for about 10 minutes each.  They open the doors at 8pm (I recommend to go early in order to get a good seat), at 8:30 they serve the pizza and at 9pm they start the show.

I enjoyed the show so much. Some of the comedians really made me laugh out loud and some of them less, but they were all good and the host was really funny too.  At the end of the show my cheeks were in pain because I had laughed so much.

They also have nights on which only two experienced comedians appear for about 40 minutes each. I wanted to go to that night too but I had so many things to do that I didn’t have the chance to go there again.

Address
Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 41, 10178 Berlin, Germany

Cool Food tour

Before we arrived in Berlin, we checked with Visit Berlin about things we could do in town and one of the recommendations was a food tour. We always like to do food tours on our travels because it’s a great way to see the city and taste the local food, so of course we thought it was a good idea. We received a recommendation for the tour with Fork and Walk Berlin tours and were very pleased. The tour was about 4 hours in East Berlin on Saturday. We got to know a really cool area we hadn’t known much about previously, and also to visit special local places and eat great food. Our guide Dov was really charming and interesting. In short, we highly recommend this tour.

Markthalle neun erste Market

I love markets, and somehow had never previously visited this one. I recommend coming hungry, as it has a ton of food stalls, but it’s also nice to simply wander around and have a coffee, especially when it’s raining outside. It has many local produce stalls as well, offering cheeses, sausages, beers and more. For those with small children, it also has a cute corner with wooden toys. Directions.

Berlin Cathedral

I think this is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I’ve ever seen. Its structure and turquoise domes make it very special (directions). Although it was a gloomy day and a little rainy we decided we would not give up on going to see it. When it started to rain we decided to enter the Allegretto cran cafe. A refined and prestigious cafe where we drank cappuccino and enjoyed the warmth. We waited until the rain stopped and then we went on walking around town.

In addition, there is a whole area of ​​museums near the cathedral. Our last time in Berlin, we were at the Pergamon Museum. Due to the uniqueness of its exhibits, UNESCO decided that this museum, together with other museums on Museum island, would constitute a World Heritage Site. The museum contains a collection of antiquities from ancient times (ancient Greece and ancient Rome), a Museum of Ancient Eastern Antiquities and a museum of Islamic art. We spent a whole day in this museum and it was very fascinating. We took an audio guide and covered the museum part by part. The area of ancient Greece impressed me the most.

Victoria park

This is a park in the Kreuzberg neighborhood. It’s a very lovely park and also has a pretty waterfall, which unfortunately was dry this time, but I got to see it on my last visit when it was flowing and it’s a location not many tourists know about. The park itself is large and filled with greenery, while also offering a good vantage point over the city. Directions.

It’s a great place to go for a walk in or even have a picnic. By the park is a high-quality café, Café Freiraum. We had lasagna and a vegetable casserole with cheese there, and they were both delicious. They also have great looking cookies, so it’s worth a try. Directions.

Vivid Grand Show

Content update – this show is no longer available – you can find other shows options here

A few years ago, while visiting Berlin, we got to watch two shows and had a great time, we thought this could be a good recommendation for those looking for something to do on an evening in Berlin. We’ve come across many recommendations for Vivid Grand Show, and to our delight, Friedrichstadt-Palast theatre wanted to host us for the show. The theatre itself is impressive and very prestigious. Beyond that, the show was amazing. Some parts were funny, while others left us astonished. The set was also really high-quality and the dancing and acrobatics were amazing. We left the show very excited, and I definitely think it’s something worth going to see if you’re in Berlin.

Tropical Island

I was looking online for things to do in winter in Berlin and then I came across something that looked really cool. Tropical Islands (to the official website or through the Get Your Guide attraction reservation website which allows you to reserve without payment in advance and free cancellation up to three days before) at a distance of 60 km from Berlin.

It’s actually a huge dome-shaped structure that has an artificial beach, a rain forest, a water wave, a hot air balloon, a spa, restaurants and even a resort where you sleep. We drove to search and when we arrived, we felt like we had entered another world. Outside it was snowy and terribly cold and inside we were suddenly wearing a bathing suit in tropical weather.

There is a complex for adults only that includes saunas and a jacuzzi (note, you can only enter there fully naked. It was very strange at first but then I got used to it). There are restaurants there. Hot air balloon and all kinds of facilities for children.

Enjoy a drink on a rooftop bar – Klunkerkranich Bar

I really like bars that are on rooftops. This way you can drink wine and enjoy a nice view, with a good breeze. A girl that I met in a bike tour (Chi-An) told me that her Airbnb host recommended her a bar, so we decided to go there together and check it out.

We went there around 6pm, which was a great time before the sunset. The bar is a big roof with many tables and places to sit and there is also a covered area with a DJ and place to drink. I chose a rosé and Chi-An had a beer.

At the entrance we paid 3 euro each. They charge 3 euro after 4pm because after that hour they bring a DJ and need to cover this expense. I really loved this bar. It’s a popular place among the locals and it’s highly recommended.

Address
Karl-Marx-Straße 66, 12043 Berlin, Germany

Go to the Blue Man Show

Content update – this activity is no longer available – you can find other shows options here

If you are looking for another great idea for a fun evening I highly recommend the Blue Man Show. It’s a very elaborate show that’s very funny and enjoyable. It’s fit for both kids and adults. I went there with Roman the first time I visited berlin and we really liked it.

Sit in good coffee shops

In Berlin there are so many good coffee shops that every few steps you want to stop and sit in one, to relax in between the different activities. There are healthy coffee shops, ones with special designs, fancy ones, and coffee shops that are great for just working on your laptop or reading a book. I wrote about my favorite place in the post “Trendy coffee shops in Berlin”.

Go to a huge flea market on Sunday

Every Sunday there is a huge flea market in Mauerpark. Even if you don’t plan to buy anything, it’s really nice to wander around there and be impressed by the cool things they sell like: furniture, bags, clothes, souvenirs, tools, wallets, and more.

Another great thing to do is to sit in the park itself and enjoy the street performances there are there.

In the market itself there are many drinks and food stalls so my recommendation is to wander around and then to buy some food and drinks and have a little picnic on the grass in the park and enjoy the shows.

Go on awesome tours

I love tours – special tours are my favorite activity to discover any city and honestly in Berlin is where I have done the most. One of the main reasons is because I travelled solo and tours are a great way to meet people. I chose different and unique tours like a self-guided food tour, a beer tour, an abandoned places tour and a bike one.

Beer tour

I must admit that I’m more of a wine and cocktail person and less a beer one, but I love to learn about the drink’s history and how they make it and I love to try new things. So when I saw that there’s a beer tour that includes tasting unique beers and that you can learn about the beer’s history, I decided to give it a try.

The tour was through the company Sandemans Europe (I had already done a great tour with them in Jerusalem, in Israel). The tour starts at 6pm.

We were a pretty small group of only seven people and the guide. The guide was from Chile and already from the beginning I liked him. Because he started to tell interesting facts about beer and to ask us questions that no one knew the answer to, like, in which country do people consume the most beer?

Turns out it’s in the Czech Republic (surprising, isn’t it?).

During the tour we passed through old breweries and tasted different kinds of beers. We learned about the preparation process and the things you can learn about beer before you even taste it. The tour was easy-going and fun, and the other guys were super nice.

The tour lasted 3 hours and we finished it in a cool bar with great music and special beers, like strawberry beer which was really good. Also when the tour ended, we all stayed there to drink and afterwards went to eat something.

The tour was really awesome and I really liked hanging out with the other participants. I highly recommend this tour even if you are not a big beer drinker.

Sights bike tour

The last time that I’d been in Berlin it was with Roman in the winter and we did the free tour in order to get to know the city and learn about its history. This time I traveled alone and I wanted to see the sights on a bike. The tour was through the company Berlin on Bikes and I booked it from the website Get your guide.

I was a little bit worried about the bikes tour because I thought that the roads would be too crowded but it turns out that Berlin is a great city for cycling. Most areas have cycling trails and, if not, you can cycle on the road and there are not too many cars, especially during the weekend.

The tour included stopping in some of the most famous sights in Berlin and at each spot that we stopped, the guide told us about the place.

We were a group of 12 people and in the middle of the tour we had a break in a coffee shop which was nice.

The tour was supposed to last 3.5 hours but on the way back we ran into a huge parade against racism (which was a fascinating thing to see), so many roads were closed and the guide had to take us through improvised ways back, so the tour was about 4 hours. But I can’t complain about having to cycle more, it was so much fun.

The cycling is mostly on flat roads and there are many stops, but if you are not used to riding, it could be too hard for you. The tour was very interesting and fun. The bikes are well-maintained and easy for riding. If you are a cycling lover I’m sure you will love this tour.

Book the tour online

Abandoned places tour

I booked this tour through the local Guddy website (This tour and website are permanently closed by now). It was a great site that offers different types of tour with local people; it’s not with a guide from a company but with someone that’s a local.

The picture you saw on Pinterest is a picture from a tour I took to abandoned places in Berlin. During the tour we visited an abandoned hospital and school. This tour was in 2017 and unfortunately it is no longer available (also the website through which I booked the tour has already closed).

As this tour is not available any more, you can look for other cool graffiti and art tours in Berlin.

Self-guided food tour

I did this tour through the BiteMojo Application. This app offers self-guided food tours and the price included the food (5 different dishes). They offer this tour in some big cities in Europe.

In the beginning I looked for a group food tour but the prices were too expensive for me, until I found this kind of tour, which’s prices were much more affordable and it sounded like a nice experience.

The tour is through a map which directs you each time to a new landmark. Some of the landmarks are really cool places like hidden courtyards or special shops and some are restaurants or food stalls where you get a dish to taste.

BiteMojo offers some different food tours in Berlin. I chose the one in the Kreuzberg neighborhood, because the bites looked good and it was a neighborhood that I wanted to explore.

As this tour is not available any more, you can look at this food to Kreuzberg and Neukölln Walking Food Tour in Berlin.

Visit cool Neighborhoods

Berlin is full of cool Neighborhoods that are worth visiting. You can wander for hours and stop to eat in a nice restaurant or a coffee shop.

I liked the hipster neighborhoods Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. In Kreuzberg I wandered a lot during my self-guided tour. It’s a lovely neighborhood with so many beautiful buildings and good places to eat at. Friedrichshain is full of street art and cool shops.

Eat yummy food – Recommnded Restaurants in Berlin

In Berlin there are endless restaurants with all the cousins in the world. There are many local traditional restaurants, Asian ones, Mediterranean ones, and more. There are also many street foods like Currywurst which is the most popular food. If you haven’t tried it yet, you should.

Currywurst – Bergmann Curry

Currywurst is one of the most popular street foods in Berlin. Everywhere you go you will find a Currywurst stall. This is a great dish if you are looking for something fast, cheap, and yummy to snack on. I really liked a stall that I visited during a self-guided food tour that I did.

When I arrived to this place I was already pretty full, so I ate only half of the dish, but it was really good. Both the wurst and the fries were so delicious.
They also have a vegan option.

Address
Bergmannstraße 88, 10961 Berlin, Germany

Vietnamese restaurant- Monsieur Vuong

I went to this restaurant the previous time I had traveled with Roman to Berlin and already then we had claimed that this is the best Vietnamese restaurant in Europe. So, when I traveled now to Berlin there was no way I was going to give up on this culinary experience.

From the moment you enter the restaurant you feel like you step into Vietnam. This is a very popular restaurant and I recommend you book a table before you go. Since I went alone I was lucky to get a seat.

The menu is pretty limited, but each dish is excellent.

Ramen restaurant- Cocolo Ramen Mitte

During the bike tour that I did, I met two nice guys, one from Japan that had moved to Berlin a month ago, and a girl from Chicago, and we decided to go to a restaurant together. The guy said that he missed Japanese food and that he wanted to eat ramen. I’m a ramen lover, so of course I wanted some too.

We looked for a recommended restaurant. We saw a few options but we chose the one that was located pretty close to us and had really good reviews.

We had to wait a bit for a table (so I recommend to book one before going). For my first dish I ordered dumplings filled with shrimp. Is was really good. The guy said that it’s a high standard for dumplings.

For main dishes we ordered a ramen soup (of course). I ordered a spicy minced meat one, and they ordered the belly pork one. Both of the soups were excellent (I preferred my version because I don’t like fatty meat). My soup was really tasty but this version came without an egg. So I ordered an extra egg (it’s one of the things that I like the most in ramen soup).
The ramen’s price range is 7.5-9.5 euro.

Address
Gipsstraße 3, 10119 Berlin, Germany

German restaurant- Weihenstephaner

This is a traditional German restaurant which is also a famous brewery in Berlin. I visited this restaurant during a beer tour that I did, so after the tour I went back there to have a late dinner.

The design of the place and the waiter’s uniforms immediately will insert you into a happy, German atmosphere.

I ordered a grilled sausages with steamed cabbage dish and an award-winning beer – Vitus spicy single- bock. The sausages were very good. Sometimes I don’t like sausage too much but those were great.

The cabbage was ok and the beer was excellent. Unique flavors. I didn’t feel the spiciness too well, but it’s definitely a good beer that’s worth the try.

Address
Neue Promenade 5, 10178 Berlin, Germany

Local German restaurant Max und Moritz

If you are craving local and delicious German food, then this restaurant will suit you perfectly. This is a restaurant with really good dishes and the truth is also really big and satisfying (I took half a takeaway portion). Roman ordered a potato and meat soup for a starter and a pork dish for the main and he said that both dishes were successful. I took sausages in apple sauce with potatoes which was excellent. Directions.

Amrit Indian Restaurant

At first, we thought it was a palace (the entrance and interior are very impressive and golden) but it turned out to be an Indian restaurant. I do not usually like big restaurants but this one had good reviews and we decided to try it. The prices at the restaurant are very worthwhile because the dishes also include rice and a large salad.

We ordered a vegetarian dish of Paneer cheese in a tomato and cashew sauce that was really tasty and a serving of chicken in a curry sauce that was also great. The dishes arrived within a few minutes (quite rare in Indian restaurants) but they were also very tasty, so the speed wasn’t detrimental to the flavor. In short, if you are looking for an Indian restaurant, this is a recommended restaurant.  Amrit restaurant. Directions.

Mercosy Korean Restaurant

A small restaurant with six tables serving one dish of Bibimbap with various additions such as salmon or beef or pork or tofu.

This is a bowl full of sticky rice with a rich selection of stir-fried vegetables and, above it all, chili sauce. The dish is large and very satisfying. I got a bowl with salmon and Roman chose pork and we were both satisfied. Great option for anyone looking for a different and tasty dinner. Mercosy.  Directions

PHO – Noodlebar Vietnamese Restaurant (Kreuzberg)

As you can see, we are fans of Asian food. It is light and usually healthy and very tasty. On one of the evenings we decided to eat Vietnamese food and found the Pho-noodles bar. This was a charming restaurant with courteous and good service. We ordered a Vietnamese roll, a salad off the specials with strips of meat and a hamburger in a steamed bun. All the dishes were delicious and we had a great time at the restaurant.  PHO – Noodlebar . Directions

Chai Ji Indian Restaurant

Indian food is among my favorites and when I was walking around the hipster neighborhood Friedrichshain I came across this restaurant and decided to try it.

I ordered one of my favorite dishes Palak paneer which is a spinach stew with Indian cheese. In addition, I ordered naan (Indian flat bread in a pan) with garlic, rahita which is yogurt with tomatoes and cucumber that is delicious to eat with flak cheese on the naan and I ordered mango chutney sauce.

Address: Rigaer Str. 30, 10247 Berlin, Germany

Yorckschlösschen, great Jazz Bar

We went to this bar with someone who was our guide in Swiss Franconia. She saw on Instagram that we were in town and suggested we meet for dinner. She got a recommendation for this bar from a friend of hers living in Berlin and it turned out to be a good one. This is a bar that has live jazz concerts. It is recommended to book a table in advance, when we arrived we were lucky there was one table available.

The show costs EUR 4 per person. We also ordered beer and wine and a portion of curry sausages with French fries and a local version of Macaroni and cheese. The music was excellent and it was a very nice evening and definitely a place that is recommended both as a place to eat and as a place to spend an evening. Bar Yorckschlösschen. Directions

Wander around the city

The public transportation in Berlin is very simple and makes it easy to move around, but I recommend you to sometimes give up on using the train and to walk instead. You’ll be surprised how much it is fun to walk on Berlin’s streets. You will see lots of street art and graffiti and discover some cool parks and hidden gems. Walking in Berlin is addictive; you can spend hours without noticing, so walk with comfortable shoes.

Go shopping

Usually I don’t shop while traveling, but I found the store Primark in Alexander Platz. I must admit that I had never been in a store of this chain but I had heard a lot about it, so when I saw it, I decided to go in. The store was three floors with clothes and accessories.

At one point I got a headache but I found two cute sweaters, a coat, and a hat. I barely managed to close my suitcase after this unpredicted buying, but after sitting on it and with a lot of strength I was able to close it eventually.

There are many other shops and malls in Berlin so if you are looking for a shopping experience, don’t worry; you will find it. For me one store was enough 🙂

I hope my post helped you. If so, I would very much like you to respond here in the comments, and if you have any more questions, then you are also welcome to ask them in the comments or on the blog’s social networks: Facebook and Instagram. Looking for more information about Berlin ? I have in the blog more posts about Berlin and posts about Germany.

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Berlin is an awesome city with plenty of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, museums, markets, colorful houses, tours, attractions, and actually everything you could wish for in a big modern city. I’ve decided to write a post with the best coffee shops in Berlin (I know there are many more but I didn’t have time to explore them all :))

High-standard coffee shop- Districk Cafe

I found this coffee shop while wandering in Instagram. I searched for Berlin foodies and saw a healthy bowl that looked super yummy. I checked on the map to see where the coffee shop was located and discovered that it was 10 minutes walking from my hostel, Circus Hostel. So of course this was the first coffee shop I went to for breakfast.

The coffee shop was popular and was full all the time. It is a little bit pricier than regular coffee shops where you can find breakfasts for around 5 euro but it was definitely worth the price if you want to spoil yourself with yummy food.

I ordered the healthy bowl I saw on Instagram which was kind of like a smoothie with banana, berries, and soy milk and on top of it there were toppings like granola, chia seeds, cacao nibs, goji, and coconut. Like I said; a healthy bowl. It cost us 8 euro. The dish was really tasty and light. I’d be willing to start my day every day like this.

There were other dishes which looked good, like poached eggs on toast and toasted brioche with apricot and cream. Next to me there were some guys who ordered those dishes so I asked them if I could take pictures in order to show them here 🙂 (so if you are less into healthy foods, there are some other good options).

Address
Bergstraße 68, 10115 Berlin, Germany

Coffee shop with an intellectual atmosphere- Cafe Tasso

This coffee shop also has a selection of used books, newspapers, and magazines, and a place for intimate concerts. I went in the afternoon and discovered that sometimes in the evening they have concerts there, so it’s worth it to check it out.

You can borrow a book or choose to buy one. There are two shelves with books in English. It’s a great place to go and just read a book. I ordered a Chai latte which was good and enjoyed the calm atmosphere. They also serve food and desserts.

Address
Frankfurter Allee 11, 10247 Berlin, Germany

Porridge and coffee – Haferkater

My favorite breakfast is oatmeal porridge. I guess some people are not porridge lovers, but for me it’s one of the best ways to start my day.

After 3 days in Berlin I missed my porridge in the morning, so I decided to google and search for a coffee shop that served it. To my surprise, I discovered that there is a coffee shop which’s concept is porridge and coffee. Yay 🙂 I was so excited about it and decided to go and check it immediately.

It’s a lovely place which serves porridge with different kind of toppings like: granola, chocolate, applesauce, banana, honey, and more. I ordered mine with berries, banana, maple, and coconut. The porridge was so delicious. Exactly like I love it. Not too sweet and with yummy toppings.

Address Boxhagener Str. 76, 10245 Berlin, Germany

A cozy coffee shop with frozen yogurt – Good Q

It’s a cute little coffee shop with homemade dessert and frozen yogurt. I sat there before the beer tour I did.

I was full from lunch so I only ordered a Chai latte.

Address
Tucholskystraße 43, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Coffee shop with summer vibes- Café Hüftengold / Foodshop Hüftengold

It’s a coffee shop with a colorful and happy design. It’s located on a street that I really liked, that had many coffee shops with sitting areas outside and the buildings are really beautiful, so you have a nice view.

It’s an idyllic coffee shop for breakfast or a drink on a sunny day. It serves pancakes, omelets, sandwiches, and more and also refreshing drinks for the summer. They also have vegan options.

I went there after I had eaten the porridge, so I just ordered a coffee, but as always I looked at what other people took and their dishes looked good.

Address
Oderberger Str. 27, 10435 Berlin, Germany

Great vibes and a nice buffet

This coffee shop belongs to the hostel I was staying at; Circus hostel. It offers an affordable buffet for 5 euro from 08:00-13:00. It includes filtered coffee/tea and nice buffet options with breads, mini waffles, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, granola, yogurt, and more. Definitely a value for money breakfast.

I wasn’t in the mood for a buffet so I had a bagel sandwich with cheddar cheese and sundried tomatoes. I asked the worker to put it in the toaster so it would be crunchy. And I also ordered a cappuccino, with was good.

They also have cakes, fruit salads, and cookies.

Address
The Circus Hostel Weinbergsweg 1a

Der Milchladen café

An intimate café with high-quality coffee, sandwiches, cakes, quiches, rice pudding and more. I had rice pudding there with apples and cinnamon, a light breakfast for those looking for nice and small for their morning, along with a coffee. On one of the days we also got a vanilla cream pastry there which was especially good. Der Milchladen. Map

Kremanski café

A café operating from morning till night and has a variety of healthy breakfasts such as oatmeal and fruitshakes. It also offers sandwiches, croissants and more. I ordered a simple yellow cheese sandwich there and a cappuccino there.  Kremanski. Directions

Fraulein wild café

A café with some of the best bagel sandwiches I’ve ever had. I order an avocado, tomato and egg bagel there and it was delicious and filling. Additionally, the café itself is very nice and has good service. You can also sit down and work on your laptop there. They have a variety of breakfasts, as well as cakes and pastries.    Fraulein wild cafe. Directions.

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Varna is the third largest city in Bulgaria and a seaside resort on Bulgaria’s Black Sea. Varna is a cheap destination where you can find beaches, bars, a huge park with attractions for kids, big malls, interesting museums, and a central street with many restaurants, bars and coffee shops.

I must mention that it’s not a lively city others in Europe (Berlin, Rome, etc.) but it’s a nice place where you can spend a few days. I also recommend to do a day trip to the town of Balchik (post about Balchik) or to visit the Golden Sands area, especially if you are looking for nightlife and a promenade with many stalls and restaurants (post about things to do in Golden Sands).

We stayed at the Golden Sands area in the all-inclusive HVD Viva Club Hotel (Tips on how to find cheap hotels). We arrived in Varna with a taxi that cost 25 leva for a one-way ride, but there are also buses that ride to Varna and back to the Golden Sands area.

Tips before flying to Varna

Sim Abroad

Today you will find wireless internet in almost every hotel or restaurant you visit, but it is always convenient to have internet everywhere. In Bulgaria you can buy a local SIM in the shops of the local telecommunications company Yettel for a fairly low price of about 20 to 40 BGN. Here is a photo of the packages they offer to tourists and you can just buy their sim and put it in your phone and start surfing. In my opinion, the smallest package of 25GB will be enough for most visitors and will only cost 10 euro.

I personally recommend using an eSIM, which is an electronic SIM, and highly recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of a SIM card abroad as well as about other options such as buying a local SIM card.

Blog followers have a 15% discount code for Airalo to purchase an eSIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link.

Where to sleep in Varna?

We will sleep in the Golden Sands area at the Viva Club Hotel, an all-inclusive hotel (tips on how to find cheap hotels). We took a taxi from the airport to the center of Varna. It cost 25 Lev each way, but there are also buses that go to the city of Varna and back to the Golden Sands area.  It is recommended to visit there in the months of May – September. In the off season many places for tourists will be closed but if you are not planning on the beach or water parks, you will find enough things to do because Varna is a big city after all.

How do you get to Varna?

There is an airport in the city of Varna and from many European destinations you can find direct flights there.

Car rental in Varna

There is no need to rent a car in Varna, but if you plan to take a trip and leave Varna (like we did to Balchik or the Golden Sands), then the most convenient thing is to rent a car, certainly if you are traveling with children. Car rental in Varna and Bulgaria is very cheap compared to Europe and you can rent a small car for 25 Euro per day.

You can search for a car in the search engine Paapm Paapm. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies.

Events and festivals in Varna 2024

Summer music festival Borne 22.6-5.10 – link to all the events in the festival
Opera performances in the theatre in summer 15.6-30.8 Link to all performances
Jazz Festival 11.7-13.7 Link to all the details

Recommended beaches in Varna

Rappongi Beach Beach with restaurant bar and sunbeds Directions

Varna beach, a virgin beach with only sand and no sunbeds, but there are many restaurants and cafes nearby Directions

Beach Buna Beach First Buna Beach that is mainly suitable for a walk along the beach Directions

Retro Museum

One of the coolest museums we have ever visited. It’s located on the first floor in the Grand Mall and it’s nostalgic, filled with cars from the communism period (what awesome cars they had back then!), there is also music from this period and toys and daily stuff that help you see how they lived back then.

In this museum you will feel like you went back in time. There are also wax figures of famous people who drove those cars then.

We wandered around the museum for about an hour and really enjoyed to see these unique cars and reading about the figures.

An entrance ticket costs 10 leva. There’s an option to buy a combined ticket with the wax museum (which is also in the mall), but we chose to enter only the Retro Museum because we had already been in the wax museum in Berlin.

Visit Primorski Park

This is the largest, oldest, and most familiar park in Varna. We loved it. It’s a huge park and you can wander there for hours. There’s a big area with attractions for kids and a small Luna Park. There is also a dolphinarium in the park.

There are many walking trails in the park and you can go right down to the beach and the promenade from it. Along the promenade there are bars and restaurants.

We sat at the “Beach Selfie Bar”. I drank a cappuccino and Roman ordered a Bloody Mary cocktail which was good. The view to the beach was beautiful and we liked the bar’s design.

The only thing that was missing in the park was that there wasn’t any place to rent bikes from. And this park is perfect for bike-riding.

Shopping

Varna is a cheap destination for shopping. We usually don’t shop during our trips (we travel a lot and we try to travel cheap), but I bought a nice coat for 40 Leva, gloves for the gym and a bag (yes, I consider it a lot of shopping :)). The Grand Mall is a big mall with many famous brand shops like Zara, Bershka, H&M, and more. There are also local brands and designer shops.

Dormition of the Mother of God Cathedral

The cathedral is located at about a 15-minute walk from the main street in Varna. This is a really beautiful cathedral. It’s impressive from the outside and from the inside. I think it’s definitely worth a short visit.

We sat there for a few minutes and loved to look at the small details and the wall paintings. I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that people spent months and years painting the walls. The most impressive one was in the Chapel in the Vatican, Rome.

Wander around the main street

In Varna’s center there’s a main street with many restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. If you are looking for a nice place for a drink or a meal with a lively atmosphere, this is the place to go.

Excursions outside the city of Varna

As I mentioned, with a rented car you can go to the areas near Varna. For example, we went to Belchik and the Golden Sands. If you are adventurous, you can also diversify with a visit to Burgas or travel west to the center of Bulgaria and visit Plovdiv, which is the ancient capital of Bulgaria and is absolutely a destination worth visiting.

Nesebar city

Nesebar is a small town that is swallowed up within the boundaries of northern Burgas. I did not visit it but one of the followers of the blog wrote to me about it. Its interesting part is the old city or the Straria Grad – which is located on a small peninsula connected by a narrow road and surrounded by ancient walls. Some people think it is simply the old town of Burgas. You can wander the alleys of the old city, admire the historical buildings, the amphitheater and the ancient churches. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site so expect lots of visitors and tourists (locals too). There are lots of souvenir shops on the streets and it’s worth a visit of a few hours.

You can park in the parking lot for a fee – at the entrance to the city turn right and continue to the parking lot.

And if you have already reached it, then you must visit Burgas. In Burgas you can find a lot of attractions and worthwhile things that I haven’t blogged about yet, but you can find a lot of information on Google.

Strandzha Nature Park

Another place I haven’t visited but one of the followers of the blog recommended is Strandza Nature Reserve. He wrote about the reserve: I visited the Strandza nature reserve on the border with Turkey and I really recommend it. There are forests, rivers and beautiful waterfalls. As a travel enthusiast, I took day trips in nature and saw that you can also ride a bike. The villages there are beautiful and full of old wooden houses that are special to the region. You can walk around the village of Brashlyan, in my opinion it is a gem that not many people know, the locals are very nice and calm and when you are there you feel as if you have gone back a hundred years in time.

And if you’ve already traveled all the way to the area, it’s really cool to reach the border with Turkey and see the huge Turkish flag flying in front of the Bulgarian flag on both sides of the Mutlu River. Drive to Rezovo and aim for the south coast or the border monument.

Things to do in Varna with children

When we traveled in Varna it was just me and Roman, but for those who come with children, there are lots of things to do in and around Varna.

• Dolphinarium Dolphinarium Varna directions
• bowling
• Carting
• The stone forest
• Zoo directions

More attractions in Varna

There were other things we wanted to do in Varna and we didn’t get to, so I’m attaching the list here:

• Casino
• Kayaking in the river, a daily trip – for more details and purchasing tickets
• 3 hour cruise in the Black Sea in Varna including lunch and drinks – for more details and ticket purchase
• Walking tour in the city of Varna – for more details and purchase of tickets
• Evksinograd Palace directions

In conclusion, Varna can be an ideal destination for a summer vacation that includes both belly and various attractions. We were there as a couple and we are waiting to go back there again with the girls.

Hope my post helped you. If so, I would very much like you to respond here in the comments, and if you have any more questions, then you are also welcome to ask them in the comments or write to me on the blog’s social networks: Facebook and Instagram.

Looking for more information about Bulgaria? I have more posts about Bulgaria on my blog.

Varna is the third largest city in Bulgaria and a seaside resort on Bulgaria’s Black Sea. It’s a cheap destination where you can find beaches, bars, a huge park with attractions fo kids, big malls, interesting museums, and a central street with many restaurants, bars and coffee shops (read our post about things to do in Varna).

We stayed in the Golden Sands area in an all-inclusive hotel. It’s a 20-minute drive from the city of Varna in a taxi.

Recommended restaurants in Varna

Vegetarian and fish restaurant – Jasmin Tea House

We went to this restaurant for breakfast and we enjoyed it so much that I wanted to go back again for lunch. First of all, the atmosphere is very cozy and pastoral (especially if you sit in the beautiful yard). We arrived at the restaurant exactly at the opening time, 11:00, so we were the only ones there.

We sat outside and when we got the menus we didn’t know what to choose. All the dishes sounded good and special. This is a great place for vegetarians and vegans, and there are also fish dishes.

After some deliberation we decided to order for starters a dish with 3 spreads (olive spread, hummus, and a peppers with tomato spread) with Arabic bread and a quinoa salad with peas, avocado, and goat cheese.

The spreads were very tasty. I especially liked the pepper spread. The quinoa salad was delicious; all the ingredients matched well. It was a filling dish, we didn’t even finish it because we wanted to leave space for the other dishes we ordered.

For our main courses Roman ordered a mussels dish and we also ordered a zucchini risotto with white wine and green pepper. Roman said that the mussels were very good; one of the best he had ever eaten. And the risotto was really good and light. Honestly, I was already full from the starters, but I couldn’t not try the risotto.

We also ordered Kombucha (a probiotic tea we tasted for the first time in Thailand and since then we order it on every chance we get) to drink. We ordered the rose Kombucha and it was very refreshing (if you haven’t tried it before, I recommend you to do so. It’s healthy and tasty).

Address
“Petko Karavelov” 26, 9002 Varna Center, Varna, Bulgaria
Opening hours
Every day 11:00-23:00

A traditional Bulgarian restaurant – Staria Chinar

I had received a recommendation for this restaurant from a local through Instagram (it’s a great way to get recommendations for things to do and restaurants). We arrived there for a late lunch and we loved the restaurant’s design. We sat outside (there are many sitting places in the inside and the outside).

The food there was cheap so it gave Roman the option to order many dishes to be able to taste as many as possible 🙂 For starters we ordered a grated cabbage and carrot salad and an Ikara. The salad was seasoned well with lots of lemon, the way I like it. The Ikara was the best we had ever eaten. The texture was good and the flavours were delicate.

For main courses I ordered a meatball dish which turned out to be more like 5 big kebabs. I managed to eat 2 and they were very good (the dish comes with bacon and cheese but I requested it to be without them). And I also ordered a vegetarian Moussaka which also was very good but I only managed to eat half and Roman ate the rest.

Roman ordered 3 dishes of different kinds of meat. The dishes were very big and this was one of the few times that Roman didn’t finish everything he ordered. He said that the meat was high-quality and cooked really well.

If you are looking for a cheap, traditional local Bulgarian restaurant then stop looking. This is the restaurant for you.

Address
“Makedonia” 154, 9000 Varna Center, Varna, Bulgaria
Opening hours
Every day 12:00-00:00

Local chain with good food that is also – Happy Bar & Grill

This is a local chain with 4 branches in Varna. They serve grilled food and sushi (a good combination). We were pretty skeptical about the food’s quality because it’s a cheap touristic restaurant. But our taxi driver recommend us to try it, and we also saw good reviews so we decided to give it a go.

It’s not a gourmet restaurant but the food was tasty and it was definitely a good value for our money.

I ordered different kinds of sushi and Roman ordered grilled calamari. We both enjoyed our dishes. We also ordered a mango sangria which was refreshing and yummy.

We were in the branch that’s located in the beginning of the main street. The restaurant is open 247.

Recommended coffee shops in Varna

A cozy coffee shop – Mafe Cafe

The coffee shop is located about 5 minutes walking from the main street. This is a great coffee shop with many pastries, cakes, and cookies. Its design is modern. The coffee was great. I had a jam cookie and Roman ordered a croissant. We both were happy with our choices.

You can sit inside or outside.
Address
бул.Осми полк 58, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria
Opening hours
Monday-Saturday 07:30-19:30 closed on Sunday

A cafe-bar for a cold drink – Vogue Cafe Bar

A cool cafe- bar on the main street in Varna. This is a great place for a cold drink on a sunny day. They have many different types of coffee, milkshakes, and cocktails.

I ordered a cold coffee with coconut syrup. Since I am not a fan of sweet drinks, the syrup was too strong for me. So I loved this coffee less than others. But I guess that people who love sweet beverages will probably like it. Roman ordered a mango drink that was good.

Address
“Todor Dimov” 18, 9002 Varna Center, Varna, Bulgaria
Opening hours
Every day 10:00-00:00

Bar near the beach- Selfie Bar

This bar is located on the promenade near the beach. We went there after wandering around the park. We went down in the promenade’s direction and saw this bar which looked nice. I ordered a cappuccino and Roman ordered a bloody Mary cocktail. One of the most fun things to do is to watch the sunset with a tasty drink. We enjoyed sitting there and we loved the cool, colorful design of the bar.

Address
9002 Primorski, Varna, Bulgaria
Opening hours
Every day 10:00-04:00

If you are staying in the city of Varna or the Golden Sands area in Varna, we recommend you do a day trip to the town of Balchik (The truth is that it is not a town but a small port city in northeastern Bulgaria). We stayed at the HVD Viva Club Hotel in the Golden Sands and we took a taxi to Balchik from there. The drive took around 35 minutes.

Balchik is small and beautiful. You will find beautiful botanic gardens, great local restaurants, and a lovely promenade along the black sea shore.

How to get to Balchik?

• By taxi – from the Golden Sands area the taxi costs 30 leva (BGN coin)
• By bus- a bus from the Golden Sands costs 5 leva, and from Varna, it costs 7 leva. The timetable for the bus from the central station in Varna is: 09:30, 13:30, 15:00, and 18:00
• Renting a car – you can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies.

The promenade

The promenade is very beautiful with a good breeze from the sea. You can find restaurants, coffee shops, and gelatos along the way. You can also rent bikes and travel with them.
In the area of the promenade, there is a small market where you can buy local jewellery, souvenirs, and more.

The beach

There’s a small beach strip, so if you want to also add some beach time to your visit to Balchik, you can definitely do so (just bring a towel and a swimsuit and you are all set).
The beach has clear water and offers various water activities such as water sports, and you can rent boats, paddleboards, or kayaks. Along the beach, there are restaurants and bars, and there are chairs and umbrellas available for rent.

Botanic Garden

There are two entrances to the botanic garden. The first one is the main entrance and it’s from the town center; the second one is from the promenade area. The difference between the entrances is that when you enter the gardens from the main one, you continue your visit in the gardens downwards and if you enter the gardens from the second entrance, you continue your visit in the gardens upwards.

If you have a problem with climbing stairs, you should probably go in through the main entrance (you can take a taxi from the promenade to the town center which would cost 5 leva). The gardens are very impressive. They are among the botanic gardens that we have liked the most (other gardens that we liked were in Villa Melzi, in Bellagio, Italy).

The gardens are very big and well-maintained. You can spend easily 2-3 hours or more there. There is a gorgeous waterfall and really pretty areas. A good thing about the gardens is that you can visit even on a hot day because there are many shaded areas.
There is also a palace in the botanic gardens, but we must say that, compared to other palaces that we’ve seen, this was the least impressive one. The entrance to the palace is an additional 8 leva. We don’t think it’s a must-see, but it depends on you.

Entrance to the botanic gardens costs 6 leva
Opening hours: every day 08:00-20:00. Directions.

Balchik Dvoretsa Palace and Park

The palace is located near the botanical gardens and is characterized by an architectural style that combines Romantic and Mediterranean elements. It was built in the 1920s and belonged to Queen Maria of Romania, who chose the city of Balchik as her holiday retreat. The palace currently serves as a museum with exhibitions about the life of the queen. Directions.
Book tickets online
Open daily 08:00-20:00

History Museum of Baltchik

The museum was founded in the 1960s and is located in a building that was once the home of an Austrian doctor. It features collections that include archaeological artifacts, photographs, and items related to the daily lives of the residents over the generations. Directions.
Museum’s website.
It’s closed on Saturday and Sunday. open from Monday- Friday 08:00-12:00, 12:30-16:30

The city center

The city center is within walking distance of the promenade and the botanical gardens. It is a small area, but it has several restaurants, including Bistro Kestana and Restaurant The Castle, among others. There are also a number of hotels and guesthouses. In addition, you can find some souvenir stands there..

Recommended restaurants in Balchik

Antik Restaurant

We started our day at a restaurant near the sea. Antik Restaurant. We decided not to eat breakfast at our hotel and instead try it in Balchik and it was a very good decision. To sit in front of the sea in a colorful restaurant is a great way to start your morning.

We ordered 2 omelettes, 2 Parlenkas (a flat, Bulgarian bread with toppings like cheese and garlic), a Greek salad, and Roman also ordered a yogurt soup. The omelet and the Parlenka were pretty big so we could have ordered only one of each of them for the both of us.

Roman ordered a beer and I ordered a cappuccino. The food was good and the atmosphere was so relaxing; we could have stayed there for hours.We ate pretty late, so some of the people were already ordering lunch and their dishes looked really yummy, so I’m sure this restaurant would also be a great choice for lunch/dinner.

Restaurant the Castle

We ate lunch in a local Bulgarian restaurant (in the town center) that our taxi driver recommended. The Castle Restaurant. Honestly, I was still full from breakfast so I just ordered a fresh orange juice. Roman ordered a Bulgarian soup like Chorba and he liked the dishes.

Even though the restaurant is in a central touristy location, the prices were cheap and the dishes’ portions were big.

Where to sleep in Balchik?

If we had more time on the trip, I would have been happy to spend a night or two in Balchik. I really loved this city. It is small and relaxing, and from what I checked, there are a few places with good reviews for accommodation, including:

• Lighthouse Golf & Spa Hotel
• Balchik Sea View Apartments in Princess Residence
• Apartments Poemia, complex Carpe Diem
• Hotel Mistral
• Hotel Samara with Relax area
• Regina Maria Spa Design Hotel

Balchik is definitely a recommended place for a half-day or a full-day trip. Don’t miss it if you are staying in Varna or the Golden Sands area.

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During our vacation in Varna we decided to stay at the Golden Sands area, because we heard that it’s a lively zone and it’s highly recommended for a vacation. We looked for a high-class hotel at a reasonable price that would be all-inclusive. After many searches on the internet, we found the HVD Viva Club Hotel.
Read more reviews about this hotel.

It’s an all-inclusive hotel and its reviews were very good. The hotel cost us 156 USD per night at the end of August- start of September. A cheap price for a 4-stars all-inclusive hotel. We booked 7 nights, which in total cost 1092 USD.

From the moment we entered the hotel, we knew that it was a good choice

About the hotel

We arrived to the hotel with a taxi from Varna’s airport. As soon as we got to the reception we got a welcome drink. The check-in process was fast (we arrived in the afternoon). During our entire stay, the service was excellent. The workers always smiled and answered every question or request with patience.

The room itself was clean, big, and had a lovely balcony.

The pool

The pool area is a lovely area with many tanning beds, a bar, and a snacks buffet which is open every day from 10am.

From the dining room there is an exit to the pool area so you can eat your meal on the tables near the pool.

The food

The food in this hotel is one of the best things it has. It’s high-standard food and it’s very diverse. In the evening the meals usually have a theme like Bulgarian night, Italian night, seafood night, and more. And the entrance setting to the dining room was done according to the theme.

There is a big selection of salads, meat, fish, desserts, fruits, and much more in all the meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

There are also two restaurants in the hotel (not included in the price). A grill restaurant and an Italian one. They are both really good, with a great service. I loved the seafood pasta in the Italian restaurant and the fish from the grill was one of the best I have ever eaten (it looked pale but it was so succulent and tasty.

The entertainment staff

The entertainment staff is really good. During the day they offer many activities, games, and competitions for kids and adults, and in the evening they have diverse shows and activities like bingo, Oktoberfest, and more.

The location

The location was good in our opinion. It’s not near the beach, but we liked the fact that it was set in a quiet area. In order to get to the promenade area you need to go down several stairs (from the pool area) and to continue down for about 10 minutes. The walk itself is in a nice area with stalls, shops, bars, and restaurants.

The hotel’s beach

The hotel has a private beach, but in order to get there you need to use the shuttle service. It’s about 5 minutes driving (there are shuttles from the morning till the evening). I definitely recommend to go the hotel’s beach, because there are tanning beds and sunshades for free and all the food and drinks are all-inclusive. So you can eat lunch, snack, an ice cream, or fruit, and drink beers and soft drinks without spending a cent.

Extras

When we arrived at the hotel we discovered that if you book at least 7 nights in their hotel, you get two meals for free in their restaurants (the grill and the Italian one) and we were free to use the sauna and the Jacuzzi.

Things that could improve in the hotel

There are only two elevators in the hotel and sometimes one of them didn’t work. If the hotel is fully booked, you need to wait for a long time in order to use the elevator. We were on the 4th floor so most of the time we used the stairs, but if you have problem climbing stairs or you have small kids, I recommend you to ask for a room in a lower floor.

The spa and the gym area don’t match the hotel’s standards. They are in the lower floor and feel like a basement. We worked out in the gym one time and it was strangled.

We also got a massage and it was very good, but you need to take into consideration that the atmosphere is not like in a high-level spa. No candles, no dim lighting, and the room was not welcoming. But at least the massage itself was good and for a reasonable price.

I must mention that our vacation in Golden Sands was beyond our expectations. It’s a dreamy destination for a cheap, fun, spoiling, and awesome vacation (we have been to Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey in the past, and we think that the Golden Sands has the most value for money for a vacation).

We took a flight to Varna and from the airport we took a taxi that cost about 25 euro to the HVD Viva Club Hotel. The ride took about 40 minutes. There is also an option to take a bus from the airport but it’s a longer ride and we had landed in the afternoon so we wanted to be at the hotel as soon as possible in order to enjoy the rest of the day.

We arrived at the all-inclusive hotel around 6:30 pm. We got a room on the 4th floor with a sea view. We arranged our stuff and went down for dinner. The hotel cost us 140 euro per night, all-inclusive. A cheap price for a hotel at the end of August- start of September.

Golden Sands main season is from May – September.

How do you get to the golden sands?

Getting to the Golden Sands is by flight to the city of Varna and from there you can take a taxi like we did or take public transportation and use route 409 which is a bus that goes from the airport to the Golden Sands (costs about 2 Lev per person, the trip should be about 40 minutes fast in total and according to what I checked during the season a bus leaves every 15 minutes between 5 am and 11 pm and less frequently during the off season – every half an hour and 6 am) or rent a car and get to the Golden Sands. About half an hour from the airport to the Golden Sands area.

Link to the timetable of line 409 (the website is loading slowly so you need patience)

You can also use the Moovit application that updates the location of the buses in real time.

Stay at an all-inclusive hotel

We stayed at the HVD Viva Club Hotel. A high-standards hotel with amazing food. Great pool, good service, the entertainment staff put a lot of effort into activities and shows. The hotel has a private, all-inclusive beach too. I wrote a detailed post about the hotel. Click here to read more about the hotel.

Walk along the promenade

Wow, this promenade is so much fun. It has everything. Restaurants, bars, clubs, stalls, coffee shops, beaches, and loads of attractions for adults and kids.

You can walk for hours along the promenade and find many things to do there. There are great stalls with souvenirs, bags, things for the sea and pool, clothes, and more.

Because the promenade is very long, there is a train that you can jump on to and ride on it back and forth along the promenade (the train costs 4 leva).

Recommended bars in Golden sands

There are so many bars along the promenade and in the Golden Sands area in general. You can hop from bar to bar all day long. All the bars are high in quality and each one is designed in a cool and unique way.

Bars that we really liked:

Megapark Dolphin

A lively bar from the morning till the night which has a pool and foam parties. There is happy hour on drinks 1+1 and you can order a hookah in different flavors.

Cocktail bar Paris

it’s a bar that’s located in a mini copy of the Eifel tower. There’s a view from it to the promenade and in the evening it’s really nice to sit there and have a cocktail or glass of wine.

Cuba Bar

Located on the beach and there are different sitting options. To sit on the swing near the bar, or regular tables, or a cushion seat on the beach. During the sunset it’s a perfect place for a cocktail.

Mini golf

Mini golf is one of my favorite attractions. Not because I’m good at it, but because it’s a fun game, funny (especially if you don’t know how to play) and it’s a great way to pass time with friends.

The mini golf in Golden Sands is on the promenade and it’s good. It has 18 different stations and it’s shaded. So there’s not a problem to play there on a hot day. When we arrived at around 2pm we were the only ones there. We played for about 75 minutes.

The game for an adult costs 10 leva, and for a child (under the age 12) 5 leva.

Drink coffee with a yummy cake

One of our favorite things to do during a vacation is to drink a good coffee with a yummy cake in the middle day. There are many coffee shops along the promenade.

We really loved Cafe Wiener. It’s a high-standards cafe with amazing cakes. They also have gelatos. We ordered 2 cappuccinos with a carrot cake. The coffee was good and the cake was really tasty. You could feel the taste of the carrot and the nuts in each bite.

Clubs in Golden sands

There are many clubs along the promenade and also in the hotels area. We went to one club- Bonkers Club. This club was less fit for us, but if you are in your early 20’s I guess you would have more fun. The club’s price includes free alcohol from the bar.

We also saw a commercial for another club-Arrogance Club. Which seemed to have higher standards. But we didn’t have the chance to try it. According to the commercial this club has 5 different halls and each hall has a different music style.

Get a massage

Because there isn’t a perfect vacation without a massage (at least for me :)). I got a massage at the beach first. I love to be at the beach and to have the option to get a relaxing and quick massage. I chose the 20-minutes back treatment. I can’t say it was like a spa massage but it was good enough and definitely worth 20 leva.

The second time I got a massage, it was in the hotel that we were staying in Viva club.

Their spa is not the best in terms of decoration and atmosphere, but the massage itself was very good and the price was 70 leva for 50 minutes which was cheap for a 4-stars hotel.

Work out at the gym

Yes I know, not many of you will think that it’s something you should do on a vacation, but we did. We love to work out at the gym, especially in a gym like the one we found in the promenade area.

It’s a fitness club with a view to the sea. If you are a gym lover, you will love to work out there. The equipment is new and the view is beautiful. The entrance costs 6 leva and there’s a bathroom and a dressing room. Directions .

Beaches in Golden sands

There are many beaches along the entire promenade. Arranged beaches with sunbeds and umbrellas. We were at the private beach of the HVD Viva club hotel, but when we walked around the boardwalk we saw that there are many good beaches to be at:
Riviera beach free zone
Beach Golden Sands

Things to do with kids in the Golden Sands

As I wrote, on this trip it was just me and Roman, but I made a list of some things worth doing with children in the Golden Sands:

Play mini golf directions
Walk the boardwalk and ride the train that passes there
Go to the beach
Travel with them to the city of Varna – Things to do in the city of Varna
Go on a day trip with them to the town of Balchik
Take a walk in Priroden Park Zlatni Pyasatsi, there are hiking trails of varying degrees of difficulty, from easy to difficult. Directions

In conclusion, we went on vacation to the Golden Sands in Bulgaria as a couple, but it’s also an excellent vacation for families because of the all-inclusive resorts, the beaches, a promenade full of activities and a fun and light atmosphere. You can manage there without a car, which is an advantage when you come on vacation with children.

Hope my post helped you. If so, I would very much like you to respond here in the comments, and if you have any more questions, then you are also welcome to ask them in the comments or write to me on the blog’s social networks: Facebook and Instagram.

Romania is a gorgeous country, full of landscapes, nature, good food, friendly people, and so much to see and do. Oh, and it is a cheap destination so that makes it even better.

We landed in Cluj Napoca and returned from Bucharest.

Tips before traveling to Romania

SIM card

I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.

Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.

The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.

Car rental in Romania

I think this is the most convenient and fun way to travel. Car prices are low and the roads are easy to drive.

You can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies.

Attractions in Romania

You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attractions site is tiqets the second is Get your guide and Viator.

Where to stay in Romania

You can search for places to stay in Romania via Booking.

Here’s my 10 days itinerary for Romania:

Day 1

Landed in Cluj Napoca and picked the car that we booked in advance (post about how to rent a car for cheap). We drove to the city and did a check-in into a lovely apartment hotel in the city’s center Aparthotel Gutinului.

After that, we went to eat lunch in a nice restaurant-bar and then we went to visit the botanical gardens. They were so beautiful. We wandered a little bit in the city center and then drove to a local traditional restaurant. The dinner was really good. Before ending the day we went to grab a drink in a cool bar designed as a laboratory.

Posts about Cluj Napoca.

Day 2

We went to eat breakfast in the central area which has many restaurants and coffee shops. After breakfast, we continued to a viewpoint of the city and then we drove to the Salina Turda Salt Mine. About an hour driving. The mine was absolutely stunning.

It has many attractions for adults and for kids (post about Salina Turda Salt Mine). After the visit to the salt mine we continued to Brasov. A three and a half hours ride.

In Brasov we booked an Airbnb apartment in the city’s center. We left our things there and went to a free tour at 18:00 (this free tour is given every day at 18:00). The tour was about two and a half hours long and was very interesting and informative. After the tour we went to an amazing Italian restaurant (one of the best restaurants we went to during the trip).

Day 3

We went to the cable car in Brasov. We went up and there was an incredible viewpoint of the city (post about Brasov). Then we went to the gym and later continued to a royal guest house in the Brasov province. About one hour driving.

We booked the Prince’s cabin and it was one of the most beautiful cabins we’ve ever stayed in. In the evening we ate dinner in an elegant wine cellar with the other guests. All the dishes were served at the middle of the table and we drank a lot of good wine. It was very nice to meet the other guests and to talk with them and we had a great night.

Day 4

We ate breakfast in the guest house’s yard with the other guests on picnic tables. The cabin cost us about 150 euro including dinner & breakfast. There is also an option to pay around 200 euro to also include lunch and a day activity like horse-riding, a trip to the lake, and more. From there we drove to an isolated cabin in the woods that we booked through Airbnb.

We bought some ingredients on the way. When we arrived at the cabin we had a BBQ in the yard. We loved the cabin. It cost us about 100 euro (post about the two cabins).

Day 5

We drove to the gorgeous Lake Saint Anne. A two hours ride. We went up to a viewpoint, then we had a picnic near the lake and hiked a little bit around there.

Day 6

We continued our journey to Sinaia. In Sinaia we booked a boutique hotel Pension Casa Teo  and because we were the only ones there we were upgraded to a suite. Yay!!

We ate lunch in a Serbian restaurant and in the evening we went out to an Irish bar (post about Sinaia).

Day 7

We went up 2000m’ in a cable car. There were breathtaking views from there. But it was really cold. I recommend to bring warm clothes with you for this ride and also a wool hat to protect your ears from the wind.

From there we continued to Peles Castle; a castle that looks like it was taken out of a fairy tale. Afterwards, we drove to Bucharest, returned the car to the agency, and went to the apartment near the old city. In the evening I went to get a Thai massage and after that we ate in a Japanese restaurant.

Days 8-10

We stayed in Bucharest. We had two tours there; one that was free and the other was a graffiti tour. We went to the biggest park, to a dinner at a local home, to great restaurants and coffee houses, and in the evenings we went to the bars area. There’s an insane nightlife scenery there.

Posts about Bucharest.

To sum it up: we had a blast in Romania and during the entire trip.