Pickup
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Car hire in Varna opens up the northern Black Sea coast in a single trip. Varna Airport (VAR) is the most "international" of the country's coastal airports: 20 airlines, 80 destinations, scheduled flights running all year rather than only summer charters.
Varna itself is a compact city with a pedestrian centre and the Sea Garden park, where a car is rarely needed. People hire one for the coast and the northern day trips: Golden Sands, Albena, the Botanical Garden in Balchik, Cape Kaliakra with its cliffs and dolphins, plus Romania, which is unusually close from here.
A typical guest keeps the car three or four days — Kaliakra, Balchik, Albena and a coastal run down to Burgas. The other days are walking and bus 409.
Pickup and drop-off points
Varna Airport (VAR)
VAR sits 9 km west of the centre; the two terminals were merged into one building in 2013. Rental desks line the ground floor and the car park is right at the exit, so most travellers go from baggage to keys in 10–20 minutes. VAR runs all year with scheduled flights from Lufthansa, Wizz, Ryanair, Bulgaria Air, Turkish and El Al, which keeps the desks staffed 24/7. Bus 409 leaves for the centre every 15 minutes.
Beyond the airport
Around Varna and the northern coast we offer pickup at several points: Golden Sands (18 km), Sveti Konstantin (10 km) and Albena (30 km). If you are staying in a resort hotel and would rather skip the airport collection, the car can be brought to your hotel at an agreed time.
A couple flying in on a January Wizz from Berlin: VAR was the only practical way into the coast that month, and the car was at the door inside fifteen minutes.
Open-top along the coastal road from Varna to Balchik and Kaliakra is what people come for. Cabriolets sit more often in our Varna pool than in the Burgas one.
Mitsubishi Colt in Bulgaria
everything was perfect!
Renault Symbol in Bulgaria
Renault de facto, the car is weak, a little tired, but clean. The courier is well done, although he was late, there are no complaints, he even changed money. But in general, the car did not disappoint, no breakdowns, thanks! This is the first time I've rented
Renault Clio 5 in Bulgaria
everything was OK, the car was good, only one suggestion: phone holder should be in the car or the option for renting one, either way it was OK. Best wishes
Toyota Yaris in Bulgaria
I received the car right after arrival, good car and very nice lady who handed the car over to me.
Skoda Rapid in Bulgaria
Everything's great, I'm happy with the car.
What to see from Varna
The northern coast is among the most authentic stretches of the Bulgarian Black Sea. North on the E87: Golden Sands (18 km), Albena (30 km, a quiet gated resort), Balchik (40 km) with the Botanical Garden of Queen Marie; further on Cape Kaliakra (60 km) with 70-metre cliffs, a medieval fortress and dolphins offshore. West of Varna sit the Pobiti Kamani Stone Forest (20 km) and the rock-cut Aladzha Monastery (14 km, tenth century).
Onward routes
The coastal route south to Burgas is 130 km / 2.5 hours on the E87, with stops at Nessebar and Pomorie. To base further south, see car hire in Burgas. On the A2 "Hemus", Varna to Sofia is 470 km / about 5.5 hours; for the capital and the mountains, rent a car in Sofia. Varna's particular advantage is Romania: the Durankulak land border is only 110 km away.
A common day out is Balchik plus Kaliakra together. About 100 km round trip, a couple of quiet fishing villages on the way and sunset over the cliffs.
The A2 Hemus is a modern motorway with a 140 km/h limit. Unlike the A1 Trakia from Burgas, there is no average-speed enforcement on it.
Cross-border drives
Varna is the most convenient point in Bulgaria for crossing into Romania. The Durankulak land border is only 110 km on the E87, with no bridge and no toll. Since 1 January 2025 there is no passport check; both countries are now in Schengen. Constanta is 170 km / 2.5 hours away, with the Mamaia beaches and the old port on the way. A rare case where you can spend a day in a neighbouring country and be back for dinner.
Greece is further from here, about 600 km to Thessaloniki via Sofia. For Greece a Sofia or Burgas base is more practical.
Turkey is allowed by some suppliers only and only the European part. The paperwork has to be complete: a power of attorney, a Green Card valid for Turkey and a temporary import declaration. Notify us three to five working days ahead. North Macedonia and Serbia are usually allowed by local partners; chains often refuse them.
A family with two small children drove up to Constanta and back the same afternoon. The border was a wave-through; they were on Mamaia sand inside two hours.
For Romania we set up the paperwork on our side. For Turkey it is a separate pack, so flag it at booking.
Rates in Varna vary throughout the year depending on the season and the rental length.
How expensive is renting a car in Varna: average daily rates for a one-week car rental, across all car classes.
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Book peak summer two to three months ahead
VAR demand in July and August is heavy, and prices two to three weeks before pickup can rise by 25–35%.
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Consider a cabriolet here
The coastal road to Balchik and Kaliakra was made for an open roof.
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Skip EVs for the long day trips
Charging on the Bulgarian Black Sea is still patchy; petrol or diesel is the safer choice for Kaliakra or Burgas.
Driving and parking
Varna
The centre is a Blue Zone, about $1 per hour, paid through the TPark app or by SMS. By EU standards it is on the cheap side. Around the perimeter of the Sea Garden some free spaces exist, but in July and August they are gone by morning. The underground car park at Mall Varna runs about $2 per hour and is the safer option for an overnight stay or a fresh hire car. Fines for an expired ticket usually land in the $5–20 range, but inner-city wardens are active on Slivnitsa and Maria Luiza around lunchtime, so it pays to top up before you sit down for coffee.
Resorts
Hotels in Golden Sands and Sveti Konstantin usually include free guest parking; worth confirming when you book the room. Albena is a gated resort: parking inside the gates is free for guests. Street parking near the beaches is tight in peak season but normally free.
Balchik and Kaliakra
In Balchik the centre is around $1 per hour, with paid parking at the entrance to the Botanical Garden. At Cape Kaliakra parking is free in front of the fortress; from there it is on foot to the cliffs and the dolphin lagoon.
A guest parked near the Cathedral, missed an hour on the TPark app, came back to a $10 slip on the windscreen. Quick fix, no real damage.
Frequent Questions
VAR is 9 km west of the centre; the two terminals were merged into one building in 2013. Rental desks are on the ground floor and the car park sits at the exit, typically 10–20 minutes from baggage to keys. VAR runs all year with 20 scheduled airlines, so most desks are 24/7. Our partner can meet you with a sign at arrivals using your flight number.
The main difference is scheduled flights all year: Lufthansa, Austrian, Wizz, Ryanair, Bulgaria Air, Turkish, El Al. BOJ is mostly summer charters from May to October, with little activity in winter. If you are coming to Bulgaria in winter or off-season, VAR is usually the only coastal entry point.
Yes. Along the northern coast we offer pick-up at several points: Golden Sands (18 km from VAR), Sveti Konstantin (10 km) and Albena (30 km). The car is brought to the hotel at an agreed time. It is the easy choice if you are based at a resort and only need the car for two or three days.
About 40 km / 40 minutes north on the E87. The headline sight in Balchik is the Botanical Garden of Queen Marie (over 3,000 plant species, a 1920s mini-Versailles on cliffs above the sea), plus the old fishing town. Easy to combine with Cape Kaliakra in one trip — about 100 km round trip in a day.
About 60 km / one hour north-east. Kaliakra is a 70-metre headland over the Black Sea with a medieval fortress and dolphins offshore. Parking in front of the fortress is free; from there it is a 10–15 minute walk along the cliffs. Better to leave in the morning — by lunchtime the small lot fills up.
Pobiti Kamani is a stone forest 20 km from Varna — natural limestone columns about 50 million years old, looking almost post-apocalyptic. Aladzha is a rock-cut monastery 14 km out, with cells carved into the cliff face, tenth century. Both are short day trips that organised tours often miss.
About 130 km / 2.5 hours south on the coastal E87. Useful stops on the way: Nessebar (UNESCO), Pomorie with its salt museums and Sunny Beach. The E87 is a second-class road, so no vignette is needed. The coastal one-way Varna → Burgas with a fixed fee is a standard TakeCars route.
About 470 km / 5.5 hours west on the A2 "Hemus" — a modern motorway with a 140 km/h limit. It is the longest of the standard Bulgarian routes. Veliko Tarnovo, the medieval capital, is a useful break around halfway. Unlike the A1 "Trakia", the A2 has no average-speed enforcement.
Yes — and this is the Varna trick. The Durankulak land border is only 110 km on the E87, no bridge and no toll. Since 1 January 2025 there is no passport check; both countries are in Schengen. Constanta is 170 km / 2.5 hours away. A day trip with the Mamaia beaches and the old port on the way is realistic.
Bus 409 runs from the airport to the centre every 15 minutes for around $1; the trip takes 25–30 minutes. A regulated airport taxi is roughly $7–9 to the centre, and Bolt and Yellow Taxi work too. Useful if you do not need the car right away — collect it the next morning without luggage.
Varna → Burgas on the coastal E87 is $22–44 depending on season. Varna → Sofia on the A2 "Hemus" is $55–90. In autumn some suppliers waive the fee when cars need to be moved back to the major hubs. International chains charge from $110 for the same routes.
Yes — this is a Varna specific. Cabriolets sit more often in the northern pool than in Burgas. The natural use case is open-top along the coastal road from Varna to Balchik and Cape Kaliakra. In peak summer book three to four weeks ahead; in the off-season the choice is thinner.
Not really. Charging infrastructure on the Bulgarian Black Sea is still patchy — power outages, broken stations, uneven coverage between resorts. For short trips around Varna an EV is fine, but for day trips to Kaliakra or Burgas petrol or diesel is the safer choice.
Worth budgeting for: under-25 surcharge $5–9 a day, additional driver $5 a day, child seat $3–5 a day, cross-border fee for Romania or Turkey $77–110 for the first country. If the basic tariff is third-party only, full CDW at the desk is $5–11 a day. The insurance tier is shown on the car page before booking.
For walking around the city — no. The centre is compact, everything is within a one-kilometre radius, the Sea Garden and the seafront are pedestrian, and bus 409 runs to the airport. The car is for the coast and the northern day trips: Balchik, Kaliakra, Albena, the Stone Forest, Aladzha Monastery, plus the one-way to Burgas or a trip into Romania.