Where is Albena located?
The location of Albena can only be described as fortunate. This resort is fortunate to be adjacent to the nature reserve in the northern part of the Bulgarian Riviera. Baltata Reserve, which combines the seaside and liana forests, is a unique and noteworthy place in itself.
By the way, the area of the resort is so small (the beach stretch is 3.5 km long and 150 meters wide) that it doesn't officially have the status of a town. The population of Albena consists mainly of tourists and employees of local hotels and entertainment establishments who come from the surrounding areas. The nearest cities to Albena are Varna and Balchik.
The national currency is the Bulgarian Lev (BGN).
History of Albena
In its modern resort form, Albena was founded in 1969, making it the youngest resort in Bulgaria. The forests of Baltata were granted nature reserve status even later, in 1978. Nevertheless, descriptions of this area can be found dating back to the 2nd–3rd centuries BC, when the territory of today’s protected zone was mentioned under its Greek name, Geraneia.
Originally, Albena was planned as an extension of another nearby seaside resort — the port town of Balchik — and was to be named “Balchik South.” Interestingly, according to one unconfirmed theory, the resort’s current name is linked to the heroine of a novel by the renowned Bulgarian writer Yordan Yovkov.
The first milestone in shaping the resort as we know it today was the construction of the “Dobruja” Hotel in 1983. Still the tallest building in Albena, it is rightfully considered one of the resort’s symbols. Remarkably, after gaining popularity as a destination for international tourism, Albena became the first private resort in Bulgaria.
