Varna is Bulgaria's summer capital, a big, confident Black Sea city of three hundred thousand with a long beach, a grand seaside garden and a surprisingly deep past. In 1972, workers digging near the shore found a cemetery that has since become famous, the Varna Necropolis, which contained some of the oldest worked gold ever found, made around 4500 BC, long before the pharaohs. The treasures, which include tiny gold ornaments buried with the dead, are in the city's archaeological museum, and they show that a sophisticated society lived here thousands of years before Rome or Athens.
Varna was also a Greek colony, called Odessos, and later a Roman city, and the ruins of the Roman baths, among the largest in the Balkans, still stand near the centre. The Sea Garden, which runs for some kilometres along the cliff top, is a lovely place for a stroll, with old trees and a view of the bay, while the beaches below are crowded in summer. Eat well here: fresh fish, mussels, tarator, the cold cucumber and yoghurt soup, and a plate of grilled vegetables with local cheese make a good lunch.
For riders, the city is a fine base for a day trip inland to Madara, about ninety kilometres to the west, near Shumen. There, high on a sheer cliff above the village, is the Madara Rider, a large relief carved into the rock in the early eighth century, showing a horseman spearing a lion while a dog runs behind him. It is the only such monument of its kind in Europe and is a World Heritage site. The road there passes through low green hills, farmland and sunflower fields, with long straights and gentle curves, and the steps up the cliff lead to a view across the plain. Summer is hot, and a morning start is a good idea.
Closer to town, the Aladzha Monastery, a medieval rock-cut complex in the forest north of the city, is a quiet place for an hour. The streets of Varna itself can be hectic, so ride with alertness and allow time for traffic in the centre. Fuel is available throughout the city and the main roads, and nearby Asparuhovo and Aksakovo have several stations. Remember the electronic vignette that is needed in Bulgaria, and carry some cash for parking and small cafes in the villages.