The first destination is the Quiet Nest Palace, the former summer residence of Queen Marie of Romania, and its famous gardens of more than 35ha. The gardens are the "residence" of 3000 or so plant species of which cacti alone are over 250, and thus Europe's second most important collection. The palace park is an imitation of the famous Cretan labyrinth. Each stone for the church therefore was brought from the island of Crete. The Garden of Allah is the prettiest. The Silver Well and the alleys paved with mill stones are also very interesting. The earthen jars were brought from Morocco.
The chief attraction of the place is the wonderful Botanical Garden, a branch of the University of Sofia. Its ten hectares surround the small summer palace of the Romanian Queen Marie. (The area was part of Romania between 1913 and 1940). The attractive villa has the unusual addition of a minaret, said to have been built for the Queen's Turkish over.
The gardens are the "residence" of 3000 or so plant species of which cacti alone are over 250, and thus Europe's second most important collection.
The gardens are set on a steep hillside, and descend in six terraces to the sea - supposedly one for each of the Queen's children. There are over three thousand varieties of shrubs, roses and flowers, set among streams, waterfalls, and ornamental channels. There is a rock garden, a formal French one with clipped box cones and geometric beds, and an astonishing collection of cacti. Interspersed are stone thrones, seats, pillars and ornaments collected by the Queen.