About Veliko Tarnovo

Once you've been to Veliko Tarnovo, your heart is forever captured by its magical beauty and splendour. Finally, you become an inseparable part of its magnificence and eternity. This is a place on Earth where the future meets the past to build the present. This town went through many centuries of tragedy as well as of glory. The air is filled with the breath of many national heroes and legendary men. When you walk around you can feel the holly atmosphere and the energy of a place like this…

The city

Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgarian: Велико Търново, sometimes transliterated as Veliko Turnovo) is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Region. It is located on the Yantra River and is famous as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, attracting many tourists with its unique architecture. The city is often called the “Old capital”

Veliko Tarnovo is an important administrative, economic, educational and cultural centre of Northern Bulgaria. It has a new town and an old town. A large part of the “Old capital” is unchanged from the medieval ages until today. Many old buildings have been converted into hotels, restaurants and museums that welcome visitors all year around. Today's travellers describe Veliko Tarnovo as the most beautiful Bulgarian city.

Some brief facts about Veliko Tarnovo:
Elevation: 325 m (1,066 ft)
Population: 70 000
Time zone: EET (UTC+2)
Postal Code: 5000
Area code(s): 062
Geographic Coordinates: 43° 5' North, 25° 39' East

A map of Veliko Tarnovo you can find here.

Some more information about Veliko Tarnovo and its history you can find here.

Climate

The climate of Veliko Tarnovo is temperate continental with fairly distinguished 4 seasons. The summer is hot and the winter can be quite cold. The daily temperatures vary around 1 – 2 °C in January and 28 – 30 °C in July and August. During the spring and autumn, the temperatures vary between 10 and 20 °C. Usually not all of the winter is very cold, but there may be a week or two, when the temperatures drop below - 10 °C. Similarly, in the summer there is a period, when the temperatures exceed 35 °C. The precipitations fall in all four seasons, but mainly in the spring and autumn. In January, February, March, November and December, the night temperatures are below the zero. From April to October the daily temperatures are more than 15 °C.
If you would like to know about the current weather in Veliko Tarnovo, you will find an icon in the left column on our website.

Tourist sights

• Architectural reserve “Tsarevets” – the most popular tourist attraction in Veliko Tarnovo, located in the heart of the city, representing Second Bulgarian Empire's primary fortress and strongest bulwark from 1185 to 1393, housing the royal and the patriarchal palaces.

• Sound and Light show - a unique attraction in Europe. Shows of its kind can only be seen in few other countries in the world. Through of music and spectacular illumination, this programme recreates the history of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (1185 – 1393), the fall under the Turkish and the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878. The music was composed especially for the show

• Samovodska charshia - the old market in the old capital of Bulgaria – Veliko Tarnovo. In the early 19 th century, when the town was rapidly developing, there emerged a shopping centre with lots of workshops, bakeries and cafes. The nowadays existing workshops recreate the Renaissance atmosphere. There are cutlery, tannery, pottery, a carpenter’s shops and a weaving workshop, where the artisans follow authentic technologies of work.

• Asenevtsi Monument - dedicated to the brothers Asen, Petar, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II; the sword located in the middle is a symbol of the power and prosperity of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. Fantastic views from the monument to the whole city.

• Art Gallery “Boris Denev” - the gallery exhibits over 5 000 works of numerous Bulgarian artists, representatives of different trends and generations. On the first floor you can find pictures of Veliko Tarnovo, while on the second floor different kinds of exhibitions are displayed.

• Cathedral temple “The birth of Holy Mother” built it in 1842 by master Kolio Ficheto, located close to Tsarevets.

• The Archaeological museum - houses the exposition “Veliko Tarnovo – the capital of Bulgaria XII – XIV c.” It is situated westward to the square of “Saedinenie”. The thousand year old history and culture of the region of Tarnovo is traced out there. The accent is on the period of the Second Bulgarian kingdom

• Museum of the Bulgarian Revival and Constituent Assembly - in the north side of the square “Saedinenie” in Veliko Tarnovo. Its collection is housed in the old Turkish “konak” – the building where the Turkish authorities were. This architectural monument was built by the famous Revival muster builder Kolyo Ficheto in 1872.

• Holy Forty Martyrs Church a medieval Eastern Orthodox church constructed in 1230. Some of the Bulgarian Empire's most significant historical records are stored in the church, including Omurtag's Column, Asen's Column and the Border Column from Rodosto from the rule of Khan Krum.

And many more:  Museum of contemporary history, Museum of prison, Church of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki, Church of Saint George, Sarafkina’s House, Trapezitsa hill, The House with the Monkey, The house of the Bulgarian poet Petko R. Slaveykov …

… & outside the city

• National Architectural Reserve Arbanasi - a beautiful village with traditional Bulgarian architecture, situated on a high hill only 4 km from Veliko Tarnovo, a popular place for tourists, with plenty of restaurants and hotels.

•  The ancient town of Nicopolis ad Istrum - a Roman and Early Byzantine town founded by Emperor Trayan around 101–106, at the junction of the Iatrus (Yantra) and the Rositsa rivers, in memory of his victory over the Dacians. Its ruins are located at the village of Nikyup, 20 km north of Veliko Tarnovo. The town reached its apogee during the reigns of Trayan, Hadrian, the Antonines and the Severan dynasty.

• Emen canyon

• Hotnitsa waterfall

• Dryanovo Monastery

• Transconfiguration monastery

• Kapinovo Monastery

Restaurants and night life

Veliko Tarnovo is famous for its great restaurants, where you can enjoy many delicious meals of traditional Bulgarian cuisine as well as a variety of foods from all over the world. We suggest you visit the following restaurants, emblematic for the city:

• "Shtastlivetsa" - 79 "Stefan Stambolov" Str.; 14 "Tsanko Tserkovski" Str.  

• "Ego" - 17 "Nezavisimost" Str.; 79 "Stefan Stambolov" Str.

• "Tempo" - 4 "Ivailo" Str.

• “Hadji nikoli inn” - 19 "Georgi Sava Rakovski" Str.

• "Ethno" - 3 "Nezavisimost" Str.; 29 "Bulgaria" Str.

• “Asenevtsi” - 7 "Alekasandar Stamboliiski" Str. 

A number of dance clubs accept thirsty travellers. Some of Bulgaria's hottest dance clubs can be found within Veliko Tarnovo – Spider, Organza, Planeta Payner, Jack. Fantastic pubs and bars are: City pub, Melody, Maximus, Sammi’s bar, Melon, Deep.
A favourite place for coffee and cakes is Stratilat café, located in the beginning of Samovodska Charshia.

Shopping

Whether you're shopping in need or shopping for fun, Veliko Tarnovo has plenty for you! From the small and locally-owned shops, to the big supermarkets and shopping centres, the city has everything you could ever want and more, with every shop producing their own style and mood. In Veliko Tarnovo you will find large supermarkets: Metro, Billa, CBA, Penny market, Lidl, Picadilly; big stores for whote goods - Technomarket, Technopolis, Densy, large store for building materials like Praktiker.
The city centre is the main shopping area which includes the streets "Vasil Levski" and "Nezavisimost".
If you're looking for the freshest and tastiest fruit and vegetables, the city market located at the corner of the streets "Nikola Gabrovski" and "Bulgaria" is the place for you. Above the fruit and vegetable market is located "Europe" Trade Centre.
The tourist shopping of course is left for the Old Town. Souvenir shops, art studios and private picture galleries are scattered around and make the narrow streets even more charming. Veliko Tarnovo is famous for its "Samovodska Charshia" - an original crafts street and market place from the 19th century.
The Mall of Veliko Tarnovo is located in Kolyu Ficheto quarter on 18 "Oborishte" Str. and has 3D cinema, bowling, supermarket, cafes, restaurant and various shops.      

Education

The “Old capital” is a very important educational center. The local high schools and institutions of higher education are among the best in Bulgaria. A lot of young people come here to receive a high quality education. The universities of the city provide the young people with everything they need to be better competition on the Bulgarian and European labour market.
Veliko Tarnovo university St. Cyril and St. Methodius is one of the biggest in Bulgaria. It has 9 departments - law, languages, art, mathemathics, economics and more.

Some of the good schools in Veliko Tarnovo are: "American college - Arkus" High school; "Vasil Drumev" High school of Mathematics and Natural Science;  "Prof. D-r Asen Zlatarov" High school of Languages;  "Bacho Kiro" Veliko Tarnovo Primary school;  Staroprestolna High school of Economics; "Emilian Stanev" Secondary school.

Health

Facilities in most Bulgarian hospitals are basic and old-fashioned. Standards of medical care are acceptable. Hospital staff rarely speak English. Private clinics and hospitals are generally well equipped. Be aware that some private hospitals will not accept the EHIC. Check with hospital administrators.
Health insurance can be bought in Bulgaria through almost every insurance company.

• MOBAL "D-r Stefan Cherkezov" is the largest hospital in Veliko Tarnovo region. Address: Veliko Tarnovo, 1 "Nish" Str.
• City Polyclinic. Address: Veliko Tarnovo, 21 "Marno pole" Str.
• Specialized cardiological hospital. Address: Veliko Tarnovo, 1 "Buzludzha" Str.
• Complex oncological centre. Address: Veliko Tarnovo, 1 "Buzludzha" Str.