Places to Visit in Veliko Tarnovo - Bulgaria Tour

Veliko Tarnovo, one of Bulgaria's oldest cities, has a history of almost 5000 years. Despite its great history the city is quite small, and it's home to Tsaravets Fortress, one of the largest medieval monuments in Europe.

If, like us, you've never been to Bulgaria before, we think this is definitely one of the places you must see. Veliko Tarnovo doesn't have a seaside and luxury cafés like the cities at the start of our trip, but it really impressed us with its authenticity and simplicity.

Veliko Tarnovo is made up of 3 hills. They are: Tsaravets, Trapezitsa and Sveta Gora. Besides Tsaravets Fortress, Orthodox churches, museums and a charming old town paved with cobblestones will be waiting for you in Veliko Tarnovo. We gave the city 1 day, even a bit less than 1 day, but we still had a really enjoyable time. Especially for history and wine lovers, the city makes a great choice for day trips. The village of Arbanassi, right near the town, is an ideal place to unwind or for a weekend getaway. The Yantra River, an interesting viewpoint, is among the places you can see.

Getting to Tarnovo, 150 km from Sofia and 220 km from Varna, is very easy. When getting around the city, you can reach almost everywhere on foot. Only, because it's in a deep valley, it gets really hot. We got worn out chasing the shade while sightseeing :) And it was only the end of April!

The Ottoman Empire captured Tarnovo towards the end of the 1300s and kept its rule until 1877. Veliko Tarnovo then became the capital of the new state founded at that time. Though its time as capital didn't last long: 2 years later Sofia was declared the new capital.

Yes, after the introductory information we can start exploring the city. First, for more information about the fortress and to get around it easily, you can pick up brochures and maps at the Tourist Info on the main square, or get answers if you have questions in mind.

Tsaravets Fortress

After getting the information we needed, the first target is Tsaravets Fortress! The fortress is surrounded by stone walls along 915 m. Some of these walls are up to 3 metres thick in places, and around 11 metres high. After passing the main entrance gate you can explore the fortress on foot. The walking paths are really nice, with gentle slopes in places. And since we're exploring on foot, we can go up wherever we want.

If your timing allows, it's best to come to the fortress early like us. Otherwise you may reach the evaporation stage under the scorching sun. You can buy your tickets at the ticket office at the main gate entrance between 08.00 and 19.00. 6 leva ;)

For those going in midsummer, you must have a hat with you. Since the fortress area is very big, taking precautions against the sun is a must.

Veliko Tarnovo Old Town

In terms of location, the Old Town is the ideal place for exploring Samovodskata Charshia, the Samovodskata Bazaar. Let the photos tell it...

In the 1850s, craftsmen and farmers from the town of Samovodene used to come here on Sundays to sell their products. In the 1980s restoration work began to recreate the old culture and historic texture.

Holy 40 Martyrs Church

The Holy 40 Martyrs Church is about a 20-minute walk from the old town, but you can drive there too if you like. There's parking. The church was built in 1230 to commemorate an important victory against the Byzantines. It also went down in history as the first place where Prince Ferdinand announced, on 22 September 1908, that Bulgaria was a country independent of the Ottoman Empire.

The church was badly damaged in an earthquake in 1913, but it was recently restored. The church's new look is dazzling. Its garden is also ideal for resting by the river or having a snack. You can go in by buying a ticket from the cash desk across the bridge.

Arbanassi Village

The village of Arbanassi is 4 km from Veliko Tarnovo. To use our time efficiently, and on the locals' advice, we set off to explore here. Arbanassi, a very lively trading town in the 1500s, is now a very calm and peaceful place. The village has several houses and Orthodox churches dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries.

Arbanassi's traditional houses are big. Many of the houses are made of stone walls and thick doors. We'd like to note that we didn't feel like strangers at all when we went.

Maryan Winery

They told us that if you like wine tasting, you must go to Maryan Winery, one of Bulgaria's best boutique wineries. Unfortunately it was closed when we went. The winery, which takes its name from the nearby village of Maryan, was opened to the public in 2010 by Svetla and Ilia Ivanov, who decided to take wine culture and flavour to the next level, and it still runs as a business today. It has already started slowly making a name for itself in the world of wine.