Northern Bulgaria Travel Guide

Veliko Turnovo   The gratest city of Bulgaria So far I have been there 3 times, the city is really impressive comparing to the rest of Bulgaria.   The houses, stacked one above the other, situated on the slopy hills of the town show a remarkable, unique architectural style. For me it looks sometimes like a small „San Francisco”.The streets going up and down.  The bridges, unexpectedly flying over the river, palaces and towers, spectacular museums, ancient columns with writings left by our proud rulers, monasteries with unique murals and the Arbanassi fortress-houses. Not only Veliko Turnovo by itself it’s worth to see. About 30 km from it there are ruins of the Roman Empire in the village Nikipolis ad Istrum. A lot of foreign archeology students are coming there every year. City is full of students, there is something going on every night, a lot of bars , pubs and restaurants are open late at night. Food is great, with lot of fresh vegetable, „shopska” salad is a must to try when you go to Bulgaria. Meat is served usually with delicious spices. The prices can vary, it depends where you will go, in the centre of the city everything is more expensive. One of the biggest attractions in Veliko Turnovo is „Tsaravets” – the castle sourrounded by river and the „sound and light show”. Through the power of music and spectacular illumination, this programme aims to create an unforgettable and emotional image of the Tsarevets Hill and Castle treasuring up the history, grandeur and glory of the ancient capital city of Turnovgrad which has become synonymous with the Bulgarian spirit and national pride. The music, which has been composed specially for the occasion, is a leading element helping to follow the historical events and describe their invisible images.   To get to Veliko Turnovo you can take a plane ( there are charter flights from Europe, Asia and Africa). From the larger Bulgarian cities you can travel to Veliko Turnovo by bus or train. Persoanlly I prefer buses, there are much nicer, safer  and comfortable. The travel by bus from Sofia is about 3 hours. One of the best things about Veliko Turnovo is that you can go everywhere by foot! If you do not feel like walking you can always use the public transport. Many regular bus lines operate into the city and to some of the nearby towns and villages. The ticket for the city bus costs only 0.50 leva and can be bought in the bus. It’s not very expensive to go and stay in Veliko turnovo. Here are examples. 1.95 Leva (BGN) = 1 Euro Price Level ·         1 beer (0.5l) = 0.80- 1.50 BGN ·         1 coca-cola (0.3l) = 0.70 - 1.00 BGN ·         1 mineral water (0.5l) = 0.60 - 0.80 BGN ·         Coffee/ Tea = 0.40 - 0.60 BGN ·         Main course = 3.00 - 8.00 BGN Lodging ·         Budget: BGN 15 - 25 ·         Mid-range: BGN 25 - 45 ·         High: BGN 45 -65 ·         Deluxe: BGN 65+  (Cash is easily changed at numerous small exchange offices, usually for no commission. Travellers' cheques are more of a hassle as not every bank will accept them, but still you’ll find enough places to cash them for a commission of around 5%. Cash advances on credit cards might also be a bit of a problem, but ATMs are a common sight around the city. I wish to add Bulgarians are usually very polite and nice for foreigners, the only problem is most of them, especially older people do not speak English. And remember when they move their head left and right it means YES and if they move it up and down means NO. J So do not get confused. Good Luck and have a nice trip.  

If u r staying on the coast (Varna or surroundings) that is perfect place for one day trip.

Take a train from Varna – cheapest way.

City is cheep and u can really enjoy it’s slowly life. Visit mosque with minaret. If u can – go up to the hill to Madara’s Rider monument. Good view. The rest of city is not that much interesting. Sleeping there it seems to be waste of time.

Must-see: "Founders of the Bulgarian state" monumental complex. It was opened on 28.11.1981 in order to commemorate 1300 years since the state of Bulgaria was founded and it re-enacts the best periods of the first Bulgarian kingdom. The monument is made up of huge concrete blocks forming the shape of a lion - symbol of the Bulgarian spirit. It can be seen within a radius of 30 km. There are various sculptures and statues, two of which are 18 metres in height. Here can be found the largest mosaic in the Balkan peninsula, representing the "Golden age" of Bulgaria and accepting Christianity under the reign of khan Simeon.