10 Cool Things to Do in Veliko Tarnovo – Don’t Miss #9!

#1 Walk around the most historic Old Town in Bulgaria

Gurko Street is the heart of the old town, with renaissance era houses and cobblestone streets, and a great place to relax in.  Samovodskata Charshia (Rakovski St.) has lots of antiques and shops. Also check out Sveta Gora hill.

#2 Climb up Tsarevets Fortress

At this well-preserved 13th century castle tourists have free reign of the grounds.  You can climb up a crumbling 13th century stone stairwell to the top of a tower, with a 60 foot fall to certain death looming beside the stairs.  The views from the fortress are stunning, and on the right day, you might have it all to yourself.  There is a light show on the fortress walls some nights as well.  Open 8am to 7pm, 6 lev entrance fee ($3.50)

#3 Hike to Assen’s Monument 

The stunning views over the city go for miles.  The “horsemen statue” can be seen throughout the city.  Artists sit by sketching it as you climb the steps.

#4 Join the Free Walking Tour

It leaves daily at 11am at the Tourist Information Center in the old town.  5-10 Lev Donation.

#5 Check out the Archaeological Museum 

The museum is a great way to learn about Bulgarian history. Open 9-6.

#6 Eat a Shopska Salad

The best salad you’ll ever have is this cheese and tomatoes blend with oil.  You can find it at any traditional restaurant.

#7 Enjoy the vibrant nightlife

Propelled by the students of one of the largest universities in Bulgaria, the city has a dozen great bars and small clubs.

Day trips from Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria:

#8 Tour the Maryan winery

The Maryan winery is located in the village of Elena, about 25 miles from Veliko Tarnovo. Visiting is an excellent opportunity for a wine tour in this beautiful part of Bulgaria. 90 minute roundtrip drive.

#9 Rent a car and see the Buzludzha Monument

This spaceship shaped massive monument was completed in 1981 as the Monument House of the Bulgarian Communist Party.  Today it is closed, abandoned, and deteriorating.  You can sneak in.  3 hour roundtrip drive.

#10 Venture out to Necopolis Ad Istrum

This roman city was built in 106AD and sacked in 447 by Attila and the Huns.  by Open 9-6.  Entry 5BGN.  1 hour roundtrip drive.

A Brief History of Veliko Tarnovo:

Veliko Tarnovo was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire from 1185 to 1393.  At the height of the Bulgaria’s power, the city controlled much of modern-day Romania, Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Serbia.  Veliko Tarnovo was at the center of it all, and was known as “The City of Tsars.”

Today, Veliko Tarnovo is a quiet city of 70,000 nestled on the Yantra river.  It is an educational and cultural center, the home of two major universities and an artist hotspot.  You can enjoy sitting in cafes on cobblestone streets, hiking forest trails, and exploring castles and monasteries.  It is a lovely place to spend a few days, and a natural stopping point if you are journeying between Romania and Greece or Turkey.

The city was built in medieval times, so don’t expect a tidy grid pattern to the streets.  Plan on getting lost as part of the fun, as ancient lanes wind around hills and along the river.  You’ll find glorious subversive street art, leafy quiet streets, and delicious Bulgarian home cooking.

Things you Need to Know about Veliko Tarnovo Bulgaria:

Backpacker Daily Budget (A dorm bed at a hostel, 3 budget meals, 2 public transportation rides, 1 paid cultural attraction, 3 cheap beers):

$30. Bulgaria is among the very cheapest places to live in Europe.  Here you can get a hostel bed at Hostel Mostel  with breakfast AND dinner for $12.  Lunch can be had for $4.  Three beers will set you back $4.  A free walking tour tip, or entry to a historical site can be had for under $5.  Everywhere in the city is walkable.

Cheap Beer index:

$1.16 (2 Lev) for a 12 ounce bottle in a bar or restaurant.  Try a Kamenitza Dark.

When to visit Veliko Tarnovo:

May, June and September are perfect, with highs in the 70’s.  July and August are hot, in the low 80s.  December, January and February are cold, in the 30’s.  Veliko Tarnovo weather stays pretty dry year-round.

What languages are spoken?  

Everyone speaks Bulgarian, with signs in Cyrillic.  Younger people are also taught English in schools.  Older people will usually also speak Russian.  I struggled to find English speakers here.  When I would say in broken Bulgarian “Hello, I’m sorry, I do not speak Bulgarian, do you speak any English?” people would just shrug their shoulders and turn away from me.  A bus ticket clerk just completely blew me off when trying to buy a ticket.  I never found any English menus at restaurants, and the fact that Bulgarian uses the Cyrillic alphabet makes signs and menus completely indecipherable.  

Do you need a Bulgarian visa?  

Visas are not required.  Nationals of USA, AUS, and CAN can stay for up to 90 days in a 6 month period.  UK nationals can stay indefinitely (until Brexit happens).

Getting to Veliko Tarnovo:  

There is no airport in Veliko Tarnovo.  You’ll have to fly into any one of four airports that are all about 3 hours away by road.  Whichever airport offers the cheapest flight would be the way to go.  Sofia and Bucharest are likely to have the most options.  Then, you’ll need to take a train or a bus.  The bus is always going to be faster.  The trains go really slow.  But trains are so comfortable, safe, and fun, that I prefer them anytime.

From Plovdiv, you can take a train which arrives directly in town and takes 3-4 hours.  A bus leaves 2-3 times a day for the 3-4 hour ride for 20 lev ($12) and arrives at Bus Station South.   You could rent a car, and make it in under three hours.  Check out my Plovdiv Travel Guide.

From Varna, you can take a train, which will arrive in the nearby town of Gorna Oryahovitsa four miles away and takes 3-4 hours. From there you can change to another train, bus, or taxi to get to Veliko. A bus leaves hourly for the 3-4 hour ride for 20 lev ($12) and arrives at Bus Station South. You could rent a car, and make it in under three hours.

From Sofia, you can take a train, which will arrive in the nearby town of Gorna Oryahovitsa four miles away and takes 3-4 hours. From there you can change to another train, bus, or taxi to get to Veliko.  A bus leaves hourly for the 3-4 hour ride for 22 lev ($13) and arrives at Bus Station South.  You could rent a car, and make it from Sofia to Veliko Tarnovo in under three hours.

From Bucharest, Romania you can take a train which arrives directly in town and takes 4-5 hours.  You could rent a car, and make it from Veliko Tarnovo to Bucharest in under three hours.

For Bus schedules:

http://www.etapgroup.com

http://www.busticket.bg

http://www.union-ivkoni.com

For Train schedule, click here:  http://www.bdz.bg

Learn how to fly to Bulgaria for free on my page:  Nine Steps to Free Flights Worldwide.

Upon leaving Veliko I needed to catch a cab to the bus station. Should be simple enough, however, we could not make the driver understand our English words: “Bus station Zug“. He drove us to the wrong bus station, then drove us to the train station, at which point we gave up and got out to catch a different cab. The only problem is that the next train was not due for over an hour, so there were no cabs waiting. There was one cab actually, but the cabbie had just started on his lunch, and refused our fare.

We had less than 20 minutes till our bus (the only bus of the day) left for Plovdiv. After asking random people on the street to give us a ride, I finally had to bring out the big guns. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a 10 lev note (about $7 U.S.) held it into the air, and shouted “Bus Station Zug, Ten Lev! Who wants it?” The cabbie did. He jumped up from his table, had the waiter save his unfinished lunch, and he drove us to the bus station straightaway.

Getting around Veliko Tarnovo:

• Walking – the city is small and easily walkable
• Renting a bike is the easiest way to get around if you want to explore a little outside the city.
• The public bus is less than a $1 a ride, if you can figure out the schedule.
• You can get taxis by waiving a hand or having your hostel call one. Flag-fall is 0.80 lev, then 0.60 leva per kilometer.  Any ride in the city should be less than $4.
• While some Bulgarians still get around by horse cart, there is no “horse cart uber” as yet.

Bulgarian currency and how to get it: 

Bulgarian Lev (1.72 BGN = $1USD) are available in numerous ATM’s.  Tipping 5 – 10% of the total bill is customary at bars and restaurants.  For more info on your cash-versus-credit card options when traveling, check out my post on How to Access your Money in Foreign Countries.

Stay Connected:  

Bulgaria has three telecom providers:

• A1 Bulgaria Their Tourist SIM is now called A1 Holiday+ and sold at 6 BGN in their stores. It comes pre-loaded with 1.5 GB 4G/LTE data and 30 minutes to about 50 countries, all valid for 10 days. You can add for more:
  • 2 GB for 10 days: 9.99 BGN
  • 5 GB for 30 days: 29.99 BGN
• Telenor (Теленор)  The Prepaid Starter Pack Telenor Tourist is 6 BGN. It contains 30 mins to all EU destinations, Belarus, Bosnia, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine and 1.5 GB 4G/LTE data, all valid for 7 days. Out of bundle use is 0.19 BGN per MB.  These packages can be added for more data:
  • 2 GB for 7 days: 9.90 BGN
  • 3 GB for 30 days: 19.90 BGN
  • 10 GB for 30 days: 49.99 BGN
• Vivacom (Виваком) is a smaller provider you might consider.

SIM cards are available in the shops of the providers and in big supermarkets. You need a valid passport or ID card for registration.  Bulgaria is part of the EU, where international roaming rules are enforced.  If you already have a SIM from another EU country, you can now ‘roam like at home’ at domestic rates rather than excessive roaming rates.  For more info on your telecom options, check out my post on How to Get Cheap Mobile Phone Service Worldwide.

Where to stay in Veliko Tarnovo Bulgaria:  

You have some excellent budget options.  You can choose between two highly rated hostels, or get your own room, all for under $20 a night.  Veliko Tarnovo hotels are very affordable as well.

Hostel Mostel has dorm beds with breakfast AND DINNER for $12.  It has fast wi-fi, fans in the rooms, and a comfy common area.  It’s kinda the center of the backpacking world in Veliko Tarnovo.

Rooster Hostel has dorm beds for $14.  It has fast wi-fi, air-con, patios and desks in all rooms, free bike rental, and a comfy common area.

Guest Rooms Spektar offers your own private room with private bathroom, wi-fi and breakfast for $15.

Guesthouse Diel offers your own private room with a desk, flat screen TV,  shared bathroom, wi-fi and breakfast for $17.

Where to eat in Veliko Tarnovo: 

Bulgaria is unbelievably inexpensive. Josh and I had a dinner and put away ten beers for a grand total of $20.

Lidl grocery store has the cheapest prices.

For breakfast, you must try the bakeries and have a banica, a delicious fresh-baked bread filled with cheese, for 50 cents. Two banicas is enough to fill you up for hours.

For lunch or dinner, be sure to try ‘Sirene po Shopski‘ (white cheese and egg baked in a ceramic pot).

• Shtastliveca is by far the most popular restaurant in town.  A must visit for traditional Bulgarian dishes.

Some good cheap eats specializing in Bulgarian fare are:

• Rich Restaurant
• Slavyanska Dusha
• Hadji Nikoli Inn Restaurant

Veliko Tarnovo Nightlife: 

Some of the best Bars are:

• City Pub is probably the busiest bar in town, an American style bar in the center.  ul. Hristo Botev 15
• Lino Bar is a loud student bar with cheap drinks and snacks.  ul. Nezavisimost 3
• Dada is a student bar with cheap beer and loud music.  Fills up late.
• Sammy’s Bar – has a covered terrace, next to Lino bar.  ul. Nezavisimost 3
• Royal is a cocktail bar with a big garden area for outdoor seating.  bul. Vassil Levski 4
• Tequila Bar Funky Monkey – student bar with tequila cocktails.  ul. Stefan Stambolov 30

Lonely Planet Romania and Bulgaria 

What to Pack:

You can wear whatever you would normally wear in Europe.  Bring good shoes, because Veliko Tarnovo is hilly!  To learn how to pack light and be prepared for anything, check out my post The Worldwide Travel Packing List.

Is it safe in Veliko Tarnovo?  

Very safe.  It’s a small town feel, with little crime.

Check drink prices at high-end bars and nightclubs before you order.   There have been instances of visitors being charged crazy prices, with large men arriving to ensure payment.

Be wary of skimming devices placed on ATMs. Opt for ATM’s inside banks when possible.

Be aware that body language norms differ from those in the USA.  Shaking one’s head side-to-side means “no” in the U.S., but it means “yes” in Bulgaria. Conversely an up-and-down nodding in the U.S. means “yes” while it means “no” in Bulgaria.

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