Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria

Veliko Turnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria, often referred to as the "City of the Tsars". 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 rich in museums and historical sites, combined with vivacious night life propelled by the students in one of the largest universities in Bulgaria.

In Veliko Turnovo, make sure to visit the castle of the old Bulgarian capital - Tsarevets. The city is divided into an old and new parts. The old city itself is a collection of traditional renaissance houses scattered over the hills around the river Yantra and the new part consists of a mixture of communistic and modern style buildings. There are various historical museums, located in Old Town, and an art museum on an island in the river.

Things to See & Do

* Castle of the old Bulgarian capital - Tsarevets
* Old city
* Trapezitsa, the second fortress of the inner city on the right bank of Yantra
* Bulgarian National Revival buildings
* Churches & museums

General Information

Cruise Season – March to Dec
Currency – Lev (BGN)
Language – Bulgarian
Land Area – 359.96 km²
Population – 68,785 approx.
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC plus two hours
International Country Telephone Code – +359

Port Location – The port at Veliko Turnovo is located on the Yantra River.

Travel Links - It is possible to fly to Bulgaria's capital city Sofia, or the coastal city of Varna and then by rail or modern coach to Veliko Turnovo.

There is a small railway station in the town and it is possible to get a taxi to the centre of town from there for a cheap price. There are also local buses going just by the station. An alternative is to get a train a larger railway station at the nearby town of Gorna Oryahovitsa. You could then take a bus/minibus/taxi from Gorna Oryahovitsa station to Veliko Turnovo.

Busses run approximately hourly from Sofia. Several buses daily run from Plovdiv and Varna. The small bus station is ~1km far from the centre of town.