Bulgaria
Veliko Tarnovo
A medieval capital hung on the cliffs of a river gorge.
Veliko Tarnovo was the capital of the medieval Second Bulgarian Empire, and it still looks the part: tiers of old houses stacked above the looping gorge of the Yantra River, facing the walled hill of Tsarevets across the water. It is a small university town with a stone-paved old quarter, craft workshops and some of the most dramatic townscape in the Balkans, and the natural base for central Bulgaria's monasteries and revival villages.
Suggested stay
2–3 days
Language
Bulgarian
Currency
EUR
Timezone
UTC+3
Why you'll love Veliko Tarnovo
Tsarevets the walled citadel of the Bulgarian tsars, crowned by a patriarchal church, filling a whole hill
The townscape houses stacked up the cliffs above the Yantra's hairpin bends, best seen from Gurko Street
Craft street coppersmiths, potters and icon painters still work in the old Samovodska market lanes
Easy base monasteries, revival villages and the Balkan passes are all within a short drive
Best time to visit
Apr-Oct
17-32° days
43.082° N, 25.632° E
UTC+3 · Europe/Sofia
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Weather & when to go to Veliko Tarnovo
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Apr-Oct
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Veliko Tarnovo
January is the month to avoid: cold, often snowy and grey, with the steep cobbles icy and the fortress bleak. The rest of winter is quiet and chilly too. Summer is hot in the gorge but the evenings on the terraces make up for it, and late spring and early autumn are the easiest months for walking the hills.
Top things to do in Veliko Tarnovo
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Tsarevets Fortress - walk the citadel of the tsars
history scenic 👍 PopularCross the fortified causeway through the gates and climb past the ruins of the royal palace and dozens of churches to the Patriarchal Church at the summit, then follow the walls out to Execution Rock above the river.
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Patriarchal Church of the Holy Ascension - the modernist murals
culture arts history ⭐ Highly recommendedThe rebuilt church on top of Tsarevets is painted inside not with traditional icons but with stark, expressionist twentieth-century murals of Bulgaria's medieval history, a striking surprise after the ruins outside.
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Sound and Light Show - Tsarevets lit up at night
culture arts 👍 PopularOn scheduled evenings the whole hill is floodlit in shifting colours with music and bells, telling the story of the empire's rise and fall. Watch from the square below the fortress or from terraces across the gorge.
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Samovodska Charshiya - the old craft market
culture arts shopping 👍 PopularA cobbled lane of restored nineteenth-century workshops where metalworkers, potters, weavers and confectioners sell what they make, with the revival-style houses of the Varosha quarter climbing around it.
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Gurko Street and the Asenevtsi Monument - the classic views
scenic history ⭐ Highly recommendedWalk the narrow street of old houses perched on the cliff edge above the Yantra, then cross to the equestrian monument to the Asen dynasty on the river bend, the best viewpoint back up at the town.
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Church of the Holy Forty Martyrs - columns and a declaration
historyIn the lower Asenova quarter below Tsarevets, this church holds the inscribed columns of Khan Omurtag and Tsar Ivan Asen II, and is where Bulgarian independence was proclaimed in 1908.
-
Trapezitsa - the second fortress hill
history scenicThe wooded hill facing Tsarevets across the river holds the excavated foundations of the boyars' churches and houses, quieter than the main citadel and with views straight back across the gorge.
Best areas to stay in Veliko Tarnovo
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Varosha (Old Town)
First-time visitors $Cobbled revival lanes above the gorge
Explore hotels in Varosha (Old Town) →
Arbanasi
Quiet, with a car $$Hilltop village of fortified merchant houses
Explore hotels in Arbanasi →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Veliko Tarnovo
Getting to & around Veliko Tarnovo
Getting there
Fly into Sofia, about three hours east by bus or car; trains and coaches also link Varna and Bucharest
Flight
Sofia Airport (SOF)
Take the metro or a taxi from Sofia Airport to the central bus station, where frequent coaches run to Veliko Tarnovo in around three hours. Varna Airport on the Black Sea coast is a similar distance to the east.
Coach
Veliko Tarnovo bus stations
Regular coaches from Sofia, Varna, Burgas and Ruse, plus international buses from Bucharest
Train
Gorna Oryahovitsa station
Sofia-Varna mainline trains stop at the junction a short bus or taxi ride away; Veliko Tarnovo's own station is on a slower branch line
Getting around
Walking
The old town, Tsarevets and the craft street are all walkable, but the streets are steep and cobbled
Free
City bus
Buses connect the old town with the newer centre, the bus stations and Arbanasi
TBC
Taxi
Plentiful and useful for the train station at Gorna Oryahovitsa and the hill up to Arbanasi
TBC
Hire car
The easiest way to combine Etara, Tryavna, the Dryanovo Monastery and the Balkan passes
TBC
Day trips from Veliko Tarnovo
Arbanasi
Half dayMerchant village
A hilltop village of thick-walled seventeenth-century merchant houses, with the Church of the Nativity inside, covered wall to ceiling in frescoes, and the Konstantsalieva House open as a museum.
Getting there
car | walk
About 10 min by taxi or car, or a longer walk uphill
Etara and Tryavna
Full dayRevival crafts, village
Etara is an open-air museum of water-powered workshops and craftsmen near Gabrovo; Tryavna is a revival town famous for its woodcarving school and painted icons.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1 hr south by car or tour
Dryanovo Monastery and Bacho Kiro Cave
Half dayMonastery, cave
A monastery in a wooded gorge that was a stronghold in the 1876 April Uprising, with a show cave a short walk up the valley and trails along the Andaka River.
Getting there
car | bus
About 30 min by car or bus southwest
Shipka Pass and Buzludzha
Full dayMountain pass, monuments
Climb to the Freedom Monument on the Shipka Pass battlefield, drop to the gilded domes of the Shipka Memorial Church, and see the abandoned flying-saucer Buzludzha monument on its summit.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1.5-2 hr by car or tour over the Balkan Mountains
Emen Canyon
Half dayLimestone canyon
A short eco-trail with boardwalks follows the Negovanka River through a narrow limestone gorge to a waterfall, an easy walk into the countryside.
Getting there
car
About 30 min by car west
A little history of Veliko Tarnovo
In 1185 the brothers Asen and Peter raised a revolt against Byzantium at Tarnovo, and the town on its three hills became the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Under the Asen tsars it grew into one of the great cities of the Orthodox Balkans, the seat of a patriarch and a centre of learning and art, until the Ottomans took it after a siege in 1393.
The town revived in the nineteenth century as a trading centre, when builders such as Kolyu Ficheto shaped its churches and houses. After liberation in 1877 the first Bulgarian constitution was adopted here in 1879, and in 1908 independence was proclaimed in the Church of the Forty Martyrs. The prefix Veliko, meaning great, was added in 1965.
Asen and Peter lead the uprising that founds the Second Bulgarian Empire with Tarnovo as capital
Tsar Ivan Asen II defeats Epirus at Klokotnitsa; the empire reaches its greatest extent
Tarnovo falls to the Ottomans after a three-month siege
Russian troops enter the town during the Russo-Turkish War
The Tarnovo Constitution is adopted by the Constituent Assembly
Bulgarian independence is proclaimed at the Church of the Forty Martyrs
Tarnovo is renamed Veliko Tarnovo
Restoration of Tsarevets and its Patriarchal Church completed for Bulgaria's 1300th anniversary
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Limited
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / F
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+359
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
FAQs about Veliko Tarnovo
▸ When is the best time to visit Veliko Tarnovo?
April to October is the best stretch, warm enough for the fortress walls, the gorge viewpoints and day trips into the hills, with spring and autumn the most comfortable for walking. Summer is hot but the evenings are long. January is cold, icy and grey, the month to avoid.
▸ How long should I spend in Veliko Tarnovo?
Two days covers Tsarevets, the old town, the craft street and Arbanasi. A third day lets you add Etara and Tryavna or the Shipka Pass.
▸ Can I visit Veliko Tarnovo as a day trip from Sofia?
It is possible but rushed, with around three hours each way on the road. It works far better as an overnight stop on the way between Sofia and the Black Sea coast or Bucharest.
▸ Is Veliko Tarnovo easy to walk around?
The old town is compact but built on steep slopes with uneven cobbles, so comfortable shoes matter. Reaching Tsarevets and the viewpoints means plenty of climbing, and a taxi is handy for Arbanasi.
▸ Is Veliko Tarnovo expensive?
No. Like most of Bulgaria it is good value by European standards, with guesthouses and traditional restaurants in the old town priced well below Western European equivalents.
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