Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and diving into the gorge below, you could almost be in a village perched on the sheer
cliffs of the Italian Riviera's Cinque Terre—only here the seagulls are swallows, the sea
is a tangled forest, and there is hardly a tourist in sight.
The old part of Veliko Tarnovo is pleasant enough to stroll, but besides enjoying the
innate beauty of its geography and the town's particular brand of National Revival
architecture—dominated here by Viennese Secession-style wrought-iron balconies—
Veliko's chief draw is as base for (or stopover to) the many day trips that lie within a
comfortable radius from here. They include Tryavna, home to Bulgaria's finest icon
and woodcarving museums; Etura, a pretty outdoor ethnographic museum where you
can also shop for crafts; the impressive Madara horseman, another of Bulgaria's
UNESCO-listed sights; the quaint architectural museum town of Arbanassi; the his-
toric Shipka Pass, gateway to Kazanluk and its famous tomb; as well as 10 nearby
monasteries.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE With no stops, Veliko Tarnovo is a 2 1 2 -hour drive by car from
Sofia. It is not really worth traveling by train as there is no direct line to the central
station (trains from Sofia and Varna pull into Gorna Oryahovitsa, 13km/8 miles north
of the city, where scheduled trains then connect you to the city—an unwieldy arrange-
ment); by contrast traveling here by bus is fast, convenient, and economical. From
Sofia the journey takes no more than 3 hours, costs 11lev ($7/£3.80) one-way (an
additional 11lev/$7/£3.80 onward to Varna), with buses departing, on average, every
2 hours. Private buses from Sofia and Varna, including those belonging to highly effi-
cient Etap Adress, pull in at the centrally located tower-block Hotel Etar on Ivailo
Street (no matter how convenient the location, do not be tempted to overnight in
these overpriced rooms). Buses also arrive here from Plovdiv, a 4-hour bus journey
(13lev/$8.50/£4.50).
GETTING AROUND The main sites are centered in the old part, which is tiny—
in fact the entire “city” is so small that you can drive from side to side in about 15
minutes. To get to nearby Arbanassi, order a taxi (5lev/$3.50/£1.90). You can get to
Tryavna very easily by bus from the Zapad Bus Terminal, 4km (2 1 2 miles) west of the
center; the journey takes around 2 hours. For the other recommended day trips it's
best to rent a car; the Tourism Information Centre can arrange one for 35lev/$19/£12
day (see below). Bus travel to these destinations is complicated, involving two to three
changes with drivers who don't speak English; if you're up for this, speak to the
tourism officials for bus schedule details.
VISITOR INFORMATION Veliko Tarnovo has a reasonably helpful tourism
information center, with an English-speaking staff that not only dispenses brochures
(including the free city guide; www.veliko-tarnovo.net) but can, if pressed, provide
reasonably qualitative advice on where to stay and dine. Be sure also to pick up a copy
of The Frontier Times . The Centre is conveniently located just behind the bus termi-
nal, at Hristo Botev Street ( & 062/622148; www.velikoturnovo.info; Mon-Sat
9am-6pm Apr-Sept, Oct-Mar closed Sat).
WHERE TO STAY
Ironically enough, Veliko Tarnovo has better standards of accommodations than more
famous Plovidiv. Besides those reviewed below, the recently renovated Grand Hotel
Yantra ( &
062/600607; www.yantrabg.com) is definitely worth a look in for its
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