Day trips · Day trips
Veliko Tarnovo: the back story
The back story
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Michał Derela · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout Veliko Tarnovo: the back story
Veliko Tarnovo, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire from 1185 to 1393, climbs steep hills above the looping gorge of the Yantra river, crowned by the fortress of Tsarevets. It is one of the most dramatic towns in the Balkans.
The city of the tsars
In 1185 the brothers Asen and Petar led an uprising that restored the Bulgarian state, with Tarnovo as its capital, and for two centuries it was one of the great cities of South-East Europe, until it fell to the Ottomans in 1393.
Tsarevets
The fortress hill of Tsarevets is ringed by walls and topped by the Patriarchal Church, rebuilt with striking modern murals. On some evenings a sound-and-light show illuminates the hill.
Veliko Tarnovo’s houses cling to the cliffs above the Yantra.
The old town
Houses stack up the slopes above the river, and Samovodska Charshia is a street of craft workshops.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © www.bdmundo.com · CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsArbanasi
On the plateau above town, the village of Arbanasi has fortified merchants’ houses and churches with remarkable frescoes, especially the Church of the Nativity.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Hugo Rota · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsOur advice: Veliko Tarnovo is about three hours from Sofia by car; stay at least one night. Visit Tsarevets in the morning, Arbanasi in the afternoon, and watch the sound-and-light show if it is on.
Why it's on our list
- The city of the tsars
- Tsarevets
- The old town
- Arbanasi
- How to visit
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Veliko Tarnovo: the back story before you go.