It was a torrid August 2016 Friday afternoon in my cubical in Pipera in Bucharest. With the daughter safely parked at my parents' house, my wife and I were wondering where we can spend the weekend nearby (without going bankrupt) and I remembered a coworker telling me at some point about Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria.
So, we made the booking and the next morning we were on our way there.
The Drive to Veliko Tarnovo
The drive to Veliko Tarnovo was about 2 and 1/2 hours (1 hour to the Bulgarian border, 20 minutes through the customs and another hour and 15 minutes to Veliko Tarnovo). A vignette needs to be purchased when entering Bulgaria (a few euros for a week).
One important thing to keep in mind is to keep within the posted speed limits, as speed radars are very common on this short drive in Bulgaria and so is police presence.
The Town of Veliko Tarnovo
It is said to have been inhabited for 5.000 years, and it was the capital of Bulgaria during the Middle Ages as well as for a short period after independence from the Ottoman Empire (1877-1879).
As a result there are plenty of interesting places to see with lots of tourists from all over the world - France, Spain, Murica to name a few.
The town is the ideal destination for a weekend getaway, and truth be told a day is more than enough.
Although it is in Bulgaria, a Slavic country, with a Slavic culture and a Slavic language, it feels more like a Mediterranean town, almost like an Italian town in some regards (narrow streets, hill houses as well as arid landscape).
From a touristic perspective, the town is divided into the Old Town and also, let me call it the new town. The Old Town is on a hill, which continues into the Tsarevets Castle, with plenty of hotels and restaurants and the new town which is more recent (some communist buildings there - nothing touristy anyway).
Tsarevets Castle
The main tourist attraction is the Tsarevets Castle (located on a hill inside a meander of Yantra, accessible only by a land bridge with the river on its sides) and it is picturesque to say the least. It used to be the residence of Bulgarian Tsars during the Middle Ages and nowadays it is mostly ruins with a reconstructed church on top of a hill.
It is just one of those places that seems like takes out of fairy tales. In more modern terms, one of those places that will soon be included as a setting for the upcoming seasons of Game of Thrones.
As you walk up the hill you will be greeted by the two rows of gates to the castle.
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| Veliko Tarnovo - Tsarevets - Main Gate |
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| Veliko Tarnovo - Tsarevets - Second Gate |
The area inside of the castle is huge - for the sporty people that want to cover it all it will be an hours' stride (so make sure to bring water with you, especially on a hot summer day).
I actually went around the base of the hill to see the beautiful walls and (reconstructed) towers and then came back to the entrance to hike to the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Holy Ascension of God (on the hilltop).
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| Veliko Tarnovo - Tsarevets |
The Patriarchal Cathedral of the Holy Ascension of God is located up the hill on a winding path, and it is a modern reconstruction of the original cathedral, which was burned down by the Ottomans in 1393. I must say that it is very good reconstruction that maintains the spirit of the place.
It is 200% worth coming back to the Tsarevets Casle at sunset, as during the summer they have an amazing light show for about an hour or so. If you think the castle looks amazing during the day, wait until you see it at night.
Old Town Veliko Tarnovo
The old town is quaint - the Mediterranean feel I was mentioning is present all around. If you wander out the main street leading to Tsarevests, you will see plenty of picturesque side streets between Ottoman style buildings, so make sure to wander around.
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| Veliko Tarnovo - On of the many viewpoints on the main stret |
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| Veliko Tarnovo - Side street with the typical Ottoman style buildings |
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| Veliko Tarnovo - Cathedral of the Birth of the Theotokos |
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| Veliko Tarnovo - Street leading to Tsarevets |
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| Veliko Tarnovo - Side street |
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| Old Town Veliko Tarnovo - Main street |
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| Veliko Tarnovo - Street leading to Tsarevets |
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| Veliko Tarnovo - Side street |
The Food
As with most of the tourist areas in Bulgaria, the food is for the most part decent and above, with prices being decent and below :-).
There are plenty of places to eat in the central part of the Old Town Veliko Tarnovo, restaurants, fast food places and places that sell ice cream.
The one I liked most (lunched and dined there) was Shtastlivetsa (there are two locations, but I recommend the one in the Old Town). It is supposed to be an Italian restaurant, but the food is diverse enough for any palate.
Make sure to get an outside table (wait for it if necessary), because the view is very nice (reminds me of Cinque Terre somehow).
Make sure to try the Shopska Salad (simple but tasty combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, and Bulgarian feta) as well as the Zagorka Retro beer (it is a locally made beer, called retro because the bottle design is taken from the 1980s).
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| When in Veliko Tarnovo, make sure to try this beer brand - Zagorka Retro |
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| Shopska Salad |
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| Some of other dish (but delish) |
As for the hotel food, our hotel - Hotel Alegro (in the city center, within walking distance to the historic center of the city and a whopping 36 EUR a night) had a basic, but delicious, Bulgarian breakfast (lots of local vegetables, fruit, cold meats and cheeses).
All in one, I totally recommend Veliko Tarnovo for day trip.
Enjoy
PS: During the return trip to Bucharest make sure to stop for lunch in downtown Ruse. I recommend Happy Bar & Grill, which has awesome food and awesome sushi and Chinese food (the best I have had on the European continent so far)
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