The town of
Veliko Tarnovo is situated on the 4 hills of Tsarevets,
Trapezitsa, Momina Krepost and Sveta Gora, and on the banks of the Yantra River.
Tsarevets was actually the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom in XII century
AC. Seven centuries ago as a capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom the town of
Tsarevets had had a major role in political and spiritual life in Bulgaria.
The most interesting place to visit must be the medieval fortress of Tsarevets -
the ramparts, the Baldwin Tower, the royal Palace and Patriarchate, the Palace Church
St Petka and a multitude of small churches.
Today, Veliko Tarnovo is an important cultural, historical and tourist centre of
Bulgaria.
The city is situated in Northern Bulgaria. The district of Veliko Turnovo is 4662
sq. km. in size and includes 10 municipalities with 14 towns/cities and 322 villages.
The population is about 295 000 people.
In Veliko Turnovo itself there is thought to be around 65 000 people, not including
the students of “St St Cyril and Methodius” University (second largest in the country)
and the “Vasil Levski” National Military University. When added the population increases
by about 12 000.
The location, good climate, natural resources, historical heritage, preserved architecture,
makes Veliko Tarnovo a must on your Bulgarian tour visit list. Hidden away and surrounded
by beautiful countryside Veliko Tarnovo is an unspoiled gem. Veliko Tarnovo is an
important landmark for Bulgaria, and the statistics show that the city and its region are in the top ten of the most visited tourist destinations in Eastern Europe.
Direct flights are unfortunately unavailable to Veliko Tarnovo, however the town
is conected by rail to Plovdiv and Ruse directly, and from Sofia and Varna you can
get a train to Gorna Oriahovitsa, and from there to Veliko Turnovo.
Every day there are international trains to Istanbul and Bucharest, which pass through
Veliko Tarnovo. Also from Gorna Oriahovitsa you can get a connection to Athens or
Belgrade.