Veliko Tarnovo

Veliko Tarnovo town in Bulgaria.

Veliko Tarnovo is a fascinating Bulgarian city, It was former capital of Bulgaria and has a long tradition as the main university city of Bulgaria. Its tourist attractions are undeniable and there are already many blogs and articles detailing what to see in Veliko Tarnovo, Therefore, instead of listing the places to visit, we have thought that it would be more useful to give our personal vision of where it is better to stay.. However, if you want our advice on what to see in Veliko Tarnovo, you can contact us through this same website and ask us your question..

Aerial view of Veliko Tarnovo, next to the Tsaravets hill.

Hotels in Veliko Tarnovo.

The decision of where to stay in Veliko Tarnovo is complex due to its special distribution, limited by the orography of the area and especially by the Yantra river that surrounds the city center. Two options are presented depending on how we get there, if they take us or go by train and we do not have to worry about parking our car or walking through the narrow streets of the center, then the initial idea would be to stay as close as possible to the Tsaravets Fortress which is a must see, the problem is that the fortress is at one end of the city, totally surrounded by the Yantra River (that is why it was decided to build the fortress there) except for a narrow section that connects it with the rest of the city. In addition, the meanders of the Yantra River make the most interesting part of the city have an elongated shape but making curves, They are neighborhoods with sloping and narrow streets where there are hardly any hotels, and the ones that exist are a few not very recommended guest houses or hotels that although I admit are fine, they have very few rooms and therefore are usually full in high season.

Fortaleza Tsaravets and Veliko Tarnovo

Barrio viejo de Veliko Tarnovo.

Therefore, many times the best option is to stay in the hotels that are located to the west of the city, Around the square “Maika Bulgaria”, are good value for money and offer sufficient capacity even in Summer. The only downside is that we will have to walk a bit more to reach the Tsaravets Fortress., but it will not be wasted time because on the way we will pass through the commercial and most beautiful streets of the city, where there are also restaurants and taverns. There are many tourists who focus their day in Veliko Tarnovo visiting the Tsaravets Fortress, this one is on a hill, between arriving, go up, go down and walk the wall spend several hours on foot, they get tired and in the end lose the opportunity to get to know the city of Veliko Tarnovo better, Therefore, it is not a bad idea to take the first walk from the hotel to the city center and then visit the Tsaravets Fortress, contrary to what the major travel shows I've seen do.

Part of the wall and archaeological remains of the Tsaravets Fortress.

Veliko Tarnovo in Winter.

Getting to Veliko Tarnovo by car.

If, on the other hand, we are going to get to the city by car, my proposal is even more radical., I directly recommend you do not stay in Veliko Tarnovo, do it in the neighboring town of Arbanasi. As anticipated before, Veliko Tarnovo town is hell to drive, even just having to go in or out is a complicated task, there is a highway junction, Curved exits and entrances with little visibility and quite confusing so it is easy to skip the correct exit towards the center, And if this happens, the next U-turn takes us several kilometers to the outskirts of the city with a good deal of time lost..

Complicated exit from the motorway to the center of Veliko Tarnovo

On the other hand, wandering around is also quite a feat. There is only one main street, where parking is impossible and if we get out of it, adventure awaits us: narrow streets, poll, navigators are always lost because they are one-way streets and they are not well memorized on the GPS maps, all is “blue zone” limited parking (no parking meters, but you have to send an SMS from a Bulgarian mobile to be able to park) and due to the orography, public car parks are non-existent, you just have to look at the city map to get an idea of ​​what I'm saying…

Location of hotels in Veliko Tarnovo (Arbanasi to the right of the fortress)

Arbanasi: the best of Veliko Tarnovo.

For all the above we recommend staying in Arbanasi, other than that everyone who goes to Veliko Tarnovo should visit Arbanasi, because it is one of the most picturesque towns in all of Bulgaria. Arbanasi is in short supply 4 km from the center of Veliko Tarnovo, the highway connects both cities in about 5 minutes. Many tourists go up from Veliko Tarnovo to do a sightseeing tour and because in Arbanasi there are better restaurants and taverns than in Veliko Tarnovo itself. Furthermore Arbanasi is located on a hill overlooking the city of Veliko Tarnovo, therefore there is even the possibility of staying in some hotels that offer panoramic views of the city. In Arbanasi, because it is also very visited, there are numerous hotels, some in old houses, others in large complexes, but the general atmosphere is of a quiet town away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Views of Veliko Tarnovo from the Arbanasi hotel.

House-museum of the former merchant family of Arbanasi

If you want more information contact us, we are specialists in travel in Bulgaria, either with an accompanying guide or as a self-guided trip, we can make a travel proposal if you send us this form with your preferences: “request for a tailor-made travel quote”.