Veliko Tarnovo

Having had quite a lot of down time in Stara Zagora, we got to Veliko Tarnovo feeling somewhat revived, and hit the ground running. Our accommodation was in a local area as opposed to the old town, which turned out to be perfect, as we weren’t subjected to the eye-wateringly high tourist prices for things. Although the accommodation did have the most uncomfortable couch in human history.

The town is built around Tsarevets Fortress, which was the stronghold of the Second Bulgarian Empire between the 12th and 14th centuries, housing royalty, nobles, and the Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Basically, it was medieval Bulgaria’s power centre. The fortress was besieged and eventually fell to the Ottomans in 1393, which marked the end of the empire. Today it’s beautifully preserved, and wandering through it gives you a real sense of how massive and important it once was.

We wandered there on the first day, planning to see the fortress and then wander back through the town and explore as we went. Our first coffee of the day really showed us how hilly the area was, and how the houses appeared to cling to the hillsides.

When we reached the fortress we were in luck…we happened to be there on the one free day a month. Sweet! The fortress itself was huge, well maintained, and a joy to explore. Plenty of walls to scramble across, lookout towers to climb, and a church to see, all providing stunning views across the town.

The old town itself also had the usual cute cobbled streets, which Sam in particular enjoyed spending the afternoon wandering around and looking at local artwork and wares for sale, while Will enjoyed a coffee with a cat just watching the world go by.

Returning to the old town the next day, we strolled down General Gurko Street, which was full of quaint residences and stunning views. It felt somewhat odd as even though it is a recommended place to see, and the town was quite busy, we were the only ones on the road. It was also nice to see it still being basically a local road still used by those who lived there (and the numerous home stays capitalising on the prettiness and views).

We also finally found a restaurant close to our accommodation that looked local and devoid of tourists. We sampled Rakia—the local fermented fruit alcohol—Shopska, a cucumber, tomato and cheese salad, many beers, and other bits and bobs. It felt good to finally eat out in that way without being at a touristy place with inflated prices.

Veliko Tarnovo is a beautiful town. Staying in the local area and walking to the old town made it that much better too.

Next stop: Ruse, our last Bulgarian stop.