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Attractions

Arbanassi

Arbanassi is only 4 km north-east of Veliko Tarnovo. It offers the feel of history with traditional style houses and numerous churches. One of which is the Nativity Church which is famous for its frescoes. There are plenty of restaurants and small gift shops and good spots to take photos overlooking Veliko Turnovo, but it is a particular favourite of the tour buses and can get quite crowded, so we would advise planning the time of your visit carefully.

Elena

Located 42km South-East of Veliko Tarnovo, it is a small but pretty town, much liked by tourists and Bulgarians alike. Set in the central Stara Planina mountains, it has lovely scenery and some lakes quite close by. It is well known throughout Bulgaria for its local cuisine.

Gabrovo

Is known throughout Bulgaria as the town of humour. There are many jokes made about the people of Gabrovo, who are reputed to not have a sense of humour. Because of this, every year in May, they hold a Festival of Humour and they also have a very popular House of Humour and Satire, which is open all year round. The people are also reputed to be as miserly as the Scots and lots of souvenirs are on sale to support this view.

Emen

After going through the lovely village of Emen, (25km West of Veliko Tarnovo) you come to Emen Gorge. The gorge is 3km long, has caves and cliffs with rickety bridges for the brave or foolhardy to cross them. It is also a reserve for wildlife, so take your binoculars and cameras with you. It also has an eco trail, with walks to the Momin Stok Waterfall, which is 10m high.

Veliko Tarnovo

Veliko Tarnovo is not only set in the heart of Bulgaria, IT IS the heart of Bulgaria and it’s soul. Set amongst the Balkan mountain range, this historical and cultural town was the capital of Bulgaria during the second kingdom and home to their dynasties of kings, (Tsars).

Set amongst the four hills of Tsarevets, Trapezitsa, Momina Krepost and Sveta Gora, the ridges plunge down to the Yantra river below, it was known as “the second Constantinople” and a magnificent fortress was built in the Tsarevets area. A visit to the fortress is well worth the effort, as it has some absolutely stunning views.

Some of the old trades are still carried out in parts of the ‘old town’, particularly on Samovodska Charshiya and a visit to Gurko Street to see the little houses traditionally built. Take your time and enjoy the atmosphere. Also worth a visit, is the Light and Sound show, which shows the history of Bulgaria by means of Lasers and music and sometimes it includes fireworks. You can find it at Tsaravets during the evening, but it is run by the Tourist Information of VT and they cannot tell you if it is to take place that evening, it’s a fantastic attraction, but rather hit and miss.

But for all of its history and culture, Veliko Tarnovo is a modern city. For the ladies, the shopping is excellent and you can pick up some real bargains in the shops or the local markets due to the exchange rate difference making everything seem cheap. It now even boasts its own new shopping mall, with supermarkets, style shops of all kinds and comes complete with multi screen cinema and ten pin bowling alley, so make a day of it.

There are some very good bars, pubs, wine bars and clubs. The restaurants offer the best food we have ever tasted, because all of the ingredients were grown locally and organically. There is frequently three or four pages in the menu dedicated to salads alone. Bulgarian traditional, or the best International cuisine, or your favourite style of pizza, they are all available so you won’t starve and cooked to perfection.

Monasteries

The monasteries, (both male and female) in the area, are well worth a visit, they have been traditionally restored with beautiful interiors and some of the settings are stunning. One of the most popular with tourists is Dryanovo Monastery, which is set amongst enormous cliffs, you are able to look at the museum and church and gift shops and walk across the wooden bridge crossing the stream to the restaurant. There are also many eco trails which are very popular, one of which leads to the Bacho Kiro Cave.

Rose Valley

Bulgaria has been cultivating the Damask rose [ rosa damascena] commercially since the 16th century. . There are also two other species of rose cultivated commercially, but it is the Bulgarian Rosa damascena otto that is the most highly valued for its medicinal properties and vitality. 

Ideal growing and climatic conditions, together with dedicated growers, who have mastered the art of distilling the delicate scent, ensure all the medicinal molecules are not destroyed in the process.  To extract the rose's wonderful scent they must be harvested in the morning ensuring the heat of the sun does not evaporate the precious aroma, they are traditionally hand picked and quickly taken to be distilled, roses are either steam distilled resulting in what is called a 'rose Otto' or the scent is extracted with solvents and called an 'absolute'. 
   
Rose absolutes are used by the perfume and cosmetic industries and are cheaper to produce than rose Otto's which take around 60,000 roses to yield just one ounce of essence, reflecting it's high price.

Stamboliski Lake

Is quite a large lake, held back by an imposing dam in lovely scenery. It is worth the drive for the nature and is very popular with Bulgarians, but there are little in the way of amenities there for the tourist.

Etar Ethnological Village

Etar, is 8km Southeast of Gabrovo. It has a group of buildings with traditional architecture from around Bulgaria, that have been brought together and lovingly restored, to form a little village with a lovely little stream running through it. Parts of this village are still working with the traditional trades and are powered by water wheels. There you can see the people at work baking bread, making jewellery and glass, cobblers, leather goods, weavers, potters etc. A visit here is thouroughly recommended and there is an open air restaurant at one end of the village, which we also recommend and at the other end is a hotel/restaurant.

Medical

Why not take advantage of the first rate Optical and Dentistry facilities while you’re here. We can arrange for you to visit an English speaking Optician or Dentist, giving the quality of service you would expect in Western Europe, but at much lower prices. It has been known for tourists to get new glasses and have dental treatment and the money saved was enough to pay for the holiday.

These apartments are brought to you by David and Elaine, who are — Classic Styles Ltd.

This Page Was Last Updated June 14, 2008