Veliko Tarnovo attractions

The Patriarchate on Tsarevets hill in February

Veliko Tarnovo

Population: 71.251

Elevation: 325 m (1066 ft)
Located: Central-Bulgaria

Short opinion: An extraordinary pearl in the Balkans, in our opinion the greatest place to visit in Bulgaria ... To visit the town attractions and museums, at least 2 days staying is recommended.

Veliko Tarnovo maps: http://www.trapezitca1902.com/Maps.htm

Bulgaria posts

General information about Bulgaria:

Population: around 7 million [less than half of the New York agglomeration, similar to Israel]

Area: around 111.000 km² [almost 13 times more than the New York urban area, similar to Cuba]

History: There was something like Bulgaria from 681 DC to 1018 DC, than from between 1185-1396. After a bigger jump, from 1878 some kind of independence, and from 1908 real Bulgaria. Although was part of the Eastern Block, never was part of the Soviet Union, and part of the European Union from 2007.

Cities:
- 71% of Bulgarian population lives in urban areas
- 18,5% lives in the capital, Sofia (which has a population of 1.404.929)
- 23,5% lives in the are 9 other cities that has the population over 100.000 - Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Rousse, Stara Zagora, Pleven, Sliven, Dobrich, Shumen


Currency:
- Bulgarian Lev (plural form: leva), which has a constant value of 0,97 (?) euro.




We recommend places to visit in Bulgaria:
No. 1. Veliko Tarnovo (ARTICLE; ARTICLE)
No. 2. Rila monastery (ARTICLE)
No. 3. Nessebar (ARTICLE)
No. 3. Varna (ARTICLE)
No. 4. Kaliakra (near Kavarna) (no article yet)
No. 5. Sofia (no article yet)

Places we've been to but we won't write long articles about them: (click for little information and/or for pictures)
Dupnitsa, Golna Oryahovitsa, Pleven, Dobrich, Burgas, Shumen, Ruse, Lom, Vidin, Kyustendil, Lom

More:
Bulgaria UNESCO heritage sites (Wikipedia)

Varna - the biggest city on a seaside

One of the most known Bulgarian city - even i heard about it before:) It's laying on a seaside of a Black Sea, every year come there thousand of turist.
How to get cheap place to sleep?
If You go there by train You can really easy find cheap place to sleep - in a Train Station in Warna there are two kind of Informations Offices where You can find cheap place to sleep (even 14€ for double room). You will get key in a office, an adress and form train station You can go straight to Youre room (of course don't count for jazzuzi in a room). There is another way too - go to promenade near see->there are people who try to catch turist to make them sleep in their own places - of course it's un-official but rooms are good and cheap (at least we get one like that in a apartment of some grandmother:)
Food? (my favourite topic!)
I feel obligated to write about food. From deep of my heart i can reccomend restauration called "Godzilla" - we have eate there great food (it's really great!) and the price - if You want to eat as much as You can (pizza, salad, dessert, beer) You won't pay more than 5€! It's in a center of Warna, easy to find. And ! because of my pure love to chocolate - in every country there are in some places kind of coffee/chocolate/tea machines. In Bulgary there are much of them and drinks (at least a chocolate) form them are worth to try.
What to see there ?
Ortodox Church - obligatory to get inside too, near Warna center and near market where can You find and buy in reality everything! Actually all center of Warna is wort to see.
Near promenade there is museum-ship as an atraction - You can go there and even touch it. Its called "Drazki" and it is torpedo boat built by france for bulgaria in the beginning of XX century. This boat took part in Balkans War in 1912-1913 and even "hit" another boat during action.
"Tarzan Park" - You can feel like real Tarzan just 1€, it's really dangerous and it's not so easy to get threw all "traps" - i am sure that they would make it forbiden because of danger in every west european country- but this is bulgary and fun from it is priceless!

Nessebar

What is it?
City on a coast of Black Sea in east Bulgary, in a Burgas Province. The old part of city is situated on island and it's one of the most ancient district founded in Europe (settlement started at 3000 B.C). First owners of a city were Thracians, later city was under Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Turks control.
How to get there?
Buses from Burgas or Warna (tickiet 2,5 € from Burgas, 5 € from Warna), there is too possibility to take a "Water-Taxi" from Sunny Beach which is laying on a opposit coast of sea.
What to see there?
In general it's easy for my to say "all island" -and it's totally true. It's quite small, possible to see everything in a half day. It's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Besides all ancient buldings an really big number of churches You can find there "bleack-sea type of houses" from XVIII-XIX century which are very characteristic- ground floor from stones where are magazines or stores and second floor from wood where are rooms. All island it's very turistic, there are houndred restaurants and many hotels ( in september You can sleep there even for 10€ for person) and! in my opinion thousand of shops. It's very important to write here that Bulgary it's a very very and very! cheap cuntry.