Welcome to Veliko Tarnovo!

eliko Tarnovo is the old Capital of Bulgaria. “Veliko” actually mean The Great. The Bulgarian people know the city as a city of Kings. This is because so many Kings was lived here in the past.

The city is located in the centre of Bulgaria. It is on the halfway between the biggest cities of Bulgaria – Sofia and Varna. South of the city rise the cold northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains and north of the city extends the vast Danube Plain and Danube River. 7 km away from the city there is an International Airport and the second larger train station in Bulgaria.

Veliko Tarnovo is one of the most popular tourist centers in Bulgaria. Its unique location on the three hills Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Sveta Gora, makes the town one of the most beautiful in Bulgaria and also adds special charm to the city’s appearance and its own identity. A walk through this ancient city can leave anyone who stepped once on the narrow cobblestone streets speechless.

All monuments preserved in Veliko Tarnovo has kept the spirit of all ages and periods of Bulgarian history – from Ancient times to present days. The first traces of human presence in the region dated from VI century BC.A Thracian village was found on Tsarevets dated back from the 3rd millennium B.O.T.

Throughout the Middle Ages, Tsarevgard Tarnov was the pearl in Bulgarian tsars’ crown. After Bulgarians declared their liberation from Byzantine rule in 1185, Tarnovo became the capital city of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom and remained the capital of Bulgaria until the invasion of the Ottomans in Europe.

In Veliko Tyrnovo, on 10th February 1879 was held the fateful Constituent assembly. The Tarnovo Constitution was accepted and it was one of the most democratic European constitutions back then. This historic act laid the foundations of the new Bulgarian state.

Nowadays Veliko Tarnovo is a modern European city, that is not only an administrative centre, but also a cultural one and a tourist destination.

Tzarevets Fortres

King Tzar Ivan Asen II

The Old Town