Accommodation

Accommodation: The Veliko Turnovo Interhotel (2, Alexander Penchev Street). The Yantra Hotel (3-star, 2, Opulchenska Street). The Sveta Gora Motel (in the south-eastern end of the Sveta Gora Park). Orbita Hotel (downtown, offers 50 beds, ‘tourist’ category). Trapezitsa Tourist House (in the centre of the town, 79, Stambolov Street, it has 73 beds in 2 suites and in 2-, 3- and 4-bed rooms. Momina Krepost Tourist House (Maiden’s Fortress) (in the Ksilofor Area, east of town, near the last stop of town bus lines No. 7 and No. 11 and 2-km further walk, it offers 178 beds in 3 suites and in 2-, 4- and 5-bed rooms). There are cosy and typical Bulgarain public catering and entertainment establishments offering traditional Bulgarian cuisine in Veliko Turnovo. One of them is the tavern in the House with the Monkey, working hours: 11.00 a.m. - 12.00 p.m., 14, Vustannicheska Street).

Tourist information – at the Tourist InformationCentre – 5000 Veliko Turnovo (13A, Hristo Botev Str., tel.: 062(P. O. Box 5000, at the Veliko Turnovo Hotel, tel: 062 22148, e-mail: dtour@vali.bg), at the Council on Tourism, 5000 Veliko Turnovo (at Veliko Turnovo Hotel, tel: 062 30571, 30353, 528057); at Trapezitsa Tourist Association (79, Stefan Stambolov Street, tel: 062 21593, 35185); at the hotels and in the tourist houses.

Transport: The town of the old Metropolis is connected with bus and a railway transport. There are regular bus lines to Sofia, Gabrovo, Rousse, Lovech, Kazanlak, Tryavna, Drya-novo, Sevlievo, Gorna Oryahovitsa (a town bus line), Lyaskovets (a town bus line), Pavlikeni, Turgovishte, Popovo, Byala and other smaller settlements within the region. The bus station (86, Nikola Gabrovski Street, tel.: 062 40908) and the central railway station (tel: 062 620065) are far from each other, the first being located in the western end of the town, and the second - in the southern end of the town immediately under the Sveta Gora Hill. There is another railway station - Trapezitsa, north-west under the hill of the same name. Both stations are at they main railway line Rousse - Gorna Oryahovitsa - Stara Zagora - Podkova. Moreover, the railway station of Gorna Oryahovitsa (the biggest railway junction of Northern Bulgaria) is located at the distance of only several kilometres north-east of Veliko Turnovo. At the railwau station there is a taxi service for Veliko Turnovo passing through the village of Arbanassi. The following travel agencies are located there, too: Group (for bus tickets in the country and abroad, 1, Al. Stam-boliiski Street, tel: 062 628292), Rila Railway Bureau (13A, Hr. Botev Street, tel.: 062 22130), Rila International Travel Bureau (13A, Hr. Botev Street, tel: 062 22042), Inter-tour (an agent of Balkan Airlines, 13A, Hr. Botev Street, tel: 062 21545) and Sema Express (airlines ticket bureau, 25, Nikola Gabrovski Blvd., tel: 062 621586). The town has a regular town bus and trolley-bus transport.

Surrounding areas: The village of Arbanassi - Architecture and Historical Reserve located at the distance of 4 km north-east of Veliko Turnovo. Its flourishing as a trade and craftsmen’s centre was during the 16th to the 18th century when the monumental houses and churches with a rich interior decoration, woodcarvings and mural paintings were built. These are unique monuments of our architectural and artistic heritage. The Arbanassi type of houses may be defined as dwellings - fortresses. The most interesting are Konstantsaliev’s House (housing a museum collection), Hadzhiiliev’s House, Kandilarov’s House, Nikolchokostov’s House and others. The following churches deserve special attention, too - Birth of the Holly Son Church, Archangel Michail and Gavrail Church, St. Atanas Church, St. George Church. Arbanassi is the birthplace of Ilarion Dragostinov, chief apostle of the Sliven Revolutionary District in the April Uprising. One can find accommodation here at: the Arbanassi Palace Hotel, the Arbus Hotel & Tavern, the Raiski Kut (Paradise Corner) Hotel & Tavern, Konstantin and Elena Hotel Complex, Bolyarska Kushta (Boyar’s House) Hotel & Tavern and others. There is a taxi service running every 30 to 40 minutes between Gorna Oryahovitsa and Veliko Turnovo passing by the road fork for the village (1 km).

The Preobrazhensky Monastery is situated at the distance of 6 to 7 km north of Veliko Turnovo, under the inaccessible sheer rocks of the left bank of the Yantra River. It flourished during the 14th century. It was repeatedly ruined and destroyed by fire during the years of Ottoman Rule and rebuilt in the first half of the 19th century. One of the most remarkable monuments of Bulgarian Revival Period architecture and iconography. It includes 4 churches. The Central Transfiguration Church was started to be built by Master Dimitur Sofialiyata (of Sofia) who was hanged because of his participation in Velcho’s Conspiracy (1835). Master Kolyu Ficheto completed it. It was painted by Zakhari Zograph (the Icon-painter), two of his compositions being of a particularly high artistic value - “Doomsday” (on the whole eastern wall of the nartnex) and the “Wheel of Life” (on the southern outside wall). The wood-carved iconostasis and the iconostasis icons, work of masters form Tryavna are remarkable, too. The masterpiece of the painter of the Revival Period Stanislav Dospevski - “St. Apostle Andrei” is exhibited here as well.