Daytrips in the region
The region of Veliko Tarnovo has many villages which have preserved traces of their Revival period charm and romantic spirit. These villages are Arbanasi, Tryavna, Elena, Gabrovo, Etara, Bozhentsi and Dryanovo.
Arbanasi
A visit to the beautiful village Arbanasi is a must if you visit Veliko Tarnovo. This historic village is located 4 km from Veliko Tarnovo on a plateau with lush vegetation. The village was first home to Albanians during the 1400's. In the 1500's the village became a major trading centre and with many large stone houses.
Today, Arbanasi attracts many tourists with its unique Bulgarian Renaissance architecture from the 1600's and the 1700's. The houses resemble fortresses with their high stone walls. Internal windows, doors and ceilings are usually richly decorated with wood and the walls are decorated with gypsom.
The village has approximately 80 preserved houses, churches and monasteries.
It is an architectural reserve and is included in the list of UNESCO world cultural heritage.
Arbanasi is a weekend destination for Bulgarians and many of Bulgaria's rich have large holiday homes here.
It is also a popular destination for scientists, archeologists, historians, architects and artists.
Konstantsaliev's house museum - one of the most representative examples of Arbanasi architecture. The house was built in the late 1700's in the Bulgarian Revival style, and contains preserved interiors.
Hadzhiiliev's house museum - another well preserved Arbanasi house from the 1700's.
Monastery of Assumption of Virgin Mary - from the 1500's. The monastery has many icons from the 1600's and 1700's and an icon of Mary which is said to fulfill wishes. The monastery is active today.
Nativity Church of Christ - one of the oldest churches in Arbanasi from the late 1500's. The church is richly decorated with detailed ceiling and wall paintings. It also has Bulgaria's oldest Wood Carving. The Nativity Church of Christ is famous for its frescoes.
Monastery of St Nicholas - was founded as part of the building campaign of the Asen dynasty. It was plundered and burned many times during and after Ottoman rule before finally being restored in 1833. Many of the icons in the church were donated by Russian soldiers who fought with the Ottoman Empire in 1878. The monastery is active today.
Tryavna
is a nice village near Veliko Tarnovo which is famous for its textile industry and its National revival architecture, featuring 140 cultural monuments, museums and expositions. The village was founded in the Thracian era but its first records date back to the 12th century. During the Ottoman era, Tryavna was heavily defended by the Bulgarians and the Turks never gained access to it. The Tryavna masters specialized in building, woodcarving and icon painting, which they handled to perfection and transformed into an art. Hence the oldest Renaissance Art school in Bulgaria - the Tryavna school – developed and flourished.
The unique beauty of the Renaissance period architecture can be found in many places in Tryavna and its vicinity such as The Old Square, P. R. Slaveikov street, Kachaunska neighbourhood and the place Tepavitsite, Skortsite village, the temples St. Archangel Michael and St. George.
Museums include Daskalov's house, Raykov's house, Angel Kunchev's and P. R. Slaveikov's houses, Staroto Shkolo (the old school) and the Museum of Icon Painting and Wood-carving.
There are also art exhibitions of Dimitur and Nikola Kazakovi, Nikolai Maistorov, Ivan Kolev and the Gubenskies' collection of pictures.
Tryavna is liked by tourists for its antiques, wood carving and artisan shops, its clean mountain air and unique Renaissance architecture. Excursions are available to various villages and huts, scattered in the vicinity.
Excursions are arranged to various villages and huts scattered in the vicinity.
Elena
is a small and picturesque town 42 km from Veliko Tarnovo. It is a popular mountain resort with lovely scenery and is close to a few lakes. Elena was founded in the 1500's. During the 1800's and 1900's it established itself as a crafts, trade and educational centre. Approximately 130 houses dating back to the Bulgarian National Revival have been preserved. and comprising about 130 old houses. Wall-to-wall construction forms interesting street silhouettes. The houses have stone basements with white-washed or wooden walls of the upper floor with protruding bays above.
Gabrovo
is a city 35 km from Veliko Tarnovo with clean mountain air and historical and ethnographical complexes. It is a popular tourist centre. Both the city and its surrounding areas are thought to be one of the most ecologically clean regions in Bulgaria. Gabrovo has a rich flora and fauna and game reserves with bear, red deer and mouflon.
Gabrovo is called Bulgaria's "town of humour" due to its inhabitants sense of humour relating to stinginess and economy.Every year in May the Festival of Humour is held in Gabrovo.
The very popular House of Humour and Satire displays different art and ethnographical exhibitions.
Etara (Etar) Architectural and Ethnographic Museum
is a 60 acre large open-air museum, 8 km from Gabrovo. Etara presents Bulgarian customs, culture and craftsmanship (traditional houses, workshops etc) to illustrate the architecture, way of life and economy of Gabrovo and the region during the Bulgarian National Revival period (1762 - 1878). It exhibits craftsmen making beatiful gold, silver, copper, leather and wooden articles. Water from the river powers equipment in workshops and mills of the village. The waft of freshly baked bread drifts across from an old bakery and a tiny coffee shop serves Turkish coffee made in a copper pot. Pastry chefs offer delicious home-made cookies and cakes. And around this - lovely old houses, flowers on the window sills, small shops with wooden shutters and gas lanterns on the street corners.
The Etara open-air ethnographic museum park is unique in Bulgaria and in South Eastern Europe.
Etara offers visitors a journey into the past, learning about the lifestyle and traditions of local people.
Guests are shown traditional techniques for extracting oils from various plants, including those of famous Bulgarian rose oil.
You can also taste traditional Bulgarian specialties.
Etara is visited annually by over 150 000 thousand guests from around the world. It is particularly busy during the spring and summer, when festivals are held annually, associated with the holidays Palm Sunday, Easter, St. George's Day, Midsummer Day and others.
Bozhentsi village
is a small village, a picturesque architectural and historical reserve (part of UNESCO's cultural monuments) located 15 km from Gabrovo. The village is 600 years old and its houses date back to The Renaissance period. Time seems to have stopped in Bozhentsi village - the shutters of the workshops have been closed, the blacksmiths have stopped hammering, the hearths have gone out. The well in the square. the wax workshop and the St. Elija Church are almost 200 years old. Until the end of the 1900's, Bozhentsi was an economic, administrative, educational and spiritual center for the surrounding villages. Today, there are approximately 100 houses preserved, which were built 100 - 250 years ago (the Bulgarian Revival period). According to legend the village was founded by Bolyarka Bojana who settled here with his nine sons. The village grew, because Bozhentsi was an important crossing the Balkan Mountains. Residents got involved in livestock, crafts and trade. They built picturesque Bulgarian houses with high stone fences and gates. With its unique village atmosphere Bozhentsi village carries its visitors back in time and allows them to see the lifestyle of ordinary people. Two museum houses display photographs and articles of prominent families in Bozhentsi. The village is visited by many tourists and appreciated for its architectural heritage.
Hotnitsa waterfall
The spectacular Hotnitsa waterfall is located 20 minutes drive from Veliko Tarnovo.
Bacho Kiro Cave
is located half an hour from Veliko Tarnovo (and 300 meters from one of Bulgaria's most visited monasteries "Dryanovo monastery"). The Bacho Kiro cave is located in the beautiful river valley of Dryanovo river and Anadaka river and was shaped by the flowing waters when they slowly eroded the limestone over the course of 1.8 million years. In the cave archeological finds have been made such as flint, tools made of bone and pottery from "middle and late Paleolithic age" 40 - 70 000 years BC, which makes the cave one of the earliest sites for life in the Balkans. A skeleton of a cave bear was also found here. Guided tours are given in which visitors can see beautiful halls and rock formations with stalactites and stalagmites. Bacho Kiro cave has several floors and is over 3 km long but only 700 meters are accessible to tourists.
Dryanovo Monastery
is one of the most popular monastaries in the Veliko Tarnovo region. The monastery has been traditionally restored with beautiful interiors. It contains a museum exhibition with items from all historical epochs including Neolithic finds from a nearby cave. In connection to the monastary there are also eco trails. The monastery is surrounded by cliffs and steep slopes and woodlands and was the showcase for some important events in Bulgaria's history.Today Dryanonovo monastery is one of the most visited in the country.
Kilifarevo Monastery
lies in the valley of Velitsa river and it was founded in the 1400's . The monasterywas one of the most important centres of the medieval Bulgarian literature and education. It has been proclaimed a cultural monument and has gilded icons.
Kapinovo Monastery
is one of the oldest monasteries in Bulgaria, founded in 1272. It played an important part in the preparation for the April Uprising. The monastery has a large collection of icons containing works from the famous Tryavna art school. It is approximately 30 minutes drive from Veliko Tarnovo on the way to Elena.