Tsarevets Fortress — Attraction in Veliko Tarnovo

An OK place to spend an hour or two walking around, but it's not something I'd shell out the full price for, if I knew then what I know now. The fortress itself is interesting, but presented in a lacklustre manner.

The information board is in three languages: Bulgarian, Russian, and German. Not a problem for me, but I can imagine the English-speaking tourists' frustration when they pay 15 BGN to come in and but being able to decipher a thing.

The paths and routes are not very well-marked, save for the occasional stationary map stands. There's also no paper map pamphlet for visitors. You could simply wander around and not knowing where you are or what you come across.

The information board at each excavation location is not helpful other than a line or two saying what the place is. For example, "Church, 12 - 14th century". Sure, but why is this church important? What was life back then around the church? What happened to the church after 14th century? Where were the usual architectural elements in the church and what made them interesting? None of these common elements of narrative exists. For an open-air "museum" (as the fortress bills itself such), the storytelling is sorely lacking. This fortress is a landmark construction for the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, but not even that period is discussed on the boards or in any freely available visitor's pamphlet. Really wasted potential.

Some vendors on the fortress grounds cease their activities in the afternoon, so keep that in mind if you want to do some extra activities there. The water and ice cream there are very expensive though, so bring your own water and sun hats.

Some restoration efforts are rather tacky and does not mesh well with the overall architecture and environment of the fortress. You know because they really stand out from the rest.

On the positive side: The ticket office takes card payments. The lady at the ticket office is actually really nice, despite a kinda...

The famous Bulgarian medieval fortress, it is primary tourist attraction. It dates from 12th century become a capital of second Bulgarian empire. Conquered and burnt down by Ottomans which lead to fall of Bulgarian empire. There are many great views around entire Veliko Tarnovo and Yantra river. It has three entrances. The main entrance is located in the easternmost side of the hill. The castle complex is located in the centre, surrounded by an internal stone wall, two battle towers and two entrances - north and south. It consists of a throne hall, castle church and the king's chamber. The restoration of the fortress Tsarevets began in 1930 and was completed in 1981 in honour of the 1300 anniversary from the establishment of the Bulgarian state. Kings Petar, Asen, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen the second lived there. Baldwin's Tower, a modern reconstruction of a medieval tower modeled after the tower in Cherven and built in 1930, is in the southeastern part of the fortress. It is at the place of the original medieval tower where Latin EmperorBaldwin I of Constantinople found his death as a prisoner of Kaloyan of Bulgaria. During the Middle Ages, residential buildings, craftsman's workshops and numerous churches and monasteries were situated on the slopes of the Tsarevets hill. Archaeologists have discovered 400 residential buildings, differentiated in quarters, over 22 churches and 4 monasteries.

Tsarevets hill is also the location of Execution Rock, an outcropping over the Yantra River from which traitors were pushed to their deaths and their bodies fell into the river. There Patriarch Joachim was executed by the Tsar Theodore Svetoslav in...

A first place that everyone has ti have on the list when it comes to Veliki Trnovo. The ticket for adults is 10 leva per each, children do not pay. You buy tickets before entering the counter across the street. The first impression is that everything is very clean. What you need to know is that there are no kiosks within the complex, except at the top, where they have two vending machines where you have refreshing drinks, so it is safest to bring your own drink. Also, for parents with small children, the approach is not suitable for prams(stroller) because all the paths are made of stone and are quite uneven, so you will have to carry the children in your arms or take them by the hand. Access for people with disabilities is literally impossible. We were in April, when the sun was not too strong, so the advice if you visit the fortress in the summer, be sure to bring sun protection (hats, umbrellas, sunscreen), although there are plenty of places for respite and shade in the fortress itself. At the very top there is a church-museum and from there there is an incredible view of the surroundings and you also have telescopes to observe the surroundings. The time required for the entire tour of the fortress is about...