It was only a few years until Bulgaria caught up and became a major holiday destination. In fact, the country has always been a major tourist destination.Most of the tourists used to arrive from the former communist bloc countries. Much has changed – there are now millions of international travellers pouring into Bulgaria’s beach and ski destinations annually. Many are enjoying a village holiday in Bulgaria.

About sixty percent of Bulgaria’s territory is covered with mountains ranges separated by long valleys, dotted with hundreds of small towns and village. Many of these towns and villages have made a major push to become attractive tourist destinations and many of them have been successful. Actually, this is the preferred type of travel for most Bulgarians. This has become known as village tourism, although the destinations are not always in villages. Increasingly, foreign tourists are discovering the appeals of this type of a holiday.

A typical village tourism (селски туризъм in Bulgarian) outing is over the weekend but it could also last a week or longer. The destination is typically a village or close to a small town where holiday seekers can enjoy natural beauty. This could be next to a mountain or a lake as is the case with the Central Balkan area. There might be some cultural attractions nearby such as monasteries or a town with a renovated historic center such as Lovetch, Veliko Turnovo or Plovdiv. So, the appeal of village tourism is that it puts one squarely into nature but, by virtue of Bulgaria being a relatively small country with short distances, one is also very close to various attractions. Sometimes, it is the village part that is the main attraction. Many Bulgarian villages presents sights long forgotten in the West such as a old woman walking around with a few goats, donkey carts, and old time village pubs.

Another appeal, and that’s very relevant to many Bulgarians who live on a budget, is that village tourism is relatively inexpensive. Out of the main cities, the industry offers hundreds of private rental villas as well as B&B’s run by their owners. They have 3 to 4 rooms and a small restaurant, essentially a B&B. Staying in the guest houses or renting a villa cost a fraction of what it cost to book a hotel room or a private apartment in one of the main resort. 

Turnovo is positioned centrally in Bulgaria, close to the Stara Planina mountains and the river Dunav. It is spread over the historical hills of Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Sveta Gora, towering over the wide curves of the Iantra river. The age of the city is about 7 thousand years. Veliko Tarnovo impresses with its original renaissance architecture – antique houses, the unique Veliko Turnovo hotels, situated one above another, towers, splendid museums, and monasteries with icon-paintings that attract tourists from all over the world. Veliko Turnovo presents some of the most impressive remains of the Bulgarian history, many of which date back to its position as the capital of Bulgaria. It also offers lively modern night life and nature with great opportunities for sports and rest.

Veliko Turnovo (Велико Търново хотели in Bulgarian) has a rich historical past. According to archeological discoveries, life in that area seems to have began around 3 thousand years ago.c. The first inhabitants were the Thracians and their settlement existed until the end of the Bronze Age. The next inhabitants were the Byzantines. A big Slav settlement was situated here during the VIII a.c. The Old-Bulgarian settlement appeared during the IX c. and during the X c. the hills Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Sveta Gora were already richly populated. Veliko Turnovo became the capital of Bulgaria after the two brothers Peter and Assen rose their troops against the Byzantine empire in 1187. Veliko Turnovo was an important stronghold and a cultural center for the following two centuries. The contemporaries referred to it as the The Second Constantinople and The Third Rome.

The most important remnant of these times is the archaeological preserve Tsarevets, a restored fortress that surrounds the hill Tsarvets. Above all of the other buildings stands one of the symbols of the town – the tower where the Latin Emperor Baldwin was kept after the crusade in the early 12th century. The palace of the Bulgarian tsars was a self-contained fortress with the fabulous Throne Hall and the palace church St. Petka. One the highest position was located the main establishment of the Bulgarian Church. In recent years, the fortress has received further acclaim with a “Lights and Sound” show – a program that combines sound and light effects to reproduce the history of the old Bulgarian capital.