Religious tourism in the regions of Ruse, Veliko Tarnovo and Pleven

Route Description

Length of the tourist route: 150 km (between start and end point)
Duration: 3 days (2 overnight stays)
Sequence of travel along the tourist route:
- Starting point: Rousse
- Intermediate destination: Ivanovo village, Veliko Tarnovo, Elena, Pleven
- End point: Sofia
Seasonal access: Year-round

Top visited sites

Routes
Rock monastery “Dimitar Basarbovski”, Basarbovo
Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo
Mausoleum-chapel “St. George the Victorious”, Pleven
Plakovski Monastery “St. Prophet Elijah”

Related Videos

Spatial orientation

Municipalities in Rousse district:

Main sites to visit: Municipalities of Rousse, Ivanovo

Additional sites and events: Municipalities of Rousse, Ivanovo, Byala

Municipalities in Veliko Tarnovo district:

Main sites to visit: Municipalities of Veliko Tarnovo and Elena

Additional sites and events: Municipalities of Svishtov, Veliko Tarnovo, Elena

Municipalities in Pleven district:

Main sites to visit: Pleven Municipality

Additional sites and events: Municipalities of Pleven, Cherven Bryag

Visit to the sites of religious tourism in the districts of Rousse, Veliko Tarnovo and Pleven.

Possibility to use sustainable personal mobility of tourists – travel on eco-trails and bicycle routes.

Presence of many additional tourist sites, services, attractions.

Possible ways of transportation

Arriving at the destination:

To Rousse: By car, bus, train. Arriving from Romania – “Danube Bridge”, carrying out transportation access between the towns of Ruse (Bulgaria) and Giurgiu (Romania)

Travel during the stay:
- Personal car;
- Public transportation to tourist sites and attractions planned for visit;
- Possibility to rent a car and use taxi;
- Sustainable personal mobility of tourists:
  - Eco-trails with different levels of difficulty
  - Cycling routes

Sites

1st day – Rousse Municipality:

Municipality of Rousse: Rock Monastery “St. Dimitar Basarbovski “- Basarbovo village

Ivanovo Municipality: Ivanovo rock churches

Visit to additional cultural and historical sites and attractions in Rousse Municipality. Proposed overnight stay in Rousse.

2nd day – Veliko Tarnovo and Elena:

Veliko Tarnovo municipality: Churches “St. 40 Martyrs“; “St. St. Peter and Paul”; “St. St. Constantine and Helena”; “St. George”; “St. Dimitar Solunski”, Kilifarevski monastery – near Kilifarevo; Kapinovski monastery “St. Nikolay Chudotvorets “- near Velchevo village; Plakovski monastery “St. Prophet Elijah”- 18 km from Veliko Tarnovo; Preobrazhenski Monastery “St. Transfiguration”- near Veliko Tarnovo

Elena Municipality: Elena – Church “St. Nikola”, Church” Assumption of Virgin Mary”

Opportunity to visit the many additional sites and attractions in Veliko Turnovo Municipality. Proposed overnight stay in Veliko Tarnovo – the number of overnight stays depends on the selection of additional sites to visit.

3rd day – municipalitiy of Pleven:

Pleven municipality: Mausoleum Chapel “St. Georgi Pobedonosets” – Pleven

Visit to additional tourist sites.

Additional sites to visit

District of Rousse:

Municipality of Rousse: Ruse– National Museum of Transport; Museum “Baba Tonka”; Regional historical museum; Ancient fortress “Sexaginta Prista”, Park and Pantheon of the National Revival

Ivanovo Municipality: Medieval Town “Cherven” – Cherven village

Byala: Kolyo Ficheto bridge over the river Yantra – Byala

Veliko Tarnovo district:

Svishtov municipality: Roman town Nove – Svishtov

Veliko Tarnovo municipality: Veliko Tarnovo– Architectural Museum Reserve “Tsarevets”, Architectural reserve “Trapezitsa”, Architectural reserve “Maiden Castle” (Devingrad); Multimedia visitor center “Tsarevgrad Tarnov” (Wax Figures Museum); Samovodska Charshiya (“Street of Crafts“); Archaeological Museum; Museum “Renaissance and Constituent Assembly”; Museum “Modern and Contemporary History”; Museum “Prison”; Museum “Sarafkina house”; Museum and house “Petko R. Slaveykov”, Architectural reserve – Arbanassi village, Museum “Konstantsalieva House” – Arbanassi village, Museum and house “Filip Totyu” – near Voneshta Voda village (around 40 km from veliko Tarnovo), Ethnographic complex “Osenarska River” – near Voneshta Voda village, Ancient Roman city – “Nicopolis ad Istrum” – 18 km from Veliko Tarnovo; History Museum – Kilifarevo (11 km from Veliko Tarnovo)

Elena Municipality: Elena – Museum and house of Ilarion Makariopolski; Clock Tower, Daskalolivnitsa, Kambourov inn

Pleven district:

Pleven municipality: Pleven– Regional historical museum; Museum “Tsar Liberator Alexander II”; Wine Museum; Panorama “Pleven Epopee 1877”; Skobelev Park Museum (Military History Museum); Fortress “Storgozia” and park “Kayluka” – Pleven, Romanian mausoleum and park – Grivitsa village

Additional events to visit

Possibility of combining tourist visits to coincide with the timing of various cultural events

District Rousse, municipality of Rousse:

International cultural events in Rousse: International Dance Festival “Dancing River” (in April); “March Music Days”; Sand Sculptures Festival “Rousse Sand Fest” (May-June), Festival of ice sculptures “Rousse Ice Fest” (in December)

National cultural events: National Folk Festival “Stage under the linden trees” – Nikolovo village (in June); National Folklore Competition for performers of folk music – Ruse (in March)

Veliko Tarnovo district, Municipality of Veliko Tarnovo:

International cultural events in Veliko Tarnovo: International Folklore Festival (July); International festival of military orchestras (September), International Folklore Festival “Balkan Folk”, International Tourism Fair “Cultural Tourism” International “Dixie Jazz Fest” (July), International Competition for young singers of popular songs “Srebarna Yantra”

National cultural events in Veliko Tarnovo: Summer season of Bulgarian

opera houses “Stage of the Ages” (July-September); National Folk Festival for amateur clubs “Bolyarsko nadigravane” (April); National Folk Festival “At the square in Arbanassi” – Arbanasi village

Svishtov municipality: International Blues Festival – Svishtov (September); National Folklore Festival “Folklore spring” – Tsarevets village (August); National Folk Festival of Catholic communities in Bulgaria – Oresh village (May)

Pleven district, Pleven municipality:

National cultural events in Pleven: National competition for new Bulgarian dramaturgy “Ivan Radoev” (March-April); National Festival of avant-garde videofilm “Art Vision”

Cherven Bryag municipality: National Folk Festival “Colourful embroidery” – Cherven Bryag (June)

Entrance fees for visiting the sites and attractions included in the tourist route

The entrance fee to visit some tourist sites and attractions in the price range “up to 5 BGN” and “from 5 to 10 BGN”

Other tourist services

Possibility to use a wide variety of additional tourist services along the route:

Individual and group guide
Rent a car
Bicycle rental
Rental of sports equipment
Practicing cave tourism
Visit to wine cellars – an opportunity for tasting and purchasing local wines

Find your accommodation in this region

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