Hidden Bulgaria
ENBGDEROPL

Northern Bulgaria & the Danube

23 lesser-known places in Northern Bulgaria & the Danube, with history, curiosities, a map and tours nearby.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

23 places

Abritus, the Roman walled city at Razgrad
Thracian & Roman

Abritus

Razgrad · Roman walled city and 835 gold coins

Baldwin's Tower on Tsarevets hill
Fortress & castle

Baldwin's Tower

Veliko Tarnovo · tower tied to a captured crusader emperor

Basarbovo Monastery, rock churches carved into the cliff
Church & monastery

Basarbovo Monastery

Ruse · active Orthodox monastery carved into a river cliff

Belenski most, the stone arch bridge over the Yantra near Byala
Modern & monument

Belenski most

Byala · 14-arch stone bridge born of a daring bet

The tower of the medieval stronghold of Cherven
Fortress & castle

Cherven

Ruse · medieval hill town with a fully preserved tower

The Church of St Demetrius of Thessaloniki in Veliko Tarnovo
Church & monastery

Church of St Demetrius of Thessaloniki, Veliko Tarnovo

Veliko Tarnovo · church linked to the 1185 uprising

The Great Basilica of Pliska, the ruined foundations of the cathedral
Church & monastery

Great Basilica, Pliska

Pliska · giant 9th-century cathedral and monastery of the first capital

The Holy Forty Martyrs Church in Veliko Tarnovo
Church & monastery

Holy Forty Martyrs Church

Veliko Tarnovo · royal church of 1230 with tsars' tombs and columns

Ibrahim Pasha Mosque in Razgrad with a birdhouse niche on its stone wall
Church & monastery

Ibrahim Pasha Mosque

Razgrad · Ottoman mosque with birdhouses in its walls

The Monument of Liberty in Ruse
Modern & monument

Monument of Liberty

Ruse · pyramid of freedom with lions, chains and a sword

Nicopolis ad Istrum, the central part of the Roman city
Thracian & Roman

Nicopolis ad Istrum

Veliko Tarnovo · Trajan's Roman city of victory

Novae, the headquarters building (principia) of the Roman legionary fortress
Thracian & Roman

Novae

Svishtov · Roman legion fortress with a military hospital

The ancient Roman city site of Oescus near Gigen
Thracian & Roman

Oescus

Gigen · Roman Danube colony with a marble great hall

The fortress of Khan Omurtag near Han Krum
Fortress & castle

Palace of Omurtag

Han Krum · khan's fortress on top of Gothic churches

The Pleven Panorama building seen from outside
Modern & monument

Pleven Panorama

Pleven · a 115 m painted battle on four stone bayonets

The Roman Tomb in Silistra
Thracian & Roman

Roman Tomb in Silistra

Silistra · 4th-century tomb painted from floor to vault

A carved cornice from the Round Church in Preslav
Church & monastery

Round Church, Preslav

Preslav · ruined Golden Church with a plan unique in Bulgaria

The Ruse TV Tower on Leventa Hill
Modern & monument

Ruse TV Tower

Ruse · 204 m concrete tower, Bulgaria's tallest TV mast

Shumen Fortress, the main tower
Fortress & castle

Shumen Fortress

Shumen · three walls, twelve churches and a thousand years

The Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari in north-eastern Bulgaria
Thracian & Roman

Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari

Sveshtari · UNESCO tomb with unique carved caryatids

The east façade of the Tombul Mosque in Shumen
Church & monastery

Tombul Mosque

Shumen · Bulgaria's largest mosque, with a 25 m dome

The Transfiguration Monastery in the Yantra gorge near Veliko Tarnovo
Church & monastery

Transfiguration Monastery

Veliko Tarnovo · fresco-rich monastery in the Yantra gorge

Trapezitsa hill in Veliko Tarnovo
Fortress & castle

Trapezitsa

Veliko Tarnovo · church ruins on the capital's second citadel