Tsarevets Fortress Tours and Tickets

From the start, my tour guide and driver Octavian made the day just perfect and it’s a long but action packed day! He communicates well and was perfectly on time at the hotel in a clean and air conditioned car, important as it was 40 degrees Celsius yesterday! We crossed the Danube and went to Tsaravets Fortress in Veliko Tarnovo which was very interesting. We had a fantastic lunch in Arbanassi which was perfect and even had time to visit a 13th C coaching inn! We continued our journey into the beautiful Balkan Mountains and then went to the jaw dropping Buzludzha Monument to the Bulgarian Communist Party. It’s closed as the interior of the ruins are dangerous but the visit was just spectacular. The ruins are an astounding reminder to the power of communism prior to 1989. We then returned to Bucharest. It’s a long drive and there can be long queues at the border but I enjoyed the day very, very much and Octavian’s driving made me feel safe and his conversation and information helped the time pass easily. I would book him for other tours if I had more time, such as to the wineries, salt mines, and Transylvania. His private tour is totally worth it!

I had booked this tour because it was going to Bulgaria and the monument was there. I had a low bar set as we were not really knowledgeable or interested in Bulgaria….Enter in; Sebastian! Sebastian was punctual, professional, informative, personable and a very good driver. Right from the start, Sebastian started providing deep insight into Romania as we drove through the country on our way to Bulgaria. He kept us well informed about expectations throughout the tour so there were Z E R O “bad” surprises, which was greatly appreciated. We traveled and talked, got through the border with no issues and after a couple hours arrived at Tsarevets Castle. I’ll be straight up honest with you; I had no idea about Tsarevets Castle and wasn’t sure I was going to be too interested. Sebastian fixed that by presenting us with amazing intel and facts about the castle and its history. He informed us, that based on our conversations the inside of the monastery was going to be our favorite part….And he knew us well! Understand, like many castles and fortresses, things get destroyed by wars, forgotten by time and/or neglected. Tsarevets Castle was no exception, but one thing that really brought it home was the story and the work of the artist that painted the inside of the monastery. I have traveled around the world and have seen many churches, temples and mosaics but never had I seen such a take on the history of the town and Christianity. We were floored by the concept and really appreciated the artist, his works and his thinking process. I will not go into anymore details; just know you have to go there now! As we loaded up and went on our way, Sebastian pointed out several murals done by the local artist. Now we were on our way to Buzludzha Monument which is conveniently located in the middle of Bulgaria in the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere! The road to the monument was awful and they were making it worse while trying to fix it, but after many bumps and shocks to the lower back, we arrived at a very picturesque view of the monument. Sebastian stopped and afforded us plenty of time to get all our pictures in and them we loaded up and were off to lunch. Who would have thought there would be a very nice resort in the middle of nowhere with bad roads, but Sebastian once again nailed it by taking us to this resort for lunch. Food was great, service was meh, but she was running everything, front desk, inside dining, outside dining, so kudos for her and her efforts. After a fantastic meal we drove up to the top of the mountain and parked right at the monument. Please note, the word “Mountain” and the word “Top” because you are top of a mountain with many crosswinds. Make sure you bring some warmer clothes or the tour will be a little less fun. The building is only viewable from the outside, but it was totally worth the trip to see it, learned more than I ever knew about Bulgaria and the wonderful rendition of Romanian history provided by Sebastian. Back to Bucharest, through the border check no issues, and smooth sailing back to the hotel was had. We (as a family) cannot recommend Sebastian enough. He is very focused on his clients, their needs and does his very best to give you the very best on this tour. If you want to learn a ton of fascinating info on Bulgaria and this crowning communism structure, book this tour immediately and enjoy the adventure!