6 Best Sights in Bulgaria

Housed in a beautiful neoclassical building from 1892 (the former Military Club), this gallery is named for local painter Nikola Petrov. Most of the works on display are from Bulgarian artists but there are a few works from foreign graphic artists, painters, and sculptors. The gallery, which is just off Danube Park and a few blocks from the river, has a nicely tended courtyard in which you'll find a monument to Petrov and a few stone sculptures.

This small gallery, inside Assenevtsi Park and next to the Assens' monument, is housed in a fine early 20th-century building. On display are paintings and etchings by 20th century Bulgarian artists, both of Veliko Tarnovo itself and of the region's historical events. The best pieces are paintings of the colorful houses that sit upon the city's hills, which is exactly the view you see from the museum's windows. Tours in French or English are available for 5 leva per adult.

An hour outside Belogradchik is the town of Chiprovtsi, where this five-room museum displays objects related to the history of Chiprovtsi. The museum was opened in 1988 in part as a commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the Chiprovtsi Uprising, which was a backlash against the Ottomans. Exhibits include one on archaeological findings in the region from the Neolithic period to the late Middle Ages and another on Chiprovtsi carpets, a traditional handicraft that's an essential part of Bulgarian heritage.

A preserved National Revival-period home dating to 1810 houses the city's history museum, which is adjacent to the Natural Sciences Museum. The museum opened in 1970 following light renovations and is now home to several thousand artifacts. These are mostly from the Ottoman and Revival periods and include wood and ceramic handicrafts, jewelry, and vibrant folk costumes and accessories.

Visit this small science museum before climbing the Belogradchik Rocks to get a better understanding of the region's natural history. The museum dates to 1975 and houses more than 500 displays, including taxidermied animals that focus on northwest Bulgaria's flora and fauna.

This museum has a main building and two outposts. Start at the Ul. Tsar Simeon Veliki museum to get your ticket, see its collection of more than 3,000 ancient coins and learn about Bulgaria from the 19th century to the present. One outpost is the Konaka Museum (Ul. Obshtinska 2, +359–94–601–713), housed in an 18th-century Turkish police station. The exhibition here covers Bulgarian history up to the 19th century and on display are a slew of antiquities ranging from ceramic and clay pieces to gold jewelry. The Historical Museum's second outpost is the Krastata Kazarma (Ul. Knyaz Boris 26, +395–94–601–709), a two-story military barrack built in 1801 for the Ottoman army. Today it's where the museum's ethnography exhibits are held, showcasing a collection of 19th-century and early 20th-century objects such as fine filigree hairpins. Combo ticket for the museum and Baba Vida Fortress are 5 leva.