Moving to veliko tarnovo; any advice?

Hi Cuba,

Welcome to Expat-blog!

Hope other members will reply to your questions very soon.

Good luck
Christine

I have never lived in Turnovo, but have visited few times, and it is a nice city. I will not be able to answer most of your questions, but couple only.
5 - where to go for english papers and magazines - online (if one asks for BG papers and magazines in the UK or US, do you think you can point them to such) or check out the local university, library as well.

6 - CAN ONE GET TO VELIKO TARNOVO BY AIR? - No by commercial airplane, there is a military airport, but I doubt they allow privet jets on it. Otherwise a hot air ballon may do it

Hi, i am thinking of buying a property in that area. i am planning to go over and look around in the next few months. i have researched a bit and it seems best to fly to Sofia and travel by bus or train from there although most people seem to think the bus is safest and best to use.
Seems there is not an international airport in that area but the infrastructure in Bulgaria seems quite good as far as connecting between the major cities is concerned.
I am still trying to learn as much as i can myself but it is not easy . Good luck anyway and if you stumble across a fantastic area do let me know about it too !!
Barry.

If you find the Yantra hotel in Veliko Tarnovo, 50 metres away is an second-hand bookshop, dealing with English  language books. The lady who runs it is Welsh, and her husband is a builder, also Welsh. They also employ a Bulgarian lady that speaks good English and, if you wish, she will negotiate for you with anyone for a fee of 10 leva an hour. It is money well spent. Can't remember names, sorry.

yes they are nice people i know them.
her first name i cant remember but surname fox.
and her assistant Bulgarian Lady is called Villie

Thank you Guys.

I hope the airport in veliko tarnvo opens soon so one doesnt have to take a bus or train from varna, sofia or etc
Does anyone know if there are plans to make it a passager airport soon?

Plus Any black people in veliko tarnovo?

Hi to answer a few of you questions. There are many nice villages within 15km radius of Veliko Turnovo but you would need to come and visit to see them and get a feel for the area. There is one private school in the city called the American school and is very good for children aged 11 upwards.The main languages are english and bulgarian..I have good recomendation for builders but these are Bulgarian and not english.Beware of rip of merchants and taxi drivers pertaining to be qualified builders.
English newspapers are available in the bigger supermarkets but to be honest they are expensive and we use online news.
There is an airport near Veliko Turnovo but it is not in full operation for tourist traffic as yet. Travelling by plane to either Sofia,Plovdiv ,Varna and Borgas are all feasible and similar distances around 3hrs from airports. I have a contact who can meet from airport in Sofia and take you to bus station.Buses are great.They are luxury coaches and very frequent and inexpensive. If you are looking for property please pm me for info as I may be able to help.I have many contacts having lived here 4 years and also have rental accomodation for you whilst you explore.....

Cuba wrote:

Thank you Guys.

I hope the airport in veliko tarnvo opens soon so one doesnt have to take a bus or train from varna, sofia or etc
Does anyone know if there are plans to make it a passager airport soon?

Plus Any black people in veliko tarnovo?

Cuba to answer your questions.Gorna airport has just been offered on concession so we are awaiting news and hope it can attract airlines very soon.
There are a few black people in Veliko area but be prepared for people to stare. Its not that they are being rude but they havent seen many. My friend is black and she has a holiday home in the area for some years with absolutely no problems..They call black people niger here.Please dont take offence as it means black!!

angelscloud wrote:

There are a few black people in Veliko area but be prepared for people to stare. Its not that they are being rude but they havent seen many. My friend is black and she has a holiday home in the area for some years with absolutely no problems..They call black people niger here.Please dont take offence as it means black!!

Blacks are not that common in Bulgaria. And the word-niger, only has the meaning - black. They do not discriminate and as I have to agree to angelscloud 100%. Same if you were Asian and you were not in a major city in Bulgaria. You might be an attraction but in a very positive way rather. Friends of mine told me that many years ago, the only blacks were students from Africa. They were very wealthy and highly educated. Thus the blacks have a good reputation, but the movie industry somewhat has changed that perception in the newer generations there.

Cuba wrote:

Please Give me the best advice on



3 - contacts of english specking builders and interior designers - I know an English interior designer here in Veliko Tarnovo. The name of girl that help her is Helen/ or Elena/ and I can give you number - +359 62604641

4 - where to buy the cheapest building materials in the area - if you buying from the little shops, you can consider a price for everything. But look out! There are some of them not so friendly and just can take your money!



6 - CAN ONE GET TO VELIKO TARNOVO BY AIR?
Hope soon you can

Please just feel free to give me any advice. it will be useful

I think you will be very happy to be part of our beautiful city.


Thank you

Let me start by thanking u all for the info provided; it was really kind

I am looking forward to coming to VT in may and it would be great if I could meet any of you.

The property I would like to buy is in the village if Pravda so if you have any info on the village, please feel free to share

I also hear  the airport in VT may open soon; anyone know for sure?

Anyway thanks again guys

Hello all,

Has anyone heard or dealt with an estate agency called century homes in veliko tarnovo? If so, what has been your experience with them?

Cuba

Hi Cuba. Yes i have heard of them and i am indeed going to be in Gabrovo and VT area in May myself...Not long now !!
This agency seems to have some superb properties on their books and seem to be one of the bigger agencies in the VT area.
Obviously without having seen the properties yet or met the team there i cannot comment more but i will be viewing one or two with them .
If you wanna let me know by pvt message when you're going maybe we could say hello if we are there at the same time.
Cheers

Hi Cuba, I'm a new member to this blog, but I was born near Veliko Tarnovo, lived there for 16 years before moving to USA.
I do not know about the latest news or else in town, since I have lived in the States for a long time now. But my daughter lives in town, speaks English well and might be helpfull to you.
She is looking for a housesitting job as well-some people may need a person to stay at the property there to keep an eye on things.
In any case let me know and I could get you in touch with Tina, this is my daughter's name.

Hello
Just joined this forum last week, so have a few questions if thats okay.
We have just got back from VT with a view to purchasing a property in one of the surrounding villages, we found 3 properties that we really liked, so when the UK property has sold, thats it were off to beautiful Bulgaria.
The questions i have (if you dont mind) are what would you recommend as far as a health insurance is concerned & are they very good, any recommendations ? ( because you never know when you might need it ) would you keep a UK bank or would you transfer straight to a Bulgarian one ?,have heard a bit about snakes & scorpions in the summer, are they a major problem, especially as we may well be in the countryside? ( which i must say is beautiful )& how is the internet connections ?
Many thanks for any help that anybody may be able to give us.
Nigel.

Hi Nigel,

sorry for the late reply, but here are some answers to your questions:
- snakes can be found in the countryside, but mainly in rural and abandoned areas. Most of them are not dangerous, but it takes time to start differenting them. Beware of grey thin ones that are called "Pepelianka". Some advice on this - keep the area around your house clean, without high grass and make sure you make a lot of noise - the snakes are scared and run, they only attack, if surprised. Scorpions are not very common, but even if you get the rare chance to meet any of them, they are not really dangerous. And even if you are so unlucky to get too close to them, they are not deadly. They cause some pain and it is best to go to a doctor for a consultation, they are not like the ones in the movies

- banks are relatively reliable in Bulgaria, but don't transfer all your money there. Still be prepared to use only BGN everywhere, although you can change money on a lot of spots, but banks are the best option

- internet connection depends on the area. There are good LAN network providers in some villages in Veliko Tarnovo(check with Telnet) but in the end you may get a mobile internet connection(mtel, vivacom and globul are the main providers), but you need to check with all of them for the best one and choose after.

Let me know, if I can help you with anything else and have a great tinme in Bulgaria!

Hi Ventom

  Many thanks for the answers it is much appreciated.

Nigel

i am living in varna and wish to rent a house around tarnovo can anyone help please pete

I know a Scottish friend who is interested in renting out his house. That is about 12 kilometres north of Veliko Turnovo

i am looking to rent a house in the turnovo area for up to 400 bl amonth .if anyone can help i would be very greatfull.i am living in varna at the momont but would prefer country living.my email address is odessaforrest@gmail.com.thanks very much peter burdett

I always take easy jet fom gatwick then catch the shuttle(office at the entrance of the airport terminal) 6 leva to the bus station just in time to catch the 12:30 bus to tarnovo(drops you right down town 500 meters from central market) 22 leva.

1 - That depends on what you prefer, the south of VT is the most untouched with forrest and mountains. (between VT and Gabrovo)

2 - American college Arcus, + - 2000 Euro a year payable in 2 terms

3 - alexander@selectbg.net , website: selectbg.net under renovations. A good and experienced building crew.

4 - I have to ask for that one, Select BG provides materials as well

5 - The center of VT

6 - Not yet, they are building/expanding one between VT and Gorna Oryahovitsa. Nearest airports are Sofia, Bucarest and Varna (I prefer Sofia)

Hi there
It was good informations you passed to the rest of members.May I ask what sort of accommodation/s you have and what is the charges? We are going to BG in June and intention is to buy a property to live.. If you wish my email add.
narimantaheri@yahoo.co.uk

Regards

Hassan46

Hi

We don't live in VT but are 35 Kms south west in a village called Gostilitsa. Most people wanting to be close to VT but not wanting to be in the city itself tend to look towards the south. Reason... the mountains.

In VT there is the big Praktika hardware which will be able to help with anything you need for building materials. You will get better prices at KM group (northern side of VT) close to the KAT which is the official vehicle registration office. KM group has a strange way of ordering your goods (a little Bulgarian would be useful) other than that you will do much better there.

VT is really a nice place... so here's wishing you all the best.

Regards
JP

Thanks very much for all that informations and very useful too. It's the human nature when they put a bit of age behind and have had health problem make you worrying about lots of things, language barrier, health care completely different with UK although we have a wonderful Bulgarian friend in UK but still we are a bit cautious but, After all these saying we have decided to move there. Is there any tourists coming to VT year round at all? If we buy 4+ bedroom house could we turn it into business? We are pensioners you know what is UK pensions like? We want to make a little extra and add it to our pension and live without any worrying for next day. I am sure you understand my point where I am coming from. Anyway every bit of advise is useful. Thanks for your posting and await for more advises. God bless you all in Expat.com.

Hassan

Good B&Q type shop where you can get most things for your new home called PRAKTIKA.
I have just brought a house in a village called MUSINA about 30-40 Kms away from VT.
This will be a holiday home. My sister is moving to Gradishte 5910 next month to live.
I too hope the airport will be opening for commercial passenger flights in the future.
Only cargo at the moment - but the government have offered 3 commissions - 1 has
been taken up by a Bulgarian millionaire living in France, he operates private and a few
charter flights I believe.  Ryanair looked at it 20 years ago, but didn't take it up.  Maybe
now Bulgaria is a full member of the EU, it might happen one day.  Then we will all be
pleased we purchased houses when we did.  I will be coming over in April 2015. I too
could do with a contact for a good builder.  Good luck.  Lisa

Any British contacts in Musina? I have noticed an English hotel called Vilas on Facebook

Time for an overdue update:
So Cuba & Simbol,
What happened?
Did you change your minds and not bother going ?

(moderated: please post in the housing section)

Hello from Terry the new kid.

I've just returned from a wander round Bulgaria and I think I've decided that I would probably be very happy retiring to Veliko Tornova.

The sorts of things that I am wondering about are:

a) The most suitable villages to purchase a house in. Elena looks good from the pictures on the internet.
b) Utility bills and local property taxes.
c) The cost of local tradesmen in comparison to those in Britain.
d) The easiest way to ship some of my belongings from my current home in Britain.
e) Security of any house I buy if I am not able to live in it immediately.
f) Health care and insurance.

Any tips or advice you can provide on any aspect of life in Bulgaria, and particularly Veliko Tarnovo, would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in anticipation of some interesting replies.

Terry

Hey , i saw your post and i can offer you 2 great home villages you can see them on my profile , if you have more questions text me back

Thank you Todor. I was looking for somewhere a bit more refurbished than your properties. I will bear you in mind for the future though if I change my approach.

Hassan, do you live in Gostilitsa?? I live in Slaveykovo 4 km up North from you and I know every expat in Gostilitsa, what a coïncidence haha! Lovely place to live, way better than any western country Any info? Send me a message!

Hello Terry,

Veliko Tyrnovo is a great area and I hope you will have a great time around here!

On your questions:
a) The most suitable villages to purchase a house in. Elena looks good from the pictures on the internet.
VT-> Elena is actually a town and although very beautiful, it is around 50km from Tyrnovo. There are plenty of villages around Tyrnovo and Elena, but it depends on what you are looking for - close to town village(regular public transport, better infrastructure), very rural areas with almost no people around, holiday areas, etc. Bulgaria has a lot of different options to offer
b) Utility bills and local property taxes.
VT-> Depends on where it is located and what it is for the taxes and for the utilities depends on what you use. For example 2 bedroom apartment heated on gas in the capital(Sofia) costs a little under 200BGN in the winter months. In smaller town there is no gas, but there may be central heating that costs less. Using wood will cost you even less than that in the villages(also used as a primary heating option in some small towns). A sample electricity bill for a summer month(boiler on electricity, cooking, refrigerator, other small appliances from the last few years with normal electricity consumption) may be around 50BGN. Again depending on your usage. Internet is pretty cheap in Bulgaria(including mobile) and free wifi networks can be found in every hotel/coffee shop and you will love it, if the prices are compared to what I paid in a hotel in Newbury last year But you should check first whether it is available from local or national vendors

c) The cost of local tradesmen in comparison to those in Britain.
VT-> Almost everything is cheaper in Bulgaria you may struggle to find a reliable one or one speaking english, but not that much of a problem. You may ask for help from someone local, if you know people around to get advice and the best price of course

d) The easiest way to ship some of my belongings from my current home in Britain.
VT-> online shopping from the UK is growing more and more lately and there are companies that ship a lot of goods to Bulgaria(you can't order directly to Bulgaria from most websites and they do combined shippings). You can do a search online or ping me on a private message to send you 2 of the most reliable. I'm not sure whether it is ok to place them here

e) Security of any house I buy if I am not able to live in it immediately.
VT-> neighbours and local people in general are crucial. There are some villages full of gypsies(sorry that I have to put it that way) or with no or very little constantly living people that are not secure at all. You can of course get a security company(SOT is what we call it here) that installs alarms connected to their center and they send mobile teams that are reliable, but sometimes this is not helpful either. The best way is to buy a house in a village(small town) with a lot of constantly living people and more important - know your neighbours, they can save your house even only with their presence around

f) Health care and insurance.
VT-> Health care is good in the big cities and especially in the capital. Veliko Tyrnovo has also a reliable hospital, ER and a lot of specialists, but further you go in the rural areas there is usually a local doctor in most villages that is there during the day or on some days of the week, but that is all. You may wait quite a lot of time for an ambulance to travel to you(of course it can happen as well in towns, but villages suffer mostly from that). ER is free for everyone, there are also some packages the locals use that make it pretty cheap, but even paying the full amounts everywhere is cheaper than in UK(especially dentist procedures). Please advice what you mean by insurance specifically as  there are a lot of things you may need insurance for.

I hope it is not too long to read Feel free to ask anything else you need and I'll be happy to help, but you have chosen a great location geographically. Just keep in mind there is no airport very close to it. Sofia airport is around 3 hours away(in days like today - national holiday and a road reconstruction it is a mess really and you travel a lot, but normally it is 3 hours drive for sure...I travel it 3-4 times a month lately). Varna and Burgas are on a similar distance and you can also get to Plovdiv airport in a reasonable time.

Best Regards,
Ventsislav Tomev

That's brilliant Ventsislav.

It must have taken you ages to type it but there is a lot for me to think about and it is very much appreciated.

I'm going away for a couple of days now but I'll digest your words on my travels and I'm sure I'll have a few more questions when I return ... if you don't mind.

Thank you very much indeed.

Terry.

Hello Terry,

I've been here 9 years now (near Sevlievo) and have no intention of leaving so for what it's worth here's my little bit.

Elena is a nice town, have some friends there, but a bit of a trek to proper civilisation in the depths of winter or bad weather.
Lots of ex-pats around the Pavlikeni area and Sevlievo and easy access to VT. Sevlievo has a good selection of shops Billa, Kaufland, Lidl and for most other things like hardware etc.(cheaper than Praktika) and a world famous Moto X track.
Utility bills across the board much cheaper than any that I had in the UK. Internet access here is as good as and better than some places in the UK.
Local tradesmen can be a bit hit and miss as everyone is a 'Meister' until proven different. Best to get to know a few people where ever you decide to move to and get pointed in the right direction.
If shipping your personal goods over there are some companies advertising on the Ex-Pat websites.
Security: best to get on with your neighbors, believe me this shouldn't be difficult. If you are friendly towards them, language problems can be overcome and they will probably adopt you.
Health care: If you are retired the best thing to do is move over to the the BG health care system. Free for retired people, monthly contribution if not (no idea how much). We have had some medical problems and can't fault the care or the staff that have treated and looked after us in hospital.

Hope it helps.
Ian

Thank you Ian. It's very good of you to provide such a detailed reply.

I'm currently at the 'hardly even started' stage of the process but I'm determined to see it through. I'll probably have some more questions as the situation develops.

Best wishes.

Terry.

Hi Terry,
I've just been away for a couple of weeks and could not remember my password for this site. So, back now. Any questions feel free and I will try my best.

Regards,
Ian

The monthly contribution for BG healthcare is very minimal. My husband was paying 17 bgn a month when he was self-employed or unemployed. If you are employed, the fee automatically comes out of your wages if you are registered. Not sure for EU members, but most foreigners have to pay 2 years worth of the monthly fee (either all at once, or pay once a month for two years) before accessing the health care system.

I have still not enrolled, and found healthcare very affordable (I had a baby in Varna a little over a year ago... 4 days in a private room at the private hospital, birth, epidural, everything was 1600 bgn.)