Ruse is located on the Danube’s highest right bank, 320 kilometers from Sofia, 200 kilometers from Varna, and around 300 kilometers from Plovdiv. The city has a population of around 180 000 inhabitants. This is one of the country’s major cities — a vital cultural, economic, and industrial hub.
From Antiquity to the present day, the Danube’s vicinity has been critical to the city’s growth. In the first century AD, the Roman military camp and stronghold were erected here. Seksaginta Pristis —Port of the Sixty Boats – was its name. The city has been known by its Ottoman name – Ruschuk – from the 16th century. During the Ottoman domination, Ruse was one of the Ottoman Empire’s major cities, reflecting the empire’s economic and cultural progress. Ruse was number one in many ways – it was the site of Bulgaria’s first railway station; it was the site of the establishment of a current publishing business; it was the site of the publication of a newspaper; and it served as the headquarters for several consulates.
After 1878, Ruse was the biggest city in the Bulgarian Principality; its economy was booming, which had an effect on the city’s overall image. The city’s link to Europe through the Danube river aided in its growth. Ruse was sometimes dubbed „The Small Vienna“ because to the exquisite architecture and interior structuring of the buildings designed by Italian, Austrian, German, and Bulgarian architects.
One of the city’s icons is the Tax Administration Building, a stunning structure in the heart of Ruse. It was built between 1901 and 1902 and immediately impresses visitors with its magnificent front and seven figures on the top. They are a representation of the arts, science, music, agriculture, trade, and defense, as well as the flight of the free spirit. Mercury, the commerce emblem, is at the top.
The Regional Historical Museum is another noteworthy location to visit. It houses around 130 000 cultural monuments. Among them is the Borovsko Thracian Treasure, a collection of up to five silver ceremonial vessels that dates all the way back to the fourth century BC.
Another noteworthy monument is the Museum of Urban Styles of Life, popularly known as The Kaliopa House. Its exhibition recreates the interior of a wealthy Ruse mansion during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the exquisite wall paintings on the second story were created by Austrian painter Charles Schausberg.
Zahari Stoyanov’s museum is located next to the Museum of City Style of Life. Two exhibitions are housed within: the first is dedicated to revolutionary and writer Zahari Stoyanov (1850–1889), while the second is devoted to the Obretenov family of Ruse and their involvement in the national fight for the freedom of the Ottoman dominion.
Zahari Stoyanov’s mortal remains, along with those of several other illustrious Bulgarians, are interred at Ruse’s Pantheon of the Leaders of the Bulgarian National Revival. The ossuary shrine pays tribute to over 450 leaders of the Bulgarian National Revival.
The ruins of the fortification Seksaginta Prista are one of the city of Ruse’s most intriguing sights. It is located in the city’s northwestern section, on a little hill along the Danube river bank. The closed exhibition displays the fortress scales, and a portion of the discoveries are also on display at the Ruse historical museum, in a separate chamber.
The sole National Museum of Transport in Bulgaria is located in Ruse, in the building that formerly housed the country’s first railway station. Among the museum’s most notable exhibits are the coaches of Tsars Ferdinand (1887 – 1918) and Boris I (1918 – 1943), as well as Sultan Abdul Aziz’s saloon carriage (1830 – 1876). The museum is divided into three rooms that depict the history of railway transport and maritime in Bulgaria.
Additionally, there are noteworthy and lovely landmarks in the region of Ruse. Rusenski Lom Natural Park is located 20 kilometers south-west of the city on an area of 3408 hectares. The park provides several opportunities for ecological and alternative tourism, and it is home to a number of notable historical and cultural relics. Among them are the ruins of Cherven, a medieval town that was one of the biggest military, economic, and cultural hubs of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185 – 1393). Additionally, the Ivanovski Rock Churches are located here — a monument recognized by UNESCO as a Global Cultural Inheritance. Another religious establishment located near Ruse is the monastery of St. Dimitar Basarbovski — Bulgaria’s only operating rock monastery.
Even now, the Danube is critical to the growth of not just Ruse, but the whole country of Bulgaria. The Danube Bridge in Ruse is strategically significant since it is the sole means for automotive and train travel in the eastern section of the Bulgarian peninsula to cross the river. Numerous cruise companies conduct trips down the Danube, and some of them include a stop in Bulgarian territory.
Numerous cultural events take place in the city, including the Ruse Carnival, the March Music Days, and the Autumn Days of Arts and Science.
Ruse has an annual tourism display dubbed Weekend Tourism. The festival of Tourist Entertainment and Animation is also scheduled as part of the Exhibition’s agenda.
Ruse has a variety of lodging, catering, and entertainment venues. Additional information on the city’s sights, activities, and lodging options is available at the Tourist Information Center, which is located on the center plaza.
Climate of Ruse
Ruse has a continental climate (Köppen climatic classification Dfa), which means that summers are quite hot and winters are somewhat chilly. Due to the city’s location on the Danubian Plain, its winters may be rather windy.
Winter temperatures often fall below 0 °C (32 °F), and sometimes as low as 20 °C (4 °F). Summer temperatures average 25 °C (77 °F). In mid-summer, temperatures in the city center regularly reach 35 to 40 °C (95 to 104 °F) and drop to as low as 18 to 20 °C (64 to 68 °F) at night. Daytime temperatures in spring and fall range between 17 and 22 °C (63 and 72 °F), and precipitation is often greater than in summer, with more frequent but milder bouts of rain. The maximum temperature recorded was 44.0 degrees Celsius, while the lowest was 22.8 degrees Celsius.
Demographics of Ruse
By population, Ruse is Bulgaria’s sixth biggest city. With 26,163 inhabitants in 1880, it was Bulgaria’s most populous city. The city’s population (not the municipality’s) peaked around 1990, when it reached around 200,000 persons. According to the 2011 census, the city of Ruse had a population of 149,642 people, while the Ruse Municipality and its legally associated surrounding villages had a population of 167,585 people.
According to the most recent 2011 census statistics, the persons who claimed their ethnic identification were divided into the following categories:
Bulgarians: 123 469 (90.4%)
Turks: 10 128 (7.5%)
Romani: 1,297 (0.9%)
Others: 1,132 (0.8%)
Indefinable: 618 (0.5%)
Undeclared: 12,998 (8.7%)
How To Travel To Ruse
Ruse is situated on the Danube’s south bank, just across from Giurgiu, Romania. The city is about 200 kilometers from Varna and 300 kilometers from Sofia via car. From Romania, a bridge links Ruse to Giurgiu, which served as the westernmost land connection between the two nations until 2013, when the Vidin bridge was finished. If you wish to cross the border from Giurgiu, a border crossing charge of 3 euros (6 Bulgarian Leva, 13 Romanian Lei) per vehicle is applicable each way.
The nearest international airport is 75 kilometers north in neighboring Romania’s Bucharest; a shuttle bus links the airport with the city once daily. Sofia and Varna are alternative airports.
The city is well supplied by trains, with several connections to Sofia and Varna, but also to Bucharest (2x daily, although notice that the train is rather costly – €25, and takes around 3 hours), Budapest, Kyiv, Moscow, Athens, and Istanbul. The railway station is located south of the city center, near the southern end of Borisova Avenue.
Additionally, buses connect Ruse to the rest of Bulgaria (daily), Greece (daily), Giurgiu (twice daily), and Bucharest (twice daily at 12h30 and 15h30, takes 1 hour and 30 minutes, costs 20lev, stops at Piața Unirii). The bus terminal is just across the street from the railway station.
Danube cruises often stop in Ruse.
Additionally, it is feasible to avoid paying the tax by crossing the border on foot.
By plane
Ruse Airport (IATA: ROU, ICAO: LBRS) (Bulgarian: етие усе, Letishte Ruse), formerly known as Shtraklevo (рклевo), was used by Balkan Bulgarian Airlines for domestic flights to Sofia Airport until 1999, when it was closed. The following are the closest airports from which you may fly to Ruse in the modern era:
Bucharest Aurel Vlaicu Airport (IATA: BBU, ICAO: LRBS) (largely known as Băneasa Airport) , 84 km
Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (IATA: OTP, ICAO: LROP) (largely known as Otopeni Airport), 93 km
Varna Airport (IATA: VAR, ICAO: LBWN), 185 km
Burgas Airport (IATA: BOJ, ICAO: LBBG), 269 km
Sofia Airport (IATA: SOF, ICAO: LBSF), 306 km
Plovdiv Airport (IATA: PDV, ICAO: LBPD), 319 km
To travel between the airport and the city, you’ll need a ground transportation.
By ground transportation
Ruse serves as a border railway hub, connecting Bucharest, Sofia, Varna, and Veliko Tarnovo. Ruse has many railway stations:
Ruse Central Railway Station, which also serves as the city’s central bus terminal and is just a 15-minute walk from the city center, is suggested for the majority of tourists..
Ruse Razpredelitelna (Bulgarian: Русе разпределителна) near the industrial zone and Mall Rousse.
Bulgarian State Railways and its subsidiaries run all long-distance trains. Tickets are available at stations. Additionally, there is a Bulgarian-language website with information on the buses. http://www.avtogararuse.org/.
From Bucharest
From Hotel Horoskop near Piata Unirii, you can take a bus at 10:30h. Journey takes less than 2 hours. From 16:00h, 19:30h there are buses leaving from Filaret bus station. Journey takes less than 2 hours. At 12:40h, there is a direct train from Bucharest central station to Ruse that takes 3 hours (12.5 EUR). There are also taxi transfers (20-25 EUR), call +359895695202 (Transfer) or +359888868070 (To4nite) in advance to arrange it.
From Sofia
There are regular buses roughly every hour during the day (00:30, 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 10:30, 12:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:00, 17:30, 18:30, 22:00), the journey takes 4h 30m. Check http://www.centralnaavtogara.bg/ You can also travel by train (about 6 trains per day) but the travelling time is considerably longer (6 to 7h), there are occasional delays, so it’s not recommended as the price is almost the same as the bus.
From Plovdiv
There is no direct bus from Plovdiv, so the fastest way is to go via Sofia, reaching Ruse for 6-7h. Alternatively you can go via [[Stara Zagora], reaching Ruse for 6-7h again. If 12 hours and 3 train changes don’t bother you, you can also travel by Train.
From Varna
There are regular daily buses to Ruse leaving Varna every day at 7:30, 10:30, 16:00 and 18:00h You can also travel by train (about 6 trains per day) but the travelling time is considerably longer (4 to 7h), there are occasional delays, so it’s not recommended as the price is almost the same as the bus.
From Burgas
There are regular buses from and to Burgas:
Every morning at 7:00 from Ruse to Burgas
Every morning at 7:30 from Burgas to Ruse
The journey takes 4h 30m.
By boat
Danube cruises often stop in Ruse. Regrettably, there is no public water transportation available at the present.
By car
If you are traveling from Romania, the only viable option is to use the Danube bridge. The bridge is subject to a toll. Ruse is connected to Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, and Silistra through first-class highways
By bicycle or walk
Additionally, it is feasible to avoid paying the tax by crossing the border on foot. The border guard will examine passports and identification on both sides, and the walk takes around 15 minutes. However, the bridge is located a considerable distance from both Ruse and Giurgiu, necessitating the use of a cab or hitchhiking. Due to excessive traffic and the high speed of the automobiles, the major highways connecting Ruse to the rest of Bulgaria are not advised for bicycling or walking.
How To Travel Around Ruse
If you stay in the city center, you won’t need public transit since everything is within a 15-minute walk. The public transportation system in Ruse comprises of buses and trolleybuses.
From/To City Centre
To reach the Central railway station, use bus 3, 11, 32 or trolleybus 25. To reach the TV tower, use any of the following trolleybus lines: 13, 24, 25, 27 (there is 1 km walk after that) To reach the Pantheon or Youth park, use bus 4, 5, 11, 16 or trolleybus 20, 25, 25, 27, 29. To reach the Razpredelitelna railway station, use bus 7 or trolleybus 13, 20, 21. To reach the Mall of Rousse, use trolleybus 2, 13, 20, 21. To reach the Bulstrad arena concert hall and Oborishte square, use bus 6, 11, 16, 32 or trolleybus 2, 9, 13, 20, 21, 29, 24, 27, 29. All tickets cost 1 BGN (0,52 EUR) per direction.
From/To Basarbovo
To reach the Rock monastery of Basarbovo, it is recommended to use a taxi. There is a regular bus with cyrillic note „Басарбово“ on it that can be catched from Lipnik and Skobelev Boulevards (near Bulstrad Arena), as well as Iztok bus station located next to Razpredelitelna railway station.
Sights & Landmarks In Ruse
Freedom Square (Bulgarian: ПлощадСвобода), Freedom Sq.. The central square of Ruse is the location of all major city events and feasts. It’s easy to overlook since it’s located at the intersection of two major retail streets (Alexandrovska and Borisova Str.) and is surrounded by a variety of small cafe bars, restaurants, and shopping establishments. The Statue of Liberty, the Fountains, the Municipality of Ruse, the Court House, the Drama Theater, the Opera House, and the Church of St. Trinity are all located there.
Ruse Regional Historical Museum. The Ruse Regional Historical Museum is one of Bulgaria’s eleven regional museums. It operates in the areas of Ruse, Razgrad, and Silistra. The museum is housed in the old Battenberg Palace, which was once a municipal court and was erected by Friedrich Grünanger between 1879 and 1882. In 1904, the Ruse Regional Historical Museum was founded. It is based on the archaeological collections of Karel and Hermenguild Shkorpil, as well as the naturalist Vasil Kovachev, which were amassed in the Ruse men’s high school „Knyaz Boris.“ Around 140,000 artifacts are on display in the museum.
Pantheon of National Revival Heroes. The Pantheon of National Revival Heroes is a national monument and ossuary in Ruse, Bulgaria. It contains the graves of 39 prominent Bulgarians, including Lyuben Karavelov, Zahari Stoyanov, Stefan Karadzha, Panayot Hitov, Tonka Obretenova, Nikola Obretenov, Panayot Volov, and Angel Kanchev; 453 additional individuals—members of Botev’s detachment, the Chervena Voda detachment, and other revolutionaries—have been honored by having their names inscribed on the interior. Under the gold-plated dome, an everlasting fire burns in the center. The Pantheon is one of Bulgaria’s 100 tourist attractions. In 1977, the „All Saints“ chapel in the ancient Ruse cemetery was dismantled to make way for the Pantheon. The rebuilt structure opened to the public on 28 February 1978. Following a public debate in 2001, the Patheon’s dome was „Christianized“ with the addition of a cross. The chapel of „St Paisius of Hilendar“ was founded at that time, as well as a museum display.
Kaliopa House, 39 Tzar Ferdinand St.. The Kaliopa House was erected in 1864 and is a common moniker for the Bulgarian „Urban lifestyle of Ruse“ museum . According to folklore, the beautiful Kaliopa (born Maria Kalish), wife of the Prussian consul Kalish, was gifted the mansion by the ruler of the Danubian Vilayet, Midhat Pasha, who fell in love with her. The front is designed in the manner of Plovdiv homes. The top floor frescoes were painted in 1896. The exhibition depicts Ruse’s importance as a gateway to Europe and the infusion of European urban culture into Bulgaria at the turn of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Interior layouts of a drawing room, a living room, a music hall, and a bedroom are displayed, together with collections of urban apparel, jewelry and other accessories, silverware (cutlery), and china, all of which reflect the changes that have occurred in the everyday lives of Ruse inhabitants. The first grand piano to be introduced into Bulgaria came from Vienna.
The Basarbovo rocky monastery. Saint Dimitrii Basarbovski is Bulgaria’s sole functioning monastery today. It is a Bulgarian-orthodox cave monastery located in north-eastern Bulgaria, near the city of Ruse. It has the same name as the neighbouring settlement of Basarbovo and is located 35 metres south of the Danube, above the Rusenski Lom river. The monastery first appears in writing in a 15th-century Ottoman tax registry.
Things To Do In Ruse
The Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo. A collection of monolithic churches, chapels, and monasteries hewn from solid rock and absolutely unique among Bulgarian monastery complexes, situated near the town of Ivanovo, 20 kilometers south of Ruse, on the steep rocky banks of the Rusenski Lom, 32 meters above the river. The complex is famous for its well-preserved medieval frescoes.
To reach there, take a train to Ivanovo (2 lev each way) from Ruse’s main railway station, which takes 25 minutes. From there, go to the town’s north end and turn right when you see a sign for the Ivanovo Cave Monasteries. There is a 6 kilometer walk, however you may hitchhike on any of the constant automobiles that travel that route just to view the caverns. The entrance fee to the Cave-Church is 4 lev.
Monks occupied the region’s caverns from the 1220s, when the future Patriarch of Bulgaria Joachim built it, through the 17th century, when they hewed cells, churches, and chapels out of solid rock. At its height, the monastery complex had over 40 churches and approximately 300 additional structures, the most of which have been lost to time.
As demonstrated by donor portraits in many of the churches, Second Bulgarian Empire monarchs such as Ivan Alexander and Ivan Asen II regularly made gifts to the complex. Among the other sponsors were lords from Tarnovo and the nearby large medieval town Cherven, with whom the monastic complex had extensive links in the 13th and 14th centuries. It was a center of hesychasm in the Bulgarian territories in the 14th century and remained such throughout the early years of Ottoman administration over Bulgaria, but eventually deteriorated.
The monastery complex is well-known for its 13th- and 14th-century murals, which are survived in five of the churches and are regarded as magnificent examples of Bulgarian mediaeval art. The monks’ rock residences include the St Archangel Michael Chapel („The Buried Church“), the Baptistery, the Gospodev Dol Chapel, the St Theodore Church („The Demolished Church“), and the main Church, with the latter’s 14th-century murals arguably the most famous in Ivanovo and widely recognized as some of the most representative examples of Palaeologan art. Numerous century-old inscriptions have been survived in the monastery buildings, notably the renowned indented inscription of the monk Ivo Gramatik dated 1308–1309.
In 1979, the Ivanovo Rock-hewn Churches were included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Food & Restaurants In Ruse
Fast Food
There are several establishments in the city centre where you can get a sandwich for less than 2 BGN (1 EUR).
Vyara, Borisova Str. 92, Ruse, Bulgaria. Non-stop. Excellent burgers with a variety of sauces. EUR 1-2.
Katmite, Petko D. Petkov Str. 1, Ruse, Bulgaria. Non-stop. Delicious pancakes filled with a choice of sweet and savory ingredients. EUR 1-2.
Tirol, 23-29 Yantra Str., Ruse, Bulgaria. Sandwiches and wraps cost between 1-2 EUR.
Restaurants
Chiflika. Traditional Bulgarian food restaurant.
Pontona. This is a ship moored on the Danube river. Diverse fishes.
Terasa. Irish bar with a terrace overlooking the Danube river. Excellent sunset views and a large selection of foods.
Pizza Roma. Ruse’s first pizza restaurant, serving authentic Italian pizza.
Vienna. Expensive high-end restaurant on the banks of the Danube.
Happy Bar & Grill, Svoboda Square, Ruse, Bulgaria (On the central city square, in the theater building). In the whole country of Bulgaria, happy eateries are well-known.
The Godfather. Excellent, modest restaurant with a reasonably priced lunch menu..
Royal Club. On the top level of the Royal City Center shopping mall, this restaurant provides a wide range of meals including traditional Thai cuisine and continental cuisine; it also has a children’s zone and doubles as a cafe bar.
Ruse
Ruse
Ruse is located on the Danube’s highest right bank, 320 kilometers from Sofia, 200 kilometers from Varna, and around 300 kilometers from Plovdiv. The city has a population of around 180 000 inhabitants. This is one of the country’s major cities — a vital cultural, economic, and industrial hub.
From Antiquity to the present day, the Danube’s vicinity has been critical to the city’s growth. In the first century AD, the Roman military camp and stronghold were erected here. Seksaginta Pristis —Port of the Sixty Boats – was its name. The city has been known by its Ottoman name – Ruschuk – from the 16th century. During the Ottoman domination, Ruse was one of the Ottoman Empire’s major cities, reflecting the empire’s economic and cultural progress. Ruse was number one in many ways – it was the site of Bulgaria’s first railway station; it was the site of the establishment of a current publishing business; it was the site of the publication of a newspaper; and it served as the headquarters for several consulates.
After 1878, Ruse was the biggest city in the Bulgarian Principality; its economy was booming, which had an effect on the city’s overall image. The city’s link to Europe through the Danube river aided in its growth. Ruse was sometimes dubbed „The Small Vienna“ because to the exquisite architecture and interior structuring of the buildings designed by Italian, Austrian, German, and Bulgarian architects.
One of the city’s icons is the Tax Administration Building, a stunning structure in the heart of Ruse. It was built between 1901 and 1902 and immediately impresses visitors with its magnificent front and seven figures on the top. They are a representation of the arts, science, music, agriculture, trade, and defense, as well as the flight of the free spirit. Mercury, the commerce emblem, is at the top.
The Regional Historical Museum is another noteworthy location to visit. It houses around 130 000 cultural monuments. Among them is the Borovsko Thracian Treasure, a collection of up to five silver ceremonial vessels that dates all the way back to the fourth century BC.
Another noteworthy monument is the Museum of Urban Styles of Life, popularly known as The Kaliopa House. Its exhibition recreates the interior of a wealthy Ruse mansion during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the exquisite wall paintings on the second story were created by Austrian painter Charles Schausberg.
Zahari Stoyanov’s museum is located next to the Museum of City Style of Life. Two exhibitions are housed within: the first is dedicated to revolutionary and writer Zahari Stoyanov (1850–1889), while the second is devoted to the Obretenov family of Ruse and their involvement in the national fight for the freedom of the Ottoman dominion.
Zahari Stoyanov’s mortal remains, along with those of several other illustrious Bulgarians, are interred at Ruse’s Pantheon of the Leaders of the Bulgarian National Revival. The ossuary shrine pays tribute to over 450 leaders of the Bulgarian National Revival.
The ruins of the fortification Seksaginta Prista are one of the city of Ruse’s most intriguing sights. It is located in the city’s northwestern section, on a little hill along the Danube river bank. The closed exhibition displays the fortress scales, and a portion of the discoveries are also on display at the Ruse historical museum, in a separate chamber.
The sole National Museum of Transport in Bulgaria is located in Ruse, in the building that formerly housed the country’s first railway station. Among the museum’s most notable exhibits are the coaches of Tsars Ferdinand (1887 – 1918) and Boris I (1918 – 1943), as well as Sultan Abdul Aziz’s saloon carriage (1830 – 1876). The museum is divided into three rooms that depict the history of railway transport and maritime in Bulgaria.
Additionally, there are noteworthy and lovely landmarks in the region of Ruse. Rusenski Lom Natural Park is located 20 kilometers south-west of the city on an area of 3408 hectares. The park provides several opportunities for ecological and alternative tourism, and it is home to a number of notable historical and cultural relics. Among them are the ruins of Cherven, a medieval town that was one of the biggest military, economic, and cultural hubs of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185 – 1393). Additionally, the Ivanovski Rock Churches are located here — a monument recognized by UNESCO as a Global Cultural Inheritance. Another religious establishment located near Ruse is the monastery of St. Dimitar Basarbovski — Bulgaria’s only operating rock monastery.
Even now, the Danube is critical to the growth of not just Ruse, but the whole country of Bulgaria. The Danube Bridge in Ruse is strategically significant since it is the sole means for automotive and train travel in the eastern section of the Bulgarian peninsula to cross the river. Numerous cruise companies conduct trips down the Danube, and some of them include a stop in Bulgarian territory.
Numerous cultural events take place in the city, including the Ruse Carnival, the March Music Days, and the Autumn Days of Arts and Science.
Ruse has an annual tourism display dubbed Weekend Tourism. The festival of Tourist Entertainment and Animation is also scheduled as part of the Exhibition’s agenda.
Ruse has a variety of lodging, catering, and entertainment venues. Additional information on the city’s sights, activities, and lodging options is available at the Tourist Information Center, which is located on the center plaza.
Climate of Ruse
Ruse has a continental climate (Köppen climatic classification Dfa), which means that summers are quite hot and winters are somewhat chilly. Due to the city’s location on the Danubian Plain, its winters may be rather windy.
Winter temperatures often fall below 0 °C (32 °F), and sometimes as low as 20 °C (4 °F). Summer temperatures average 25 °C (77 °F). In mid-summer, temperatures in the city center regularly reach 35 to 40 °C (95 to 104 °F) and drop to as low as 18 to 20 °C (64 to 68 °F) at night. Daytime temperatures in spring and fall range between 17 and 22 °C (63 and 72 °F), and precipitation is often greater than in summer, with more frequent but milder bouts of rain. The maximum temperature recorded was 44.0 degrees Celsius, while the lowest was 22.8 degrees Celsius.
Demographics of Ruse
By population, Ruse is Bulgaria’s sixth biggest city. With 26,163 inhabitants in 1880, it was Bulgaria’s most populous city. The city’s population (not the municipality’s) peaked around 1990, when it reached around 200,000 persons. According to the 2011 census, the city of Ruse had a population of 149,642 people, while the Ruse Municipality and its legally associated surrounding villages had a population of 167,585 people.
According to the most recent 2011 census statistics, the persons who claimed their ethnic identification were divided into the following categories:
How To Travel To Ruse
Ruse is situated on the Danube’s south bank, just across from Giurgiu, Romania. The city is about 200 kilometers from Varna and 300 kilometers from Sofia via car. From Romania, a bridge links Ruse to Giurgiu, which served as the westernmost land connection between the two nations until 2013, when the Vidin bridge was finished. If you wish to cross the border from Giurgiu, a border crossing charge of 3 euros (6 Bulgarian Leva, 13 Romanian Lei) per vehicle is applicable each way.
The nearest international airport is 75 kilometers north in neighboring Romania’s Bucharest; a shuttle bus links the airport with the city once daily. Sofia and Varna are alternative airports.
The city is well supplied by trains, with several connections to Sofia and Varna, but also to Bucharest (2x daily, although notice that the train is rather costly – €25, and takes around 3 hours), Budapest, Kyiv, Moscow, Athens, and Istanbul. The railway station is located south of the city center, near the southern end of Borisova Avenue.
Additionally, buses connect Ruse to the rest of Bulgaria (daily), Greece (daily), Giurgiu (twice daily), and Bucharest (twice daily at 12h30 and 15h30, takes 1 hour and 30 minutes, costs 20lev, stops at Piața Unirii). The bus terminal is just across the street from the railway station.
Danube cruises often stop in Ruse.
Additionally, it is feasible to avoid paying the tax by crossing the border on foot.
By plane
Ruse Airport (IATA: ROU, ICAO: LBRS) (Bulgarian: етие усе, Letishte Ruse), formerly known as Shtraklevo (рклевo), was used by Balkan Bulgarian Airlines for domestic flights to Sofia Airport until 1999, when it was closed. The following are the closest airports from which you may fly to Ruse in the modern era:
To travel between the airport and the city, you’ll need a ground transportation.
By ground transportation
Ruse serves as a border railway hub, connecting Bucharest, Sofia, Varna, and Veliko Tarnovo. Ruse has many railway stations:
Bulgarian State Railways and its subsidiaries run all long-distance trains. Tickets are available at stations. Additionally, there is a Bulgarian-language website with information on the buses. http://www.avtogararuse.org/.
From Bucharest
From Hotel Horoskop near Piata Unirii, you can take a bus at 10:30h. Journey takes less than 2 hours. From 16:00h, 19:30h there are buses leaving from Filaret bus station. Journey takes less than 2 hours. At 12:40h, there is a direct train from Bucharest central station to Ruse that takes 3 hours (12.5 EUR). There are also taxi transfers (20-25 EUR), call +359895695202 (Transfer) or +359888868070 (To4nite) in advance to arrange it.
From Sofia
There are regular buses roughly every hour during the day (00:30, 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 10:30, 12:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:00, 17:30, 18:30, 22:00), the journey takes 4h 30m. Check http://www.centralnaavtogara.bg/ You can also travel by train (about 6 trains per day) but the travelling time is considerably longer (6 to 7h), there are occasional delays, so it’s not recommended as the price is almost the same as the bus.
From Plovdiv
There is no direct bus from Plovdiv, so the fastest way is to go via Sofia, reaching Ruse for 6-7h. Alternatively you can go via [[Stara Zagora], reaching Ruse for 6-7h again. If 12 hours and 3 train changes don’t bother you, you can also travel by Train.
From Varna
There are regular daily buses to Ruse leaving Varna every day at 7:30, 10:30, 16:00 and 18:00h You can also travel by train (about 6 trains per day) but the travelling time is considerably longer (4 to 7h), there are occasional delays, so it’s not recommended as the price is almost the same as the bus.
From Burgas
There are regular buses from and to Burgas:
The journey takes 4h 30m.
By boat
Danube cruises often stop in Ruse. Regrettably, there is no public water transportation available at the present.
By car
If you are traveling from Romania, the only viable option is to use the Danube bridge. The bridge is subject to a toll. Ruse is connected to Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, and Silistra through first-class highways
By bicycle or walk
Additionally, it is feasible to avoid paying the tax by crossing the border on foot. The border guard will examine passports and identification on both sides, and the walk takes around 15 minutes. However, the bridge is located a considerable distance from both Ruse and Giurgiu, necessitating the use of a cab or hitchhiking. Due to excessive traffic and the high speed of the automobiles, the major highways connecting Ruse to the rest of Bulgaria are not advised for bicycling or walking.
How To Travel Around Ruse
If you stay in the city center, you won’t need public transit since everything is within a 15-minute walk. The public transportation system in Ruse comprises of buses and trolleybuses.
From/To City Centre
To reach the Central railway station, use bus 3, 11, 32 or trolleybus 25. To reach the TV tower, use any of the following trolleybus lines: 13, 24, 25, 27 (there is 1 km walk after that) To reach the Pantheon or Youth park, use bus 4, 5, 11, 16 or trolleybus 20, 25, 25, 27, 29. To reach the Razpredelitelna railway station, use bus 7 or trolleybus 13, 20, 21. To reach the Mall of Rousse, use trolleybus 2, 13, 20, 21. To reach the Bulstrad arena concert hall and Oborishte square, use bus 6, 11, 16, 32 or trolleybus 2, 9, 13, 20, 21, 29, 24, 27, 29. All tickets cost 1 BGN (0,52 EUR) per direction.
From/To Basarbovo
To reach the Rock monastery of Basarbovo, it is recommended to use a taxi. There is a regular bus with cyrillic note „Басарбово“ on it that can be catched from Lipnik and Skobelev Boulevards (near Bulstrad Arena), as well as Iztok bus station located next to Razpredelitelna railway station.
Sights & Landmarks In Ruse
Things To Do In Ruse
To reach there, take a train to Ivanovo (2 lev each way) from Ruse’s main railway station, which takes 25 minutes. From there, go to the town’s north end and turn right when you see a sign for the Ivanovo Cave Monasteries. There is a 6 kilometer walk, however you may hitchhike on any of the constant automobiles that travel that route just to view the caverns. The entrance fee to the Cave-Church is 4 lev.
Monks occupied the region’s caverns from the 1220s, when the future Patriarch of Bulgaria Joachim built it, through the 17th century, when they hewed cells, churches, and chapels out of solid rock. At its height, the monastery complex had over 40 churches and approximately 300 additional structures, the most of which have been lost to time.
As demonstrated by donor portraits in many of the churches, Second Bulgarian Empire monarchs such as Ivan Alexander and Ivan Asen II regularly made gifts to the complex. Among the other sponsors were lords from Tarnovo and the nearby large medieval town Cherven, with whom the monastic complex had extensive links in the 13th and 14th centuries. It was a center of hesychasm in the Bulgarian territories in the 14th century and remained such throughout the early years of Ottoman administration over Bulgaria, but eventually deteriorated.
The monastery complex is well-known for its 13th- and 14th-century murals, which are survived in five of the churches and are regarded as magnificent examples of Bulgarian mediaeval art. The monks’ rock residences include the St Archangel Michael Chapel („The Buried Church“), the Baptistery, the Gospodev Dol Chapel, the St Theodore Church („The Demolished Church“), and the main Church, with the latter’s 14th-century murals arguably the most famous in Ivanovo and widely recognized as some of the most representative examples of Palaeologan art. Numerous century-old inscriptions have been survived in the monastery buildings, notably the renowned indented inscription of the monk Ivo Gramatik dated 1308–1309.
In 1979, the Ivanovo Rock-hewn Churches were included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Food & Restaurants In Ruse
Fast Food
There are several establishments in the city centre where you can get a sandwich for less than 2 BGN (1 EUR).
Restaurants
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