Places to Visit around Yantra and Further Afield in Bulgaria

	Yantra is a small village in a lovely rural setting. There are plenty of opportunities for walks around the village. You can follow this road over the brifge and alongside the river to a nearby hydro-electric power station. Many footpaths lead out of the village and up the surrounding hills.
Nearby Dryanovo has a pretty town square, a couple of nice restaurants, and outside town towards Gabrovo is Dryanovo Monastery. There is a cave and an attractive riverside walk near the monastery. Here's the Wikipedia entry for Dryanovo.
	Veliko Turnovo (or Tarnovo) is an absolute must-see. The town is built on the cliffs rising up from the river Yantra, and has a castle, several attractive churches, and many small lanes with interesting old buildings. It's also good for shopping, particularly for clothes and "touristy" things, and has many bars and restaurants. This is the Tourist Information site, and this is what Wikipedia has to say about the town.
A good day out is the trip south through Gabrovo and over the Shipka Pass. The Shipka Monument is at the highest point, and a small detour takes you to the strange spaceship-like monument at Buzludzha. On the far side of the pass is the Russian-style Shipka memorial church (pictured). You can also extend the trip to Kazanlak where there is a 4th Century B.C. Thracian tomb.
	Small towns and villages. There are several towns and villages in the area that are worth a visit. There's an architectural museum at Etar, and the villages of Bozhentsi and Elena. The town of Tryavna (pictured) is also worth a look.
Further afield. Good quality hotel accomodation is available in most places, and is really quite cheap, so doing some touring is a good option (even if finding your way around can be a bit of a challenge). We have visited several places including Rousse and the nearby Rusenski National Park (pictured), Plovdiv and Lovech.