Rousse, Bulgaria

Rousse is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is situated in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, 300 km (186 mi) from the capital Sofia and 200 km (124 mi) from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast.

Ruse is one of the 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria. The city is famous for its preserved buildings from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. There are more than 260 monuments. Most of the sights of the city are located at the center of Ruse (museums, architectural landmarks, the theater, the opera, hotels, restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops). Among all the sights the following ones are worth a visit: the Monument of Liberty, Aleksandrovska street and the old city centre of Ruse.

Things to See & Do

* National Transport Museum
* Rousse Regional Historical Museum
* Pantheon of National Revival Heroes
* Kaliopa House
* Old city centre

General Information

Cruise Season – March to Dec
Currency – Lev (BGN)
Language – Bulgarian
Population – 142,650 approx.
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC plus two hours
International Country Telephone Code – +359

Port Location - Danube cruises generally stop at Rousse harbour.

Travel Links - The closest international airport is 75 km north, in Bucharest, in neighboring Romania - a shuttle bus connects the airport to the city once a day. Alternative airports are Sofia and Varna.

The city is well served by railroads, with multiple connections to Sofia and Varna, but also to Bucharest (2x daily, but very slow, taking about 3 hours for the journey), Budapest, Kyiv, Moscow, Athens and Istanbul. The train station is at the southern end of Borisova Avenue, south of the city centre.

Buses also link Rousse to the rest of Bulgaria (different frequencies daily), places in Greece (daily) and to Giurgiu (twice daily) and Bucharest (twice daily). The bus station is located next to the train station.