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Where to go in January / Bulgaria in January / Veliko Tarnovo & north-central Bulgaria / January

Bulgaria · Countryside

Veliko Tarnovo & north-central Bulgaria
in January.

Illustration of Tsarevets Hill across the Yantra valley from the western overlook
Tsarevets Hill, Veliko TarnovoDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 43°F afternoons, with about 8 rain days.

Afternoons
43°F
Rain days
8
Visitor demand
41%of August peak

Historical Severen tsentralen regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Veliko Tarnovo and Ruse; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

7.1/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.1/10Good
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, quieter than most of Europe this month
CostCheapfor Europe; Bulgaria-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your January

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 43°F (6°C): a warm coat; nights around 27°F (−3°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 8 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 9 hours of daylight.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 9 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:46Sunset 17:0327°F43°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:46 and sets about 17:03 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 27°F (−3°C); afternoons reach about 43°F (6°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
43°F (6°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
27°F (−3°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
9h 17m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late January?

Early and late January have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 45°F on the 1st, versus 44°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 24% to 28% between those dates.

Early January 1 January

45°F

Typical afternoon high

24% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

44°F

Typical afternoon high

23% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

44°F

Typical afternoon high

28% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2027: 1 Jan New Year's Day.

Daily calendar & holiday datesJanuary 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

January 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
145°245°344°
444°544°644°744°844°944°1044°
1144°1244°1344°1444°1544°1644°1744°
1844°1943°2043°2143°2243°2343°2443°
2543°2643°2743°2844°2944°3044°3144°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons hold at about 44°F (6°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 22–28%.

School-holiday dates for January 2027 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open. Public holidays: 1 Jan New Year's Day. Elsewhere in January 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 21%, Spain 24%, Italy 20%, Poland 17%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. January averages 41% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December.

Overnight stays across Severen tsentralen do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, quieter than most of Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

About usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Bulgaria as a whole
Well below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 53 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

Year-to-year variation

How much does January vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 31°F (−1°C) and 51°F (11°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 43°F (6°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 14; half the years had 6–9.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 7 rain days720112012: 8 rain days82013: 10 rain days102014: 6 rain days62015: 8 rain days82016: 9 rain days92017: 9 rain days92018: 8 rain days82019: 11 rain days112020: 3 rain days32021: 14 rain days142022: 3 rain days32023: 9 rain days92024: 6 rain days62025: 3 rain days32025
Rain days
8
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 10 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
6 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no January in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
7 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded JanuaryHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201140°F7
201238°F8
201343°F10
201446°F6
201545°F8
201639°F9
201731°F9
201845°F8
201942°F11
202045°F3
202145°F14
202244°F3
202350°F9
202445°F6
202551°F3

Checked against official climate averages for Razgrad. How we check

Compare dates

December, January
or February?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsDecJanFeb
Afternoons46°F43°F48°F
Rain days886
Overnight demand55%41%50%

December: Warmer afternoons than January. More overnight demand. December guide →

February: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than January. More overnight demand. February guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with January Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. January stays as your reference.

March to November have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

January or December?

Overnight stays are 55% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little above usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons43°F46°F
Nights27°F31°F
Rain days88
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 107.17.1
Month rank#12#11
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January7.1#1243°F27°F85.1Moderate season
February7.5#748°F30°F65.6Moderate season
March7.5#656°F36°F76.6Busy season
April7.9#466°F44°F88.2Busy season
May8.1#274°F51°F99.1Busy season
June7.6#582°F60°F98.3Peak season
July7.4#887°F64°F57.9Peak season
August7.3#987°F64°F48.2Peak season
September8.2#179°F57°F49.4Peak season
October8.1#366°F47°F68.5Busy season
November7.3#1055°F39°F76.4Busy season
December7.1#1146°F31°F85.3Moderate season

Near here

Nearby places in January

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better January weather than Veliko Tarnovo & north-central Bulgaria

Veliko Tarnovo & north-central Bulgaria's weather ranks 16 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Bulgaria have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Veliko Tarnovo & north-central Bulgaria.

All of Bulgaria in January · Everywhere in January

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's moderate season, 41% of the busiest month and 44% below its average month. That means about 1,300 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 83% of them from Bulgaria itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 210 more: 17 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)60
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Razgrad from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.4°C), night lows within 1°F (0.4°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day2
Busiest month hereAugust · 5
Visitors as share of people present0.2%
Rank among Europe's regions this month4th percentile
Domestic share of nights83%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights17
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.2%
National hotel-price seasonBulgaria historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−4% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used673,000
Statistical regionBG32 · Severen tsentralen

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.