Veliko Tarnovo is situated at 210 m above sea level along the historical hills of Sveta Gora, and Trapezitsa Tsarevets. Today, Veliko Turnovo is an important administrative, cultural, historical and tourist center of Bulgaria.
The city is the center of one of the 28 administrative districts of the country. Veliko Turnovo District has an area of 4662 km ² and includes 10 municipalities with 14 towns and 322 villages. The population is about 295,000 inhabitants.