The town of Ruse is situated in the northern part of the country on the southern bank of the Danube. Ruse is the fifth largest city in Bulgaria. It is the most significant Bulgarian river port, serving an important part of the international trade of the country. The Ruse- Giurgiu Friendship Bridge, the only one in the shared Bulgarian-Romanian section of the Danube, crosses the river nearby.
The town of Ruse is the place where several of the biggest European transport corridors cross:
1. Transport corridor No.7 - the Main - the Rein - the Danube
2. Transport corridor No.4 - Berlin - Prague - Bratislava - Budapest - Bucharest - Ruse - Solon/Istanbul - the Near East
3. Transport corridor No.9 - Helsinki - Kiev/Moscow - Odessa/Kishinev - Bucharest - Ruse - Plovdiv - Solon/Istanbul
4. Transport corridor No.8 - Duras - Tirana - Skopie - Sofia - Ruse/Varna/Burgas - Union of the indipendent countries and other countries of the Black sea area
Ruse is an important transport centre with two passenger railway stations, two distributing railway stations, two cargo railway stations, two bus stations and a port. The nearest airport is in Bucharest / Rumania/ - it is only 60 km away from the town of Ruse. Most of the popular international companies fly to there. Approximately 15 km southeast of Ruse is the village of Shtraklevo, near which is the former Ruse Airport (currently closed). It is planned to redevelop and reopen the airport by 2008–2009 for internal, charter and cargo flights. Ruse is the biggest Bulgarian river port on the Danube River.
The city emerged as a Thracian settlement from the 3rd to 2nd millennium BCE, where pottery, fishing, agriculture, and hunting were developed. The Thracian settlement later developed into a Roman military and naval centre during the reign of Vespasian (69-70) as part of the fortification system along the northern boundary of Moesia. Its name, Sexaginta Prista, is suggested to mean "a city of sixty ships".
Ruse is an old Bulgarian town located on the right bank of the Danube River with traditions in culture, art and education. It is known also as “ Little Vienna”, because of its ancient architecture. About 200 buildings in Ruse are on the list of the fund of the architectural historical heritage Bulgaria, 12 of which are especially valuable: The Old Theatre, The Monument of Liberty, The High School of Music, the Catholic Church and etc. The potential for the establishment of a specialized tourist product, which will offer alternative forms of tourism like cultural, rural and ecological tourism, is determined by the very good geographical and transport location, the rich culture-historical heritage and the beautiful natural resources, concentrated on a comparative small territory. Every year a few thousand tourists from all over the Europe visit the town. Compared with UK prices, here everything is extremely cheap. A sight of great interest in the region is the natural park of Rusenski Lom divided into four zones. In the historical zone are included the unique Ivanovo rock monasteries recorded on the UNESCO List of World Cultural Heritage and the archaeological reserve of “Medieval town Cherven”, located on the rocky banks of Cherni Lom River. There you will find a combination of magnificent nature, preserved Bulgarian traditions and customs and rich historical heritage. There is something for everyone's taste. Basarbovo monastery is the only active rock monastery in Bulgaria today. It is situated in the canyon-like valley of the river Lom, home of another three hundred rock premises, forty of which has been used as churches. Most of the monasteries were inhabited after XIIth century AD and some of them even before that. Nowadays the monastery is very beautiful and well preserved. The green yard is decorated with lots of flowers, bushes and fruit trees. The path in the yard leads to a well, dug out by St. Dimitar. The water within is healing and many of the visitors after tasting it come back to the monastery again. The Danube River is a natural wealth for Bulgaria. It is a navigable river that makes the connection with the other countries located on its bank easier. It also offers numerous opportunities for vacations, water sports, fishing and etc. Purchasing property here you will find incredible nature and you can get acquainted with the Bulgarian customs and traditions.
Noted for its rich culture, Ruse hosts a Philharmonic Orchestra and the Ruse State Opera. The March Music Days is a festival, held annually for two weeks in the second half of March in Ruse, Bulgaria, which attracts many elitist musicians. St George’s day (6 May) is Ruse's holiday. A local fare is organized for a week around this date