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Plovdiv & the Southern

Includes  Why Go? Mountains. . . 323 Spectacular mountains encircle spiritual sights in this Rila Monastery. . . 324 swathe of inland . ’s oldest continuously in- Mountains . . . 329 habited city, anchors the region. Roman ruins and a . . . . 329 sparkling artistic quarter provide a thrilling backdrop to the city’s calendar of festivals, which brims ahead of its reign as ...... 332 European Capital of Culture 2019. Melnik ...... 337 Quiet winemaking villages snooze in Plovdiv’s surrounds, Bulgarian . . 339 while the Rodopi Mountains reach south, dotted with ski Plovdiv ...... 339 centres such as . To the west lie the Rila Moun- Rodopi Mountains . . 352 tains, home to a monastery that is a spiritual lighthouse for all of Bulgaria. Perhaps most spectacular is the Pirin Moun- ...... 355 tain range, which grumbles south of student-filled Blago- Devin ...... 357 evgrad. High-octane Bansko is the region’s leading ski and snowboard spot, but in spring and summer comes to the fore: its hiking trails weave between gem- Best Places to Eat blue lakes, and up to arid peaks such as Mt Vihren. ¨¨Hemingway (p349) ¨¨Mehana Chavkova Kâshta (p339) ¨¨Hebros Restaurant (p348) When to Go ¨¨Mehana Dedo Pene Plovdiv (p336) °C/°F Te mp Rainfall inches/mm 40/104 5/125 ¨¨Restaurant Bulgare 30/86 4/100 (p329) 20/68 3/75

10/50 2/50

Best Places 0/32 1/25 to Sleep -10/14 0 ¨¨Todoroff Wine & Spa (p353) J FDM A M J J A S O N ¨¨Kosovo Houses (p353) May & Jun Hiking Sep & Oct Sa- Jan & Feb Ski by ¨¨At Square among spring vouring wines in day and party by (p347) flowers in Rila and temperate Thrace, night on a winter ¨¨Villa Stresov (p328) Pirin, or enjoying or autumnal spa break in Bansko or ¨¨Hostel Old Plovdiv (p347) jazz or folk festi- bliss in the Rodopi Pamporovo. vals in Plovdiv. Mountains. ¨¨Hotel Rojena (p338)

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Uhlovitsa Mountains Delchev

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MACEDONIA

Yagodina Shiroka Smolyan

Dospat Kârdzhali

Kapitan-

Hizha Yane Hizha

M Pamporovo Edirne Devin

Kovachevitsa

(2914m) T H R A C E C A R H T

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Blagoevgrad

Hrabrino

Velingrad

Brestovitsa Monastery

Dimitrovgrad 86

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Mt Musala Mt

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(2290m)

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Yambol Lake r

Mt Cherni Mt S

Kazânlâk Nature Park Nature

Vitosha

CENTRAL BULGARIA CENTRAL

SOFIA

sports town. sports this fragrant town. fragrant this Roman ruins and by day, then then day, by and ruins Roman Hiking wild passes passes mountain wild Hiking

Bulgaria’s premier winter- premier Bulgaria’s formations or touring caves. touring or formations Plovdiv Seven Rila Lakes Rila Seven A (p339) dmiring dmiring (p328) (p328) Sliding into silky spa waters in in waters spa silky into Sliding 2 7

Devin’s Spas Devin’s (p357) (p357) Thundering down pistes at at pistes down Thundering Walking amid surreal rock rock surreal amid Walking millennium-old monastery. millennium-old enigmatic ruins. enigmatic 5

Skiing in Bansko in Rocky Rodopis Rocky (p334) (p334) (p352) (p352) 3 8 beautiful frescoes in a a in frescoes beautiful while sipping famous wines. famous sipping while ancient fortresses and and fortresses ancient

quarter’s arty nightlife. arty quarter’s mysterious forests. mysterious Standing awestruck among among awestruck Standing at strange sandstone pillars pillars sandstone strange at Road tripping among wineries, wineries, among tripping Road

Rila Monastery Rila Melnik Historic Thrace Historic (p324) (p324) p337) Peering Peering p337) ( (p339) (p339) sashaying into the Kapana Kapana the into sashaying to reach inky blue lakes and and lakes blue inky reach to 1 4 6 Plovdiv & the Southern Mountains Highlights Mountains Southern the & Plovdiv

s &s th  e Southern Mountains Highlights

Plovdiv & & the the Southern Southern Mountain Mountain 322