Blagoevgrad

In southwestern Bulgaria, three mountain ranges, two river valleys and a nearly Mediterranean climate come together. A vacation in Blagoevgrad Province means skiing in Bansko, hiking to the glacial lakes of Pirin and wine tastings in Melnik, the smallest town in the country.

Mountains and Valleys

The province borders Greece and North Macedonia. In the north, the southern slopes of the Rila Mountains extend into the province. At its heart lies Pirin: its national park, with 2,914-meter Vihren, around 170 glacial lakes and ancient Macedonian pines and Bosnian pines, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To the west, the Struma River flows south, where around Sandanski and Petrich it gets warm enough for figs, pomegranates and grapes to grow. To the east lies the Mesta Valley with Razlog and Gotse Delchev; beyond it begin the western Rhodopes.

Towns and Villages

Bansko at the foot of Pirin is Bulgaria's best-known winter sports center, with a gondola lift, slopes reaching above 2,500 meters and an old town of stone houses and mehanas, the traditional taverns. In summer, hikes to the Vihren hut start here, and in August the jazz festival draws visitors. The neighboring town of Dobrinishte has warm mineral springs. Blagoevgrad itself is a young university town with the restored old quarter of Varosha, full of wooden houses and cafés. Sandanski is considered a spa town with an especially mild climate, and Petrich lies at the foot of the Belasitsa Mountains near the Greek border.

Sights in the South

Melnik has only a few hundred residents, yet it sits amid bizarre sandstone pyramids and is full of wine cellars. The 18th-century Kordopulov House has huge cellars dug into the rock. A one-hour hike leads to Rozhen Monastery. Near Petrich lies Rupite, where the seer Baba Vanga lived and where a church and hot springs now attract visitors. In the villages around Gotse Delchev, such as Kovachevitsa and Leshten, old stone houses have been converted into guesthouses.

Food and Wine

Broad-leaved Melnik is a distinct red wine grape with aromas of tobacco and cherries; the wineries of the Struma Valley also grow Rubin and international varieties. In Bansko, you'll find kapama, a stew of meat, sauerkraut and rice that simmers for hours in a clay pot, as well as Banska starina, an air-dried sausage. In the south, there is fresh fruit, fig jam and peppers from the Struma Valley. If you come to Bulgaria to experience traditional crafts, you'll find them in Bansko: the house of the poet Nikola Vaptsarov and the museum of the Bansko icon-painting school reveal a great deal about the 19th century. And in summer, a drive into the Mesta Valley near Gotse Delchev is worthwhile, where the ancient city of Nicopolis ad Nestum is being excavated.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

From Sofia, the Struma Motorway leads south to Blagoevgrad and on toward Greece. You can reach Bansko by road through the Predel Pass or by narrow-gauge train from Septemvri, one of the most scenic rail lines in the Balkans. The best time for skiers is mid-December through the end of March; hikers come from July to September, when the high elevations are free of snow. Melnik and Sandanski are loveliest in spring and during the grape harvest in autumn. If you hike for several days in Pirin, you'll stay in simple mountain huts, which are staffed in summer and serve bean soup, bread and tea.