The main square, pl Dimitrov, has banks, exchange offices and a post office.
Tourist Information CentreTOURIST INFORMATION
(Covered Bridge; h9am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri)
This tourist information booth within the Covered Bridge can give directions and has pamphlets about the local area. Some English is spoken.
8Getting There & Away
From the adjacent bus and train stations, take a taxi (preferable) or walk along ul Tsacho Shishkov, veer right and follow the signs to the centre.
From the bus station (%068-603 620; pl Garata), hourly buses on weekdays reach Troyan (7 lv, 45 minutes). Regular buses serve Sofia (10 lv to 14 lv, 3½ hours, nine daily) and Pleven (9 lv, one hour, eight daily). Less regularly, direct buses reach Burgas (28 lv, six hours, one daily), Veliko Târnovo (8 lv, 1½ to two hours, four daily), Kazanlâk (15 lv, 3½ hours, four daily) and Plovdiv (20 lv, five hours, one daily).
From the train station , daily trains serve both Troyan (3 lv, one hour, four daily) and Levski (3 lv, one hour, four daily). From the latter, change for Sofia (in total 15 lv) and the important railway hub of Gorna Oryakhovitsa for Veliko Târnovo (in total 7 lv) and beyond.
HIKING IN THE STARA PLANINA
The Stara Planina (Old Mountain) range, also known as the Balkan Mountains, stretches across the length of Bulgaria, from its border with Serbia to the Black Sea. Nearly 30 peaks are taller than 2000m, with Mt Botev (2376m), north of Karlovo, as its highest point. Bulgaria's Rila and Pirin ranges dwarf the Stara Planina peaks (which average 700m in height), but still their verdant nature reserves and rippling hills are very inviting for hikers.
Good maps are essential. For short treks, Domino has a series of Stara Planina (1:50,000) maps covering different sections of the range. Dedicated hikers can consult Julian Perry's Walking in Bulgaria's National Parks, which includes four excellent central mountain walks, and his Mountains of Bulgaria. Hardened hikers ply the strenuous 25-day Kom–Emine 'Friendship Route', which stretches almost 700km across the entire Bulgarian part of the range (part of the trans-European E3 trek).
Guided hikes are a superb way to explore the Stara Planina, and local insight can be essential when it comes to local culture and the condition of different trails. Bulgaria Walking (http://bulgariawalking.com) offers tough trekking tours up to Mt Botev.
Some of the more interesting hikes include the following. Trail markings are of variable quality.
Cherni Osêm to Hizha Ambaritsa Four hours.
Dryanovo Ecotrail Four hours.
Etâr to Sokolski Monastery One hour.
Gabrovo to Hizha Uzana Seven hours.
Karlovo to Hizha Hubavets Three hours, or continue to Hizha Vasil Levski (another two to three hours) and Mt Botev (further two to three hours).
Shipka Monastery to Shipka Pass Three hours.
Sliven to Hizha Karandila Three hours.
Troyan ТРОЯН
Pop 22,000
Colourful pottery, plum brandy and a serene monastery are Troyan's calling cards. Along with woodcarving, tanning and metalwork, pottery helped the town rise to acclaim during the Bulgarian National Revival period. Troyanska kapka pottery, decorated with an unmistakable swirling-droplet design, is a popular souvenir that's sold around Bulgaria.
Modern Troyan has a grand communist-era square, and wood-beamed houses leaning over the Beli Osâm River. Though major attractions are few, it's an agreeable place in which to pause on the way to Troyan Monastery (which actually stands south of Oreshak village, 5km east of Troyan), or as a way station between prettier Karlovo and Lovech.
1Sights
Museum of Folk Craft & Applied ArtsMUSEUM
(%0670-62063; pl Vûzhrazhdane; adult/student 4/2 lv; h9am-5pm daily Apr-Oct, Mon-Sat Nov-Mar)
One of Bulgaria's most engaging folk-art attractions, this museum displays a colourful range of traditional pottery, along with kukeri costumes, woolly masks and sequined garb designed to scare away evil spirits during end-of-winter village rituals. Spread across two floors (the upper level featuring a stunning carved ceiling), the exhibitions feature plenty of English-language detail about Troyan's 1911-founded pottery school and village traditions.
4Sleeping & Eating
Troyan's hotel scene is a little lacklustre, but it has some midrange options serving business travellers and monastery visitors.
Cafes and pizza places can be found around the corner of ul Vasil Levski and pl Vûzhrazhdane.
Troyan Plaza HotelHOTEL$$
(%0670-64 399; www.troyanplaza.com; ul PR Slaveykov 54; s/d/ste incl breakfast 65/80/120 lv; piW)
Old-fashioned but perfectly serviceable, this cordial place has 51 rooms and six suites, plus a restaurant serving local produce and a pub. Helpful staff can steer you towards local activities such as horse riding and archery.
Prices are 15% higher at weekends.
Hotel ParkHOTEL$$
(%0878303939; www.phtroyan.net; Park Kâpincho; s/d/apt 50/70/100 lv; pW)
Formerly known as the Panorama, this hillside hotel in the park above town has the most scenic location in Troyan, though its rooms could do with a serious revamp. Reach it by taxi for around 3 lv from the centre.
Café AntikCAFE
(%087052233; Ploshtad Vûzhrazhdane; mains 8-15 lv; h8am-midnight)
Sip a drink beneath wooden awnings to the rushing sounds of the river at this nicely located cafe-restaurant, behind the folk museum and overlooking the water. It's a good bet for coffee on the terrace when it’s warm, or a shot of strong Troyan brandy when it’s cold. There's a menu of rotating daily specials, such as soups and salads.
8Information
Pick up maps and advice on local attractions at the sporadically open Cultural Information Centre (pl Vûzhrazhdane; h9.30am-1pm & 2-6.30pm Mon-Sat).
8Getting There & Away
Troyan's bus station (%0670-62 172; ul Dimityr Ikonomov-Dimitrykata 23) is a 350m walk south from pl Vûzhrazhdane; its ticket office for Neshev (http://neshevbg.com) closes at 6pm. From the bus station, two daily buses serves Sofia (14 lv to 15 lv, three hours). Buses passing through Lovech (4 lv to 5 lv, 45 minutes, seven daily) have immediate connections to Pleven. For Troyan Monastery (3 lv, 20 minutes, seven daily), take buses bound for Gabrovo, Apriltsi or Cherni Osâm.
Train travel is much slower and less advisable; the station is near the bus station. Services to Sofia (16 lv, six to seven hours, four daily) go via Pleven or Levski.
WORTH A TRIP
TROYAN MONASTERY
Bulgaria's third-largest monastery, Troyan Monastery (%0876156500; Oreshak; admission free, photos 5 lv, video 15 lv; h6am-10pm) showcases vivid, apocalyptic murals within its serene walls. Beaten in size only by Rila and Bachkovo, this monastery, 10km southeast of Troyan, has a pale sandstone Church of the Holy Virgin as its centrepiece. Inside glow frescoes painted by Zahari Zograf, the leading mural artist of the Bulgarian National Revival period, depicting saints and searing scenes of the Last Judgement. The monastery has a few cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops and art galleries around it.
Parts of the 16th-century monastery survived attacks by the Turks between the 16th and 18th centuries, but most of today’s monastery dates to 1835. Zograf’s finest frescoes (painted in the 1840s) are outside on the back wall, depicting Judgement Day with fire-breathing monsters, pitchfork-wielding demons corralling the damned, and angels summoning the dead out of their coffins. The monastery is also renowned for its hand-carved wood altar and iconostasis, crafted in the mid-19th century by Tryavna's famed school of woodcarvers.
The 19th-century revolutionary leader Vasil Levski formed and trained insurgents here, and urged the monks themselves to fight the Turks in 1876. This history is highlighted in the small 3rd-floor museum (open by request).
Guesthouse Oreshaka (%0889704232; www.oreshaka.bg; Oreshak; r 40 lv; pW) offers simple rooms just outside the monastery walls.
The National Exhibition of Crafts & Arts (%06952-2816, 0888008411; www.fairoreshakbg.com; ul Stara Planin
a 256, Oreshak; adult/student 2/1 lv; h9am-5.30pm), 500m north of Troyan Monastery along the main road, is something between an open-air museum and a shoppers' paradise. This handicrafts complex exhibits marvellous examples of traditional Bulgarian woodcarving, carpet weaving and jewellery across nine halls.
From Troyan, some buses bound for Gabrovo, Apriltsi or Cherni Osâm (3 lv, 20 minutes, seven daily) reach the monastery.
Hisar ХИСАР
Pop 9300
There's something in the water in Hisar: a near-miraculous cocktail of minerals, if this spa town's healing reputation is to be believed. Hisar (also known as Hissar or Hisarya) has been famed for its mineral waters since Roman times, when it was named Diokletianopolis (after the Emperor Diocletian). Most visitors are here either to fill bottles directly from its 16 springs, or to ease into the silky waters at hotel spas. Just as invigorating is the sight of Hisar's Roman ruins, including more than 2.3km of walls and towering fortress gates, among the best preserved in Bulgaria.
1Sights
More than 2.3km of Roman walls, refortified by the Byzantines, thread their way through Hisar. Among Bulgaria's best preserved and most arresting Roman ruins, the walls are 3m thick in places, with gates as high as 13m. Built to protect a 30-hectare span of the town and its mineral baths from invaders, the walls were too formidable even for 6th-century Slavic raiders. One of the best photo ops is the stocky southern fortress gate; reach it by walking south along bul Ivan Vazov, past soothing Momina Salza Park.
More ruins lie along unnamed roads heading towards the centre from the main road. These unfenced, unsupervised ruins include remains of an amphitheatre, baths and some dwellings.
Momina Salza SpringFOUNTAIN
Join the locals filling water bottles at this elegant colonnade. Sipping these lukewarm and mineral-rich waters is reputed to boost everything from liver function to metabolism; whether or not you're convinced of its healing powers, you may see people filing to the spring armed with gallon-sized bottles to fill. Find it on the walk between bul Hristo Botev and the southern fortress gate (near Izvora restaurant).
Archaeological MuseumMUSEUM
(%0337-62 796; http://museum.hisar.bg; ul Stamboliyiski 8; 2 lv; h9am-12.30pm & 1.30-5.30pm summer, 8am-noon & 1-4.30pm winter)
This small museum, arranged across a pretty courtyard, is divided between archaeological displays from Neolithic tools to late-Thracian jewellery, and a small exhibition of folk costumes and looms. Exhibits rather lack description, but it's a pleasant way to complement a walk along Hisar's Roman walls.
4Sleeping
Accommodation is plentiful in Hisar, with the majority of hotels offering spa facilities, ranging from small spas and saunas to outdoor pools and a daunting range of therapies. Midrange spa hotels can feel clinical; characterful ones carry a bigger price tag. Shoestring travellers can look out for 'rooms' signs along bul General Gurko.
Hotel HissarHOTEL$$
(%0337-62 781; www.hotelhissar.com; ul General Gurko; s/d/apt from 105/115/162 lv; pais)
Standard, beige-paletted rooms at the Hissar are pleasant enough, but things get more luxurious within the deluxe rooms (doubles from 150 lv), which have plum-coloured trimmings and velveteen sofas. Most rooms have balconies overlooking the outdoor pool, rimmed by thick greenery.
Augusta Spa HotelSPA HOTEL$$
(%0337-62 244; www.augustaspa.com; ul General Gurko 3; s/d from 69/88 lv; piWs)
Some rooms at this spa hotel, within a Lego-block of a building, are a little clinical – apt perhaps, given its popularity among visitors with respiratory and skin ailments – though refurbished ones are more plush. Spa facilities include mineral-rich indoor and outdoor pools, plus a slide and kiddies' pool, and a gym and salt cave (from 12 lv per visit).
You can dip into Augusta's spa waters (9am to 9pm) without being a guest (from 8 lv).
Hotel ChinarSPA HOTEL$$$
(%0337-62 288; www.hotelchinar.bg; ul Vasil Petrovich 5; s/d/apt incl breakfast from 90/130/195 lv; paW)
Stately rooms at the Chinar are a little worn in places, but they have distinguished touches such as carved wooden bedheads and pristine bathrooms, while apartments are ample. Use of the spa comes with the room rate, and there is a menu of spa treatments.
5Eating
NationalBULGARIAN$$
(bul General Gurko; mains 12-15 lv; h9am-midnight)
Adjoining Hotel Chinar, this classy mehana (tavern) spills into a tranquil garden where roses creeps up the wooden trellis. The menu ranges from Bulgarian stews to osso buco (15.50 lv).
ProvenceEUROPEAN$$
(%0876414144; bul General Gurko 5; mains 8-20 lv; h11am-midnight)
No lavender fields here, but beyond the mustard-coloured walls lies a peaceful courtyard where geraniums bloom from pots, lulled by a soothing pop soundtrack. Pan-European dishes are as diverse as Tuscan-style rabbit (16 lv), Bulgarian pork neck and wild mushroom risotto (9 lv).
IzvoraBULGARIAN$$
(%0896864987; bul Ivan Vazov; mains 7-15 lv; h10am-10pm)
This hearty, home-style mehana with adjoining bathhouses, serving Bulgarian dishes such as milk salad (yoghurt and cucumber) and juicy barbecued meats, is just 100m from the fortress walls.
8Information
The small tourist information centre (%0337-62 141; bul General Gurko; h9am-noon & 1-6pm Mon-Sat), opposite the National restaurant, sells maps (2 lv). Hours are limited outside summer.
8Getting There & Away
The train station (ul Geo Milev) and bus station (%0337-62 069; ul Geo Milev) are adjacent to each other. Buses reach Pleven (20 lv, five hours, one daily) via Lovech (18 lv, four hours), and Plovdiv's northern bus station (3.50 lv, 50 minutes, one daily). Most trains for Plovdiv require a connection in Dolna Mahala (3 lv, one to 1½ hours, six daily). To reach Sofia by train, travel via Plovdiv.
WORTH A TRIP
KOPRIVSHTITSA
Behind colourful house fronts and babbling streams broods Koprivshtitsa's revolutionary spirit. This museum-village immediately pleases the eye with its numerous restored National Revival–period mansions. It's a peaceful, touristy place, but Koprivshtitsa was once the heart of Bulgaria's revolution against the Ottomans. Todor Kableshkov declared an uprising against the Turks on 20 April 1876 from Kalachev Bridge (also called 'First Shot' Bridge).
Today, Koprivshtitsa's few streets are dotted with historic homes interspersed with rambling, overgrown lanes, making it a romantic getaway and a safe and fun place for children.
Koprivshtitsa boasts six house-museums. To buy a combined ticket for all (adult/student 6/3 lv), visit the souvenir shop Kupchinitsa (near the tourist information centre) or Kableshkov House ( GOOGLE MAP ; ul Todor Kableshkov 8; adult/student 4/2 lv; h9.30am-5.30pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar).
With its triple-arched entrance and interior restored in shades from scarlet to sapphire blue, Oslekov House ( GOOGLE MAP ; ul Gereniloto 4; admission 3 lv; h9.30am-5.30pm Apr-Oct, 9am-5pm Nov-Mar, closed Mon) is arguably the most beautifully restored example of Bulgarian National Revival–period architecture in Koprivshtitsa. It was built between 1853 and 1856 by a rich merchant executed after his arrest during the 1876 April Uprising. Now a house-museum, it features informative, multilingual displays (Bulgarian, English and French) about 19th-century Bulgaria.
Accommodation is plentiful in this attractive historic village, though booking is recommended for summer weekends. Traditional fare is served at Dyado Liben ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0887532096; bul Hadzhi Nencho Palaveev 47; mains 8-15 lv; h11am-midnight; W), an atmospheric 1852 mansion with tables set in a warren of halls, graced with ornately painted walls and heavily worn wood floors.
The Tourist Information Centre ( GOOGLE MAP ; %07184-2191; www.koprivshtitza.com; pl 20 April 6; h9.30am-5.30pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar) on the main square can advise on rooms and places to eat.
Without private transport, getting to Koprivshtitsa can be inconvenient: the train station is 9km north of the village, requiring a taxi
or shuttle bus (2 lv, 15 minutes), which isn't always dependably timed to meet incoming and outgoing trains.
Karlovo КАРЛОВО
Pop 30,340
Revolutionary history and a picturesque old town make Karlovo, nestled in the foothills of the Stara Planina, an edifying stop. Roughly equidistant from Koprivshtitsa and Kazanlâk, Karlovo's National Revival–era architecture and churches are sumptuous and well preserved. Significantly for the many Bulgarian visitors filing through, the town is venerated as the birthplace of Vasil Levski, leader of the revolution against the Turks in the early 1870s.
1Sights
Karlovo’s main sights are along ul Vasil Levski. Walking north from the train or bus station, find pl Vasil Levski, where the revolutionary's statue depicts him with a lion (his nickname among rebel peers). Close by is pale-pink Sveti Nikola Church (ul Vasil Levski 10; h7am-7pm) and the History Museum (ul Vûzrozhdenska 4; admission 3 lv; h8am-noon & 1-5pm), full of agrarian tools and bright woven costumes. Continuing north, admire the fantastic exterior frescoes of power-blue Sveta Bogoroditsa Church (cnr ul Vasil Levski & ul 27 Decembri; h7am-7pm), before stopping for a traditional 'sand coffee' at cultural centre Buhalov Han (Owl Inn; cnr ul Evlogi Georgi & ul Vasil Levski; admission 2 lv; h8.30am-5pm).
Further up ul Vasil Levski, the closed Kursum Mosque (ul Vasil Levski), built in 1485, occupies the park. Continue up the mall to pl 20 Yuli, then head left (west) for about 300m, past the clock tower, to Vasil Levski Museum (%0335-93 489; www.vlevskimuseum-bg.org; ul Gen Kartzov 57; admission 3 lv; h8.30am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri).
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