Qué hacer en Bulgaria

Sofia, the capital, sits beneath Mount Vitosha, with the gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the Boyana Church, whose frescoes date from the thirteenth century. Plovdiv, built around its hills, has a Roman theatre still used for concerts, an Old Town of coloured houses and the art quarter of Kapana.

Veliko Tarnovo, the medieval capital, wraps around the Yantra River beneath the fortress of Tsarevets, and Belogradchik is known for red sandstone rocks rising above its fortress. On the coast, Varna and Burgas are port cities with sea gardens, and Nessebar is an old town on a small peninsula with medieval churches. Bansko in the Pirin and Borovets in the Rila are the main ski resorts. Ruse sits on the Danube, Sliven below the rocky Balkan range, and Stara Zagora has Roman remains.

Shopska salad and banitsa, a pastry layered with cheese, are everyday food, and rakia, a fruit brandy, begins a meal. The Valley of Roses near Kazanlak grows the roses used in perfume oil, and villages celebrate the harvest in early June. Ski season runs from December to March, and the beaches are warm from June to September.