Experience the best of Ruse

Ruse stands on a high bank of the Danube, where the river marks the border with Romania. Its streets hold many merchant houses from the nineteenth century, when the town grew rich on river trade, and it is often called Little Vienna for its architecture. The Friendship Bridge, a long steel road and rail bridge, links it with Giurgiu in Romania. The Nobel prize-winning writer Elias Canetti was born in the town.

Across the river lies the flat farmland of southern Romania. South of the town, the Rusenski Lom gorge has cliffs and nature trails, and the rock-hewn churches of Ivanovo, a UNESCO site, lie about 20 kilometres to the south, carved into the limestone above the valley.

Banitsa, a flaky cheese pastry, and kebapche, grilled minced meat sausages, are everyday food, with shopska salad on the table and rakia, a fruit brandy, to finish. The best seasons are late spring and early autumn. Summers are hot, winters are cold, and snow can cover the plain.