Experience the best of Stara Zagora

Stara Zagora lies on the Upper Thracian plain in central Bulgaria, with hills to the north. It is one of the country's oldest cities: the emperor Trajan gave it city status as Augusta Traiana, and it was rebuilt on a regular grid after it was burned in 1877. Wide boulevards lined with lime trees run through the centre.

The Neolithic Dwellings Museum protects houses more than seven thousand years old, with their clay floors and hearths. Remains of the Roman city lie beneath the modern centre, and Ayazmoto, a wooded hill park, rises at the edge of town. Kazanlak, in the Valley of the Roses, with a famous Thracian tomb, lies to the north-east.

Kebapche, banitsa and grilled meats are the usual dishes, and the wines of the Thracian lowlands go with them. Sunflowers and wheat fill the surrounding plain, and the hills to the north whiten in winter.