Experience the best of Veliko Tarnovo

Houses stack up the steep sides of the Yantra gorge in Veliko Tarnovo, in northern Bulgaria, with the river winding below in tight loops. From 1185 to 1393 this was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, and the walls of Tsarevets, a fortress on a rocky hill, still enclose the foundations of the royal palace and a restored patriarchal church with modern murals inside.

Samovodska Charshia, a cobbled street of workshops, is the place to see potters, woodcarvers and weavers at work. The Asenevtsi Monument, four horsemen with raised swords, stands above the river facing Tsarevets. Arbanasi, a village on a plateau a few kilometres away, is known for its fortified stone houses and churches painted inside with dense frescoes, and the Etar open-air museum and the woodcarvers' town of Tryavna lie to the south.

Shopska salad, grilled kebapche, banitsa pastry and tarator, a cold yoghurt and cucumber soup, appear on most menus, along with local wine and rakia. The town is a university seat, so its cafés fill with students. Winters are cold, and snow clings to the gorge.