Smolyan

Smolyan is located 250km south east of the capital Sofia, 103 km south of Plovdiv and 16 km south of the Pamporovo resort. The town is situated in a valley in the central Rhodope mountains amidst the pine forests where modern housing estates exist alongside the old traditional style houses.

There are plenty of tourist attractions near the town including the Smolyan Lakes known as 'the emerald eyes of the Rhodopes'. Originally there were twenty but now only seven lakes remain however each one is different, ideal for hiking fishing etc. The town also boasts a planetarium and with its close proximity to the winter resort of Pamporovo makes it an ideal tourist destination for winter sports.

Smolyan has a lot of family style restaurants offering traditional Rhodopean dishes and entertainment.