Introducing Smolyan
The longest and highest town in Bulgaria, Smolyan is actually an amalgamation of four villages, and the southern Rodopi Mountains’ administrative centre. The steep and forested mountains rise abruptly on its southern flank, lending a lovely backdrop to a town that’s otherwise slightly timeworn and gritty. As in most of the Rodopi region, there’s a notable Pomak Muslim population here.
Advertisement
Smolyan, first settled by Thracians around 700 BC, is an alternative place to stay for skiing Pamporovo and Chepelare, though certainly not the most beautiful one. It’s the transport hub for villages such as Shiroka Lûka and Devin. Smolyan is also a base for exploring the seven Smolyan Lakes, the caves of Golubovitsa, partially underwater, and Uhlovitsa, with its bizarre rock formations.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
-
Re: Hiking near Plovdiv
by lyuben 27 May 2012
It is about 80 km to the Wonderful Bridges from Plovdiv, and you can use public transport (bus Plovdiv-Smolyan) only to the fork on the…
-
RE: SE Bulgaria. What to see?
by japetus 05 March 2012
Thanks for your advice, I'll keep them in mind for my planned visit. In the meanwhile, a search showed me of a new guidebook and also…
-
SE Bulgaria. What to see?
by japetus 29 February 2012
And by SE, I mean the extreme SE, north of Greece, around the Ivailovgrad area. While there are many attractions for the visitors to the…
