Melnik

Introducing Melnik

While clever marketers aim to enhance little Melnik’s charm by calling it ‘Bulgaria’s smallest town’, it’s actually just a tiny, though very appealing village tucked beneath sandstone cliffs, and cluttered with white National Revival–era stone houses with overhanging, Macedonian-style wood balconies. Melnik has historically been a centre of wine production, and here you can sample some of Bulgaria’s best and most unique wines, and tour house-museums where the village’s vintners once lived.

About 20km north of the Greek border, Melnik is also notable for its unusual environmental surroundings. The yellow-white mixture of clay and sand in the surrounding hills has, over the centuries, eroded into bizarre formations, resembling pyramids and giant mushrooms. Melnik’s also a good base for exploring the southern Pirin Mountains and, though seeing its main attractions requires one day, you may well enjoy lingering on in Melnik’s lazy sunshine and quietude, as there are nice places to stay and eat. There are no banks or ATMs, however.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009