Permanent Exhibition of Dimitar Kirov
Plovdiv
Housed in a grand old-town mansion where Plovdiv's budding artists worked in the 1960s, this special place celebrates the life and works of Dimitar Kirov,…
Must-see attractions in Plovdiv & Southern Mountains
Museum of Otets Paisii Hilendarski
Bansko
Commemorating the eponymous local monk, author and instigator of Bulgarian nationalism, this museum contains a chapel with a replica of the room at the…
Pirin Mountains
Learn the history and tools of Melnik's winemaking trade; ogle 400-plus bottles of wine; and work your way through a tasting menu at this fun museum…
Tsanko Lavrenov & Mexican Art Exhibitions
Plovdiv
For something completely different, this time-warp 1846 house has displays of 1970s Mexican woodcuts, serigraphs and copies of pre-Columbian art…
Plovdiv
Visible through floor-to-ceiling windows in the Tsar Obedinitel underpass, Cultural Center Thrakart contains extensive Roman floor mosaics and various…
Plovdiv & Southern Mountains
This Orthodox cathedral is the third-largest in Bulgaria, and impossible to miss on Smolyan's main street. It's topped by a UFO-like dome, which measures…
Plovdiv
'Milyo the idiot', as he's affectionately known, was a local prankster and mimic, fondly remembered in Plovdiv's shopping precinct in the form of a statue…
Plovdiv
Built in the mid-17th century, Sveta Nedelya Church hovers on the eastern edge of the old town. Most noticeable is its elegant 16m tower. Inside, discover…
Plovdiv
This butterscotch-coloured 1863 mansion has a leafy courtyard and a marble fountain. Its interior design showcases the European classical and baroque…
Plovdiv
Constructed at the end of the 1st century AD, the Odeon was once the seat of the city council. It now hosts occasional performances in its small,…
Plovdiv & Southern Mountains
Witness the sporting glory of Chepelare's skiing heroes at this tiny museum packed with trophies, gear and photos of locals winning medals. It's opposite…
Plovdiv
This branch of the City Gallery of Fine Arts holds small, temporary exhibitions of abstract art, housed within one of Plovdiv's first Bulgarian…
Historical & Ethnographical Museum
Bansko
This museum in a 19th-century mansion contains finds dating back to 6000 BC, plus antique, medieval and 19th-century National Revival–period items.
Plovdiv & Southern Mountains
This single-room gallery features burnished 18th- and 19th-century icons of saints, with portraits of black-clad monks glowering above them.
Bansko Permanent Icon Exhibition
Bansko
Housed within a former nunnery dating to 1749, this small museum exhibits 18th- and 19th-century icons painted by the Bansko School of art.
Plovdiv
This small museum beside the Church of Sveti Konstantin & Elena has a sublime display of icons from the 15th century onwards.
Plovdiv
A stocky 16th-century Turkish bathhouse now features irregular, rotating displays of contemporary art. Free entry on Thursdays.
Plovdiv
This beige mansion built in 1830 has a special place in Plovdiv hearts as the location where French poet Alphonse de Lamartine stayed in 1833, along the…
Plovdiv & Southern Mountains
There is little English-language signage at this regional museum, but helpful staff can help explain the displays of ancient history and artefacts…
Plovdiv & Southern Mountains
Minerals, bottled bats, and the remains of ancient cave-dwelling animals such as lions and bears are exhibited in this small museum, along with displays…
Plovdiv
Dedicated to renowned writer and publisher Hristo Danov and several other Bulgarian authors, Danov House contains a re-creation of a bookshop and a…
Pirin Mountains
This 19th-century church, signposted from Melnik's main road, is dedicated to the patron saint of the sick. In the unenlightened past, the mentally ill…
Pirin Mountains
This 15th-century church, situated just below Kordopulov House, has retained its walls and floor. It's little more than an enigmatic ruin these days, but…
Pirin Mountains
Located near the Varosha old quarter, this regional museum exhibits roughly 160,000 religious relics, archaeological artefacts and traditional costumes,…
Plovdiv & Southern Mountains
This little museum exhibits Rodopi folk arts and crafts, ancient and medieval coins, and a fairly interesting display of traditional farming tools and…
Pirin Mountains
Up a steep cobbled lane, en route to Kordopulov House, the tiny two-room Historical Museum features traditional costumes, ancient ceramics and jewellery,…
Pirin Mountains
The 10th-century Bolyaskata Kâshta, one of Bulgaria’s oldest homes, is ruined except for some partially standing walls. You can peer in and enjoy great…
Plovdiv
Just down the steps at the overpass near pl Tsentralen, ruins of the Roman Forum are still being excavated; peer over the fence along the road.
Pirin Mountains
Survey the ruined walls of this 13th-century fortress, reachable via a short, steep climb from the eastern end of Melnik's main road.
Plovdiv
This small private gallery, attached to Philippopolis restaurant, features exhibitions of 19th- and 20th-century Bulgarian art.
Plovdiv & Southern Mountains
Farming implements and traditional Bulgarian costumes are exhibited in this small stone-walled museum by the Samokov gate.
Pirin Mountains
There are admirable views of the town from lofty Park Loven Dom, which spreads south from Blagoevgrad's Varosha quarter.
Pirin Mountains
Admire the exterior of a Turkish bathhouse, built in the 19th century, before the Mehana Mencheva Kâshta tavern.
Encho Pironkov City Gallery of Fine Arts
Plovdiv
This gallery along a small laneway downhill from ul Sâborna displays 45 pieces of modern Bulgarian art.
Pirin Mountains
This ruined church, constructed in 1756, is accessibly by a signposted path from Melnik's main road.
Plovdiv
This museum of pharmacy is set in an 1872 mansion. Sometimes has erratic opening hours.
