Location: Smolyan
Top Things to do in Smolyan
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The 8 Best Things to Do in Smolyan, Bulgaria
Smolyan (Bulgarian: Смолян) is a town and ski resort in the far south of Bulgaria near the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Smolyan Province. The town is situated in the valley of the Cherna ("Black") and the Byala ("White") Rivers in the central Rhodopes at the foot of the mountains' highest part south of the popular ski resorts Pamporovo and Chepelare. As of February 2011, it has a population of 30,283 inhabitants.
Restaurants in Smolyan
1. Pamporovo Ski Resort
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 162 reviews
Reviewed By Mrrbrown - London, United Kingdom
Not may runs not much snow just the man-made type, but there is Sun!!! resort entertainment very sparce and dotted in minute clusters around Pamporovo a kilometer from each other so its impossible to go around to where you wont and try different types of bars or restaurants unless you have a car or transport, cant walk around to dangerous on the roads no lighting no pavements to and from each cluster of bars or restaurants, quite pricey compared to villages 16klometers away were food is a third of the price, supper markets hike their prices by three times go to villages near by, waiters in Bulgeria seem to expect to get a TIP even when food and service are terrible when u don give they give u a bad look, Dont leave tips for a sake of leaving a tip make them learn to provide a service for it
2. The Wonderful Bridges
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 45 reviews
Reviewed By Emira T - Tunis, Tunisia
Definitely worth a visit. I personally had never seen anything similar.
It's a natural wonder - huge and impressive. The walk is 10-15 min to see the site. Then you can go further down the hill or try to go on top. The views are breath-taking.
Try to get there during daytime as it's a remote location. There a restaurant nearby which remains open late afternoon (at least over the weekend).
3. Waterfalls Canyon
Overall Ratings
5 based on 24 reviews
Reviewed By StellaDimova - Sofia, Bulgaria
We visited the canyon beginning of June - turns out this was the best time for that since everything was fresh green and the river was full. The eco path goes along the riverbed where you can enjoy the views of tens of small and big Waterfalls - there were maybe four or five bigger ones, which took our breaths away. The wooden stairs and countless Bridges contribute greatly to the charm of this enchanting place. What was even more incredible were the views from above after the path went up to cross to the other side of the cliff. One can see Smolyan from each of the designated panoramic viewpoints. Throughout those three hours I constantly felt like being on Pandora from the movie Avatar - the experience was so fairy-tale like!
4. Devils Bridge (Dyavolski Most)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 25 reviews
Reviewed By Nicole C
I've always wanted to see a Devils Bridge so made the trip down from Plovdiv to Ardino and checked it out. Once you left the town of Ardino the road was in poor condition. It's single lane along the mountain and perhaps we chose a bad time of year to go but there were lots of icy patches throughout. Somehow we made it to the end of the paved road and we walked the rest of the way (there were large areas that were washed out and would have made travel by a non 4X4 difficult if not impossible. There was still quite a bit of ice so we had to be careful. The hike was probably 40 min. Once we got down to the river it looked like there had been a flood, or perhaps that the river in recent weeks had risen to the level of where the shelters stand... so there was a lot of ice throughout that area as well.... but the bridge was unimaginable. There it stood in all its glory! To know that it had been built in the early 1500s and is still the original structure is just amazing!!! We made it just after noon and unfortunately the sun was already on the other side of the mountain so we couldn't see the complete reflection, but it was still magnificent. If you're up for a bit of adventure I'd highly recommend this spot!
5. Momchilova Fortress
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By niki101 - London, United Kingdom
This is a majestic place! You can easily spend a few hours or even a day here. Initially, I thought that it was only a small rock. However, it proved to be a great place, in the heart of the Rhodope Mountains.
Here’s a little history. The fortress was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian I who ruled in the period 527-565. The fortification facility was successor to a Thracian rock sanctuary from the end of the 5th millennium BC. It lies in the highest spot on the territory of the fortress and offers great views of the Rhodope Mountains.
The fortress existed for a relatively short period of time. It was burnt down by the Slavs and was reconstructed around the 11th century. In 1343 it fell under the control of Rhodope ruler Momchil who was of Bulgarian origin. It functioned as a fortification facility until the invasion of the Ottomans at the end of the 14th century. At that time it was burnt down again and was never reconstructed.
There is an Information Centre where you can learn about the fortress and also to buy tickets (a very small charge) to visit the fortress. The car park is free. It takes about 20 minutes walking (and of course ascent) to reach the fortress. We did a full tour of the rock which was a beautiful experience.The views are spectacular! It is thrilling to get to the top. Here is the Thracian sanctuary: being close to something so ancient is always very touching to me. There is also remains of a medieval chapel functioned in the 13th - 14th century.
If you visit the place on Saturday evening you will enjoy a film about Momchil screened on the natural environment of the castle rocks with special smoke and light effects. Unfortunately, we didn’t know about that in advance and we missed it. It must be a great experience. Viewers watch the show from the new Amphitheatre, whose benches accommodate up to 50 people.
Momchilova Fortress lies near Gradat Village. You won’t see a church or mosque here as there are none. Fascinating!
There is a very good restaurant in Gradat Village and it is in your way to the fortress so you can’t miss it. Here we were served a delicious Bulgarian food by a cheerful waiter.
Overall Ratings
4 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By Vihren M - Amiens, France
This church is relatively new and it can offer to the tourist different architecture and a contrast compared to the other sights in the city. Don't forget to check the space simulator which is next to the church.
7. Rozhen Observatory
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By criticompany - Maastricht, The Netherlands
This place is incredible. It has been long time abandoned by government funding and the local staff seem to be doing the impossible to keep it open and running.
But wait untill you get there. Set in incredibly beautiful surrounding this place offers incredible oportunity to explore the cosmos and educate your family members about the universe which surrounds us.
A time we all very much enjoyed and will definitely come back.
8. Goliam Beglik Dame
Overall Ratings
5 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By BenKenogy - Sofia, Bulgaria
Very beautiful and peaceful place in heart of Rhodope mountain. If you love fishing, kayaking, swiming, hiking or just want to wake up on beautiful place in your tent - that is a place.
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