Sofia Airport → Veliko Tarnovo

For more than two centuries, Veliko Tarnovo was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, and the city still carries itself like one — houses climb in tight rows up steep hillsides around a horseshoe bend of the Yantra River, crowned by the ramparts of Tsarevets Fortress, the seat of Bulgaria's medieval tsars and patriarchs. After dark, the fortress hosts a dramatic Sound and Light show, using lasers and music to trace the rise and fall of the empire across the hilltop ruins.

Below the fortress, the old craftsmen's street of Samovodska Charshia is still lined with working potters, coppersmiths and weavers rather than souvenir shops, and the whole town has a lived-in, unpolished charm that's rare among Bulgaria's more restored historic centres. A short drive away, the National Revival village of Arbanasi adds fortified churches and grand merchant houses to a visit, making Veliko Tarnovo one of the most rewarding overnight stops — or day trips — in the country.