Sofia Airport → Velingrad

Velingrad sits in a wide mountain basin fed by more than 70 mineral springs, and that natural abundance has made it, by common consent, the spa capital of the Balkans — dozens of hotels here are built specifically around thermal pools, mud treatments and mineral-water therapies, drawing visitors focused purely on rest and recovery rather than sightseeing. Water temperatures across the springs range from mild to genuinely hot, and several are open to the public in park settings, not just hotel spas.

The town itself is set attractively among the wooded hills of the western Rhodope Mountains, and the Kleptuza karst spring — a park built around a spring-fed lake ringed by cliffs and old watermill buildings — is one of the most photogenic spots in the region. Velingrad also makes a comfortable, less touristy base for exploring Rhodope waterfalls, caves and hiking trails than the bigger resorts further south.