Koprivshtica

This picturesque, ancient town is a favourite with lovers of cobbled streets and pastoral serenity. Running along both banks of the Topolitsa River, Koprivshtica is the only settlement in Bulgaria to have preserved over 250 houses built during the Revival Period. The former homes of symbolist poet Dimcho Debelyanov, revolutionary leaders Todor Kableshkov and Georgi Benkovski, and local merchant Nincho Oslekov are now museums displaying what Bulgarian life was like in the late 19th and early 20th Century.

The donkeys and hay-loaded wagons are just part of the local exotica; they are not a touristy gimmick to get money from you, they are the local's primary form of transport.

In the summertime, the town hosts a buzzing swarm of tourists. Each year in mid-August, there are quaint folklore festi vals of traditional music and dance. Once every five years, there is a massive-scale international folklore event which is well worth visiting.