Located 100Km south of Sofia, Blagoevgrad is the largest city in Southwest Bulgaria. The town lies on the banks of the Blagoevgradska Bistritsa River and surrounds by beautiful nature and parks. The 70,000 people's city is famous for its nightlife, supported by a high number of pubs, restaurants, and students from all over the world who study at the American University in Bulgaria.

Well, Blagoevgrad is probably not the first choice for tourists who want to plan their vacation. The only reason I heard about this city is that my wife Liat got invited to an academic conference at the American University. At first, we thought we would not have much to do in the city, so we planned to rent a car and tour some beautiful sites nearby. However, we prepared it wrong. We came from another conference in Thessaloniki, and we wanted to rent a car over there and drive to Bulgaria. Unfortunately, it is not possible to drive a car out of Greece. So we took a direct bus from Thessaloniki to Sofia, with a stop at Blagoevgrad, and thought that we would find a vehicle to rent over there. A big mistake. There are no car rental agencies in Blagoevgrad, except one, located a few miles from the city, and didn't answer the phone. I looked on the internet for things to do in the city - but the results were very disappointing. So, just before I gave up, I ran into the Tourist Information in the city center. The receptionist could not speak English. However, he was kind enough to call someone who came and told me about all the tour possibilities of the city. Bingo. Now I would not have to wander with no directions while waiting for my wife to finish her conference duties. So I traveled to the city, took pictures, and wrote it all for you. I hope some of you will find it helpful.

We rented an apartment for three nights during our stay: Sky Apartments - only five minutes from the city center and the American University. A small but convenient apartment with a porch and great view. If you came to Blagoevgrad - it's an excellent choice.