Sliven
Forty minutes down the Mountains from Kipilovo is Sliven. It is a large town, 270 km east of Sofia, and a little over an hour away from the Black Sea coast. It sits at the foot of the 'Blue Stone' Mountains, and despite the disused factories and grim-looking tower-blocks on the outskirts of town, has a lot to offer. A stroll around the pedestrianised streets of the centre will reveal the town's vibrant café culture. There are some excellent bars and restaurants, as well as some lovely places to sit with a drink and read a book or simply people-watch.

Nearby is a large market and shopping centre – a must-visit location for food lovers. Any provisions you might want, from fruit and vegetables, to meat, fish, olives and cheese, can be found here. The quality of the produce on offer puts the trendy UK farmers' markets to shame, and it is very inexpensive.
If you have a head for heights then you can take the chair lift nearly 1000 ft up into the mountains. It was built under the Stalinist regime and looks a little rusty and in need of a paint-job, but works fine, when they have enough customers to start it up (four or five are usually enough). It costs about £4 a ride,and takes around 20 minutes to reach the top. The views are great and you'll enjoy every minute of it. There's a nature park at the top and if you fancy a walk you can follow the path to a mountain-top hotel, a bar and a café, all of which have seen better days. A little further on is a small picturesque lake and a rocky landscape near the mountain peak which offers stunning views over the city and surrounding countryside. Take some good walking shoes though.

There are plenty of other things of interest in and around Sliven, including the mineral baths, historical sites and even more natural beauty. You can even book a suite in the former dictator's mountain villa, now a hotel (see picture of stairwell above) for a very reasonable rate.