INSIDER TIPS

Look out for the last of the city’s klek (‘squat’) shops. At these quirky convenience stores, set up in residential basements, vendors’ heads poke out just above street level. They’re a disappearing relic from the days following the fall of communism, when everyone was out to make a quick buck.

Due to its cultural significance, the oldest building in the city, the fourth-century Church of St George, was concealed behind a block of high-rise buildings during communist rule. To find it, walk under the arches opposite the Bulgarian Archaeological Museum.

If Bulgarian rakia is a little harsh for your tastes, another unorthodox Balkan beverage to sample is pelin: wine, fermented with herbs typically found in absinthe. The restaurant Hadjidraganovite Kashti serves a homemade version.