To visit after the TSU

Tsarevets is a mediaeval stronghold located on a hill with the same name in Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria. It served as the Second Bulgarian Empire's primary fortress and strongest bulwark from 1185 to 1393, housing the royal and the patriarchal palaces, and is a popular tourist attraction

At night, when tour groups shell out the bucks, an extravagant 'sound and light show' illuminates the citadel (and town). Locals love it, and watch from all over town for free.

Koprivshtitsa is a historic town, which was one of the centres of the April Uprising in 1876 and is known for its authentic Bulgarian architecture and for its folk music festivals, making it a very popular tourist destination.

Rozhen Monastery - this hilltop monastery was originally built in 1217, but most of what remains was redone in the mid-18th century. It's an atmospheric place, with woodcarvings and a mural-filled church. It's an inspiring reward if you've hit the hiking trail that leads for several kilometres between Melnik and this site.

Rila Mountains - the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m. The massif is also the sixth highest mountain in Europe (when each mountain is represented by its highest peak only), coming after the Caucasus, the Alps, Sierra Nevada, the Pyrenees and Mount Etna, and the highest between the Alps and the Caucasus. The larger part of the mountain is occupied by the Rila National Park.

Ruse is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria with a population of 170 000. Ruse is situated in the North-eastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube River, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu. It is situated 300 km from Sofia and 200 km from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is the most significant Bulgarian river port, known also as “Little Vienna”, because of its architecture. The city is particularly famous for its Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo architecture. Other places of interest are the National Transport Museum, the Battenberg Palace (built in 1892, which now hosts the Ruse Regional Historical Museum), the Pantheon of National Revival Heroes, the Kaliopa House (a museum depicting the old urban lifestyle), the Dohodno Zdanie (an old theatre and one of the most beautiful buildings), the Monument of Liberty (built 1908–1911), the Ruse TV Tower (the tallest TV tower in Bulgaria and one of the tallest buildings on the Balkan Peninsula), the St.Trinity church, the Catholic church. After the opening of the Rhein - Main - Danube canal which covers 3,500 km and connects thirteen European countries with the Middle and Far East via the Black Sea, the river becomes the longest inland waterway on the planet!