Kazanlak
Bulgaria · Valley of the Roses · 380 m
Description
Kazanlak (Казанлък) sits at the centre of the Valley of the Roses, where the oil-bearing damask rose has been grown for centuries and still supplies much of the world's rose oil. The harvest runs at dawn through late spring, when the fields are picked by hand and the town holds a festival with a crowned rose queen. The same valley is called the Valley of the Thracian Kings for the burial mounds scattered across it. The painted tomb on the edge of town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its domed chamber frescoed with a funeral feast. Outside the harvest weeks the valley is quiet.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 3 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: May – June or September – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Thracian tomb of Kazanlak (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Rose harvest and the Rose Festival (May - June)
- Museum of the Rose
- Valley of the Thracian Kings burial mounds
- Golyama Kosmatka tomb of Seuthes III
- Rose oil distilleries and shops
- Shipka Memorial Church with its golden domes(Day trip)
- Shipka Pass monument(Day trip)
- Buzludzha monument(Day trip)
- Kazanlak History Museum
- Ethnographic complex Kulata
Getting there
- Train stations:
- Kazanlak