Hotels in Pazardzhik

Pazardzhik is a working provincial town on the Maritsa river in the flat farmland of the Upper Thracian Plain, founded in the late fifteenth century as a market settlement, which is where its name, from the Turkish word for market, comes from. Its standout sight is the Church of the Holy Mother of God, whose carved walnut iconostasis is one of the finest examples of Bulgarian National Revival woodwork. Nearby are the house-museum of painter Stanislav Dospevski and a modest old quarter of Revival-era homes.

Be honest: with around 76,000 people and no major landmark, this is not a destination that fills a long stay, and most visitors know it as a stop on the Trakia motorway between Sofia and Plovdiv. That location is its real strength. It makes a practical, cheaper base for day trips to Plovdiv or up into the Rhodopes toward the spa town of Velingrad. With only a handful of hotels, choice is limited. Stay in the compact centre near the main square and the cathedral, where restaurants and the few sights are all within walking distance.