Smolyan stretches picturesquely for 10 km along the narrow valley of Cherna River, between the pine-clad peaks of the central Rhodope mountains. The highest town in Bulgaria is actually one of the most beautiful ones as well and is the administrative and cultural capital of the region. Smolyan is about 100 km southbound from the closest big city – Plovdiv. The transfer from Plovdiv/airport takes you along a scenic road along the Chepelarska river via route 86. The trip takes around 2 hours. Smolyan is 250 km southeast of Sofia/airport which makes up for a 3 hours and 20 minutes transfer ride. The mountain town is just 15 km from the famous ski resort of Pamporovo and serves as a transport hub for authentic Bulgarian villages such as Shiroka Laka, Mogilitsa, and futher westbound for Devin. Its transport role will further develop with the newly open border crossing between Bulgaria and Greece at Zlatograd.
