Although still primarily known as a winter sports destination, Pamporovo has recently made significant progress towards being acknowledged as a viable summer holiday location.

Its picturesque setting means that once the snow has melted there are numerous opportunities to take long walks while enjoying some of the most spectacular scenery in Eastern Europe.

Families looking for a break from the usual sun, sea and sand holiday need look no further than this beautiful old town in the Rhodopi Mountains.

During the summer months the Mediterranean mood that prevails in this southerly part of Bulgaria encourages visitors to engage in a wide variety of outdoor activities, from hiking and mountain-biking to horse-riding and climbing.

Pamporovo is also close to many fascinating historical sites, such as Rila Monastery (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Bachkovo Orthodox Monastery with its extraordinary Byzantine architecture. Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second city, whose origins are contemporaneous with the ancient city of Troy, is only an hour’s drive away. This fascinating place is also full of culture and contains many museums and art galleries.

Closer at hand, the Trigrad Gorge in the Rhodopi Mountains is an un-missable natural site; listen to the river roaring through the gorge before plummeting into a cave (known as The Devil’s Throat) and down a 60-metre waterfall.