Around the town of Kazanlak in central Bulgaria, a "vast plain" unfurls between two mountain ranges. It is known as the Rose Valley for its "pink-blooming" fields, but also as the Valley of the Thracian Kings, for its many ancient tombs.
I found my recent trip there enchanting, says Julia Buckley in The Times, partly owing to the area's rich artistic and archaeological heritage – and partly thanks to the recent opening of its first luxury spa hotel. Built around one of the thermal springs for which the region is also known, the huge Kings' Valley resort offers "five- star" accommodation and treatments at "three-star prices". The combination of top-class pampering, art and ancient history makes for a wonderful break – and yet Kazanlak and its surroundings are still blessedly free of tourist crowds.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Several dating from the 4th and 5th centuries BC are open to the public, including Golyama Kosmatka, which has carvings of Medusa and Helios, and Ostrusha, painted with mythological scenes and human faces. But most beautiful of all is the hilltop Kazanlak tomb, with frescoes of galloping horses, and of a man and woman reaching out "to hold hands across the void" – a depiction of "eternal love" nearly 2,400 years old.
-
‘The problem isn’t solved by simply swapping out the faces on screen’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
3 officers killed in Pennsylvania shootingSpeed Read Police did not share the identities of the officers or the slain suspect, nor the motive or the focus of the still-active investigation
-
Fed cuts interest rates a quarter pointSpeed Read ‘The cut suggests a broader shift toward concern about cracks forming in the job market’
-
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues – laughs are sadly ‘thin on the ground’Talking Point Disappointing sequel to the classic rock’n’roll spoof
-
Tosca: thrilling new Puccini staging has ‘tremendous emotional force’The Week Recommends Controversial Russian soprano Anna Netrebko returns to the stage with ‘white-hot passion’ in starring role
-
The Girlfriend: irresistibly twisty drama starring Robin WrightThe Week Recommends ‘Deliciously unhinged’ show pits a son’s mother against his ‘cagey’ new girlfriend
-
Islands: gripping thriller ‘shimmers, convinces and thoroughly absorbs’The Week Recommends Sam Riley stars in Jan-Ole Gerster’s mystery about a washed-out tennis coach at a Fuerteventura resort who falls under the spell of a married guest
-
What We Can Know: Ian McEwan’s ‘most entertaining and enjoyable novel for years’The Week Recommends The acclaimed writer’s ambitious new book sets out a ‘richly imagined’ vision of post-apocalyptic Britain
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imaginationFeature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacyFeature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful northThe Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
