Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second city, has plenty to offer, including superb classical architecture, such as its amphitheatre (hidden by a landslide for hundreds of years), and lovely 19th century houses.It is also the gateway to ski resorts such as Pamporovo, and can even be an alternative route to get to parts of Greece.

Plovdiv has a wonderful old world old city, plus plenty of shopping, cafes , restaurants and bars.The city is particularly nice to see in the summer, and it is actually enchanting to see the ski resorts in the summer (when they are wonderfully green, and the air is very fresh).

In the winter, Bulgarian ski resorts are widely acknowledged to be the cheapest in Europe.

Many people simply to not realise that Plovdiv is accessible by flights from London.

Ryanair, the Irish budget airline, flies there once  a day; leaving London Stansted at 15.00 and arriving at 20.15 local time, leaving Plovdiv at 20.40 and arriving at London Stansted at 22.50. Search out the best deals onhttp://www.paylessflights.com