4 Best Shopping in Bulgaria

The British owner of this shop, Karen, is a keen bibliophile. The Book Cave sells second-hand English-language books starting from four leva and has nearly 4,000 in stock. Visitors can buy, sell, and trade books here as well as chat with Karen about her life in Bulgaria and get travel tips from a local-expat. With enough advance notice, Karen can try and track down hard-to-find books. You can't miss the shop; look for the white and kelly green facade and a red sign that says "BOOKS."

Near the entrance to the fortress, adjacent to the parking area, is a souvenir shop. Payment here can be made in euros, dollars, and leva, and prices are quite reasonable. On offer are the standard postcards, magnets, information booklets, and photographs alongside useful items like baseball caps, necessary if you're climbing the fortress or rocks in the heat of summer. There's also a wine shop stocking bottles from Magura Cave.

In the former servants' quarters on the ground floor of the handsome Konstantsalieva House-cum-museum is its souvenir shop. The space, which has retained its original stone walls and floor, is filled with handicrafts like colorful throws, embroidered vests, dresses, and wall hangings, paintings of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, and bottles of local wine. You can visit the shop without paying admission to the museum.

What was once the big city market is now a series of quaint cobblestone streets lined in beautifully restored pre- and post-Liberation houses-turned-workshops, bakeries, souvenir stands, and cafés. The artisans here specialize in wood carving, icon painting, weaving, pottery, and copper- and silversmithing. Alongside magnets and postcards, visitors will find handcrafted souvenirs like copper plates, wooden spoons, and ceramic cups.