Blagoevgrad Province

Blagoevgrad Province, also called Pirin Macedonia, lies in the south-west corner of Bulgaria. It borders North Macedonia to the west and Greece to the south and has 14 municipalities. Its capital, Blagoevgrad, sits in the Struma valley at the foot of the Rila Mountains, about 100 km south of Sofia, and is the economic and cultural centre of the south-west.

The province combines two university towns, a busy transit corridor to Greece and some of the country's strongest tourism assets: Bansko and Dobrinishte for skiing, Sandanski for spa holidays, Melnik for wine, and Pirin National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Other significant towns include Gotse Delchev, Petrich and Razlog.

Worth knowing

• Two universities in the capital: South-West University "Neofit Rilski" and the American University in Bulgaria
• Main road and rail corridor from Sofia to Thessaloniki along the Struma valley
• Year-round tourism: Bansko ski resort, Sandanski spas, Melnik wine villages
• Pirin National Park is on the UNESCO World Heritage List