Blagoevgrad's compact centre organises itself around two distinct zones: the modern city with its wide pedestrian boulevard and the Varosha quarter, the old neighbourhood of cobbled streets and 18th-century houses on the hill above. Allow an hour to walk Varosha properly; the Church of the Assumption at its centre is the main sight.
The real reason to come to Blagoevgrad — and the thing that gives the city more energy than its size would suggest — is AUBG, the American University in Bulgaria. The student population keeps bars and cafés busy well into the evening.
The main excursion from Blagoevgrad is to Rila Monastery (45 km northeast), one of the most important religious sites in Bulgaria and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Pirin Mountains rise directly to the south, with Bansko about an hour's drive away.