The most atmospheric part of Blagoevgrad, Varosha occupies a hillside above the modern city centre. Its narrow cobbled streets, stone-walled courtyard houses, and wooden balconies represent the Bulgarian National Revival style of the 18th and 19th centuries — the architectural idiom of the period when Bulgarian culture reasserted itself under Ottoman rule. The quarter is well-preserved and genuinely pleasant to walk.
The streets are almost car-free; the sound is of water from the Bistritsa River below and the occasional dog. The Church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin sits at the heart of the quarter, and several of the Revival-era houses have been converted into small galleries or restaurants. Varosha is one of the better-preserved old quarters in southwestern Bulgaria, and it's easy to miss entirely if you stick to the modern pedestrian boulevard below.