Gabrovo sits in the Yantra valley at the foot of the central Balkan Mountains, a practical industrial city with a surprisingly playful self-image. Bulgarians know it as the capital of humour and satire, a reputation built on jokes about Gabrovo thrift and sharpened by the city's excellent House of Humour and Satire.
The city also makes a good base for the northern slopes of the Stara Planina. The Etar Open-Air Museum, just outside town, is the essential stop: water-driven workshops, craft streets, and National Revival buildings arranged as a living museum rather than a dusty display. Sokolski Monastery and the road toward Shipka Pass push you quickly into mountain history.
Gabrovo is not polished like Veliko Tarnovo, and that is part of the point. Come for a day if you are circling central Bulgaria by car, or stay overnight if you want museums, mountain air, and a less obvious Bulgarian city with a dry sense of humour.