The largest town in the valley, sitting roughly at its centre with about 45,000 residents. Kazanlak is not pretty in the way Plovdiv or Veliko Tarnovo are pretty — it is a working town that grew up around the rose industry and a sizable arms factory. But it is the natural base for everything in the valley: the rose fields, the Thracian tombs, the Rose Museum, and the road up to Buzludzha all start from here.
The centre clusters around a pedestrianised stretch with cafes, a few hotels, and the town's main church. Buses fan out to Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, and Burgas. If you visit during the Rose Festival in early June, book accommodation well in advance — the town fills up.