Vidin is the northwestern corner of Bulgaria, a Danube port town that for centuries was the country's western gate. It sits directly opposite the Romanian town of Calafat — a bridge built in 2013 finally replaced the long-running ferry — and for travellers it is the natural pivot between Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia.
The town is dominated by Baba Vida, a 10th-century riverside fortress that is the best-preserved medieval castle in the country. The waterfront below the walls is a long park promenade along the Danube, with cafe terraces, the Vidin Synagogue ruins, and views across to Calafat. Inland, the old town has the Ottoman-era Krastata Kazarma and the Konaka Museum in a Turkish administrative building.
Vidin has had a tough century. The collapse of state industry after 1989 hit hard, the population has dropped sharply, and parts of the centre still look battered. But the riverfront walk on a summer evening is genuinely pleasant, the fortress is unusual and atmospheric, and the location makes Vidin a sensible stop on any route into northwest Bulgaria — particularly when combined with a day trip to the Belogradchik Rocks 50 kilometres southeast.