Banya ( ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Southern

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. It is in Karlovo Municipality,

Plovdiv Province Plovdiv Province (: ''Oblast Plovdiv'', former name okrug, Plovdiv okrug) is a provinces of Bulgaria, province in central southern Bulgaria. It comprises 18 municipalities (общини, ''obshtini'', sing. общинa, ''obshtina'') on a territ ...

and is close to the town of Karlovo.

Spa resorts

The health resort village of Banya is in a large park at the foothills of the

Sredna Gora Sredna Gora ( ) is a mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to the Balkan Mountains and extending from the river Iskar (river), Iskar to the west and the elbow of river Tundzha north of the city of Yambol to the east. ...

mountain range, near the geographic centre of the country in the Rose Valley, between the

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

and the Sredna Gora mountains. It is easily reachable by car, train, or bus. The beaches, swimming pools, sport complexes, balneological hotels and rehabilitation establishments in the town create wonderful conditions for pleasant summer holidays and tourism. The fans of the Bulgarian wines may sample the quality drinks produced by the famous “Rose Valley” winery.

Mineral springs

The remains of an ancient village proves that the town was used for hydrotherapy in ancient times. There are nine hydrothermal sources. There are plenty of mineral springs.

Boris III and his palace

The Banya Palace summerhouse of

Boris III Boris III (; 28 August 1943), originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver (Boris Clement Robert Mary Pius Louis Stanislaus Xavier), was the Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1918 until his death in 1943. The eldest son ...

(r. 1918–1943) with its picturesque yard-garden, called by the locals “The Palace,” is in the town of Banya. In 1927 Tsar Boris III took a cure for rheumatism in the country house of the manufacturer I. Bagarov. Pleased at his stay, he decided to build up an estat. It was in a courtyard with luxurious verdure and was finished in 1929.

Transport

*By airplane: Banya is 155 km from Sofia, 50 km from Plovdiv, 10 km from Karlovo, Hissar and Sopot. You can arrive to Sofia or to Plovdiv/Krumovo airport. Rides from the Sofia airport to Banya are 50 euro, from Plovdiv airport to Banya 25 euro. *By bus: There are many international buses to Plovdiv. From Plovdiv to Banya there are buses on every hour: 7:00, 8:00, 9:00 ... to 20:00 from the bus-station named "юг" (south). The buses are for direction Karlovo. It takes about an hour. *By train: There are trains from Plovdiv-Banya-Karlovo and back Karlovo-Banya-Plovdiv. Arrive at Plovdiv or Karlovo by bus or train and then take a train to Banya.

External links

Banya, Bulgaria website
{{Karlovo Municipality Towns in Bulgaria Populated places in Plovdiv Province Spa towns in Bulgaria