Places Emily Kemp Wants to Go

Founded in the 4th-century, the town of Pernik plays host to the Surva Carnival⁠—a magnificent display of masked Kukeri dancers.

A dragon-shaped fountain that is said to dispense healing water—unless you're evil.

Now a ruin, this grand resort was coveted by a communist autocrat and an eccentric Japanese golfer.

The Bulgarian royal family exclusively used this ornate, now-abandoned train station.

A flamboyant five-story building in Bulgaria resembles a crawling snail.

The famous springs of this small town still flow outside this historic building.

A collection of art from Bulgaria's time as a communist state.

Eastern Bloc nostalgia, anybody?

A Bulgarian monument to Russia's role in World War II is constantly being painted in pop culture protest.

A striking symbol of the Bulgarian capital.

Underneath this Byzantinian church lies a necropolis filled with ancient tombs and the ruins of previous churches.

An interactive museum-like experience takes visitors back to 1980s Communist Bulgaria.

A monastery considered a state-protected cultural monument of exceptional importance, founded in the 14th century by Serbian King Stefan Dečanski.

This 15th-century Ottoman bridge was modified to keep up with the changing course of the river Erenik.

A UNESCO-protected spiritual seat of the Old Serbian Kingdom and Empire.

As of 2022, the 124 rooms of Kosovo ski resort remain empty.

This stone figurine was made more than 6,000 years ago and depicts a female deity of the Neolithic Vinča culture.

Christianity and Islam have clashed, yet here a Serbian Orthodox church and a mosque stand together.

The ceiling of this cavern is dripping with multicolored marble stalactites.

A futuristic, brutalist masterpiece that is also strangely prison-like.

This ironic war memorial thumbs its nose at a campaign of inedible humanitarian aid food products.

A misnamed well, with a deep dark past.

This ice cream parlor serves scoops of flavors like rakia, medlar, and poppy seed.

Ride in 1960s style on the private luxury train Marshal Josip Tito used to travel around Yugoslavia.