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The historic town of Melnik is situated in a picturesque area at the foot of the Pirin Mountains, just 22 km from Sandanski, near the border with Greece. This is the smallest town in Bulgaria, known for its famous wine made from the local sort of wide Melnik vine. Almost every house here has its own winery and Melnik is the basis of many and varied wine tours in the region. The first settlers of Melnik were the Thracian tribes of Midi, as it is for the whole region of Sandanski. The legendary Spartacus was one of them. Later these lands were conquered by the Romans and a well-preserved Roman bridge has remained from their time. The Slavs who inhabited these places later named the settlement Melnik because the hills surrounding the settlement are of soft, white sand rock resembling flour - 'mel' in Slavonic. Melnik is a real pearl of the Bulgarian National Revival architecture, so that it was declared a town museum. The town has many historical monuments. The ruins of the fortress of Despot Alexius Slav are situated on the hill of St. Nicholas near Melnik - the centre of his despotism and during his time the settlement was in economic and cultural progress. Today the fortress is preserved in its entirety. The oldest preserved Byzantine building in the Balkans is the Bolyarska House from the 13th century, during the reign of Despot Slav and it was his residence. There are numerous Melnik houses left from the Revival Period, perched picturesquely at the foot of the Melnik Pyramids around which cobblestone streets are winding. The Kordopulova house is one of the most remarkable houses in Bulgaria and it is an integral part of the business card of Melnik. The following sites are of interest, too - the Pashova House where the Historical Museum is situated, the Turkish town hall, the churches of St. Nicholas, St. Anthony, St. Barbara and so on. Melnik is the main starting point for the Rozhen Monastery which is situated a kilometer from the Rozhen village. The Melnik Pyramids are a unique natural formation produced by soil erosion. Besides one of pyramids, the rock formations around Melnik also have the shape of mushrooms, cones, etc. Other natural attractions in the vicinity of the town are the Kashinski Waterfalls and the Garvanova Skala. Several tourist routes start from Melnik: to the Rozhen Monastery, the Pirin Hut, Mount Kamenica, Malina Hut and so on. Hotels in Melnik are extremely varied, but all of them have invariably preserved the authentic spirit of the traditional Melnik Revival house. Town guests may choose from a variety of classic and family hotels in Melnik and guest houses, most of which have their own wineries and offer tasting different wines produced.