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Leshten is a picturesque Bulgarian village that has preserved the unique spirit of the Bulgarian national revival period. It is located on the southern slope of the West Rhodopes, 590 meters above the sea level, at 15 km northeast from the town of Gotse Delchev and at 200 km from Sofia.
Settled at the foot of the mountain with an unforgettable view above the valley of the town of Gotse Delchev to the Pirin Ridge, covered with snow until June, Leshten offers an unique combination of - beautiful nature, great architecture, modern comfort and the romantic of the gone times. White houses with large terraces (chardatsi), spacious yards and stone roofs, scattered around the small ravine, labyrinth of stone streets, a real village inn in the centre - all these bring the magic charm of Leshten.
Even the interior of the 15 holiday houses carry the atmosphere of the Bulgarian national Revival - wooden floor, a fireplace, hand-woven colorful rugs, small windows. Only the modern conveniences, such as telephone, TV-set, cable TV, reminds of the present 21 century.
The major means of living of the local population in the past have been masonry, blacksmith craft, gold mining. Nowadays Leshten is one of the most attractive and authentic resorts for country tourism in Bulgaria. A sight of interest in the village is the church "St. Paraskeva" (1836) with well-preserved frescoes.
At guests’ disposal in Leshten there are 2 taverns that offer delicious local dishes: chicken in a pot, rabbit in pumpkin, oviata, starets. The folklore music adds to the authentic atmosphere.
The village of Leshten offers various ways of entertaining throughout the all four seasons of the year - hunting and fishing, horse back riding in the mountains, sanatorium treatment in the resort of Ognyanovo (5 km) and swimming in the outdoor and indoor swimming pools, gathering of mushrooms and herbs, visits in the near ethnographic complexes of Kovachevitsa (7 km), Dolen (20 km) and Delchevo (18 km), as well as one-day trips to the Rozhen Monastery near the town of Melnik (60 km) and the well-known skiing resort of Bansko (50 km).
If you rent a jeep and hire an accompanying driver you can visit Tamnata Gora Reservation (Dark Forest) with its old beech and fir trees, the rock formations Koziyat Kamak (Goat Stone) and Chernata Skala (Black Rock), known as ancient Thracian sanctuaries, the canyon of the Kanina River and the picturesque countryside of the Siniyat Vir (Blue Lake).
The guests may dispose of a collection of national folklore instruments and home-made fabrics, a rich collection of paintings and antique photographs which represent the ethnographic and cultural heritage of the village, preserved until now.