Vidin, Bulgaria

Capital City

With a population of just 33,448, Vidin is hardly a bustling metropolis. The once-thriving port city on the Danube has seen its glory days come and go, and the demographic decline has left it with serious problems. Bureaucracy is a persistent headache, as evidenced by the city's checkered history of foreign occupation and rule. And the climate, shifting further away from temperate due to global warming, is hardly ideal, with common winter inversions. While Vidin does offer some historical charm in its medieval fortresses and old Orthodox churches, it's clear this remote corner of Bulgaria is not for the faint of heart.