We've visited a few ethnographic villages on our travels, but this was our favourite by a long way. It is in a beautiful location. Although it is not inhabited, it had the feel of a working village and some life about it, because so many of the shops were full of artisans practising traditional crafts. Besides the sights, there were the sounds and smells, of woodsmoke, and the water wheels powering the grindstones, mills, wood turners and even a meat rotisserie! The crafts were absolutely stunning - working in wood, leather, copper and steel - the cutler was probably my favourite, crafting traditional knives with antler handles. The weirdest was the bagpipes made from a whole goat. The site site is dog friendly, although there were a lot of feral cats about! The entrance fee is very reasonable and I highly recommend a visit.

You can familiarize yourself with the many historical artisan tools and techniques used in Bulgaria and even the Balkans as a whole. There are well made signs with infographics explaining the complex mechanisms of the tools. The whole place carries this "old town" atmosphere through the architecture of the buildings - first floor made out of stone, second out of wood.

We were among the first visitors of that day so the parking was still empty. Just an hour later there were buses and the parking was almost full. The museum was just amazing. There you can see things that were in use decades or a century ago. After the visit we went to the restaurant and we took some interesting meals which we usually don’t eat for breakfast (kachamak, sarma etc.). The waiter was very kind, the meals delicious and the prices quite low.

ETAR is a full open air museum that represents the Bulgarian craftsmanship, lifestyle and village community in the last centuries. It resembles a 18th-19th century traditional Bulgarian village with typical houses. It is newly renovated, full of life and exhibitions, interactive and family friendly. You can try freshly baked traditional Bulgarian bagels and drinks from the traditional bakery and sweets from the confectionery shop. You can try espresso brewed on sand and enjoy the utopic 19 centure view. There are so many crafts to visit and interact with - making bells, leather belts and gloves, icons and pottery, traditional musical instruments and so many more. There are functioning water threadmill, water laundry and different old-school equipment. You can easily spend full day with your kids enjoying the "village"..