Mezdra sits right where the Iskar escapes from the mountains and starts to wander north across the plain toward the Danube, and its whole reason for existing is that position. It grew as a railway junction at the northern mouth of the gorge, where lines from Sofia split toward Ruse and Varna and toward the north-west, and it still has the workaday feel of a place that people pass through. Do not let that put you off: the rocky hill in the middle of town hides one of the more interesting small sites in this part of Bulgaria.
On that hill, known as Kaleto, archaeologists have uncovered layers of settlement running from prehistory through Thracian, Roman and medieval times, and the fortress walls have been partly rebuilt, with walkways and a view over the town and the gorge. It is an easy, worthwhile half-hour. Back up the Iskar toward Sofia, the Cherepish monastery shelters beneath tall white cliffs right beside the river, and near Lyutibrod the Ritlite, four parallel rock walls standing up out of the hillside like a giant's fence, are well worth a pause. The area also has a small wine tradition, and you will see vineyards on the slopes around town.
For riders, Mezdra is a hinge. Southward, the Iskar Gorge road begins almost immediately, winding upstream between cliffs and the railway in a long chain of bends; it is the best road in the area, though busy with lorries on weekdays. Northward, the land opens into rolling farmland and the riding becomes calmer and straighter. Westward, Vratsa is only about thirteen kilometres away, with its own dramatic road climbing into the Vrachanski Balkan. Watch for police speed checks on the main roads around town, which are common in Bulgaria, and for the deep ruts that heavy traffic leaves at junctions in summer heat.
Mezdra has fuel stations, supermarkets and simple restaurants, so it is a sensible place to refill before or after the gorge. It is not a place you will want to linger long, but a coffee on the main square and a walk up the fortress hill are a good use of an hour. Summers here are hot, with the plain to the north radiating heat by mid-afternoon.