After a couple of days in Sofia, I was heading to spend two days in Plovdiv before continuing into the Rhodope Mountains.
I had prearranged transportation with Daytrip, which meant I could turn the drive into part of the day and stop at Asen’s Fortress and Bachkovo Monastery along the way.
Once we were out of Sofia, much of the drive passed through agricultural land. At one point, there were miles and miles of sunflowers alongside the highway. I had no idea Bulgaria grew so many of them, but apparently the country is a major producer of sunflower seeds and sunflower oil.
As someone whose favorite flower is the sunflower, I was loving those stretches of the drive.
Time in Plovdiv: 2 nights / nearly 2 full days
Where I stayed: Hotel Evmolpia in the Old Town
Getting there: Private transfer from Sofia with stops at Asen’s Fortress and Bachkovo Monastery
Don’t miss: Ancient Theatre, Old Town, Nebet Tepe, Kapana and the Ancient Stadium
Also worth seeing: Ethnographic Museum, Street of Crafts, Dzhumaya Mosque, Roman Forum and Sahat Tepe
Best for: Roman history, architecture, street art and wandering on foot
Favorite area: The Old Town
Where I ate: Philippopolis, Safron and Pavaj
Good to know: Plovdiv is very walkable, but expect hills, steep cobblestones and plenty of steps
My walking total: 8.5 miles on Day One and 9.4 miles on Day Two
My first stop was Asen’s Fortress, which meant driving a little beyond Plovdiv and into the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains.
Once my driver parked, I walked down to the small ticket office beside the road to pay the entrance fee. From there, I followed the path up toward the fortress.
The remains of the medieval fortress sit high on a rocky ridge overlooking the valley, with beautiful views in almost every direction. Much of the fortress itself is now in ruins, but sections of the old stone walls are still standing, and you can walk around what remains.
There is also a small medieval church, the Church of the Holy Mother of God, perched right on the edge of the rock. I went inside and found it fairly simple compared with some of the elaborate Orthodox churches I’d already seen in Bulgaria, but there were still some beautiful old frescoes on the walls. The church is still used for worship today, which I thought was pretty amazing considering its age and where it sits.
The second stop I’d arranged was Bachkovo Monastery.
Founded in 1083, Bachkovo is Bulgaria’s second-largest monastery after Rila and has been an important Orthodox pilgrimage site for centuries. It is particularly known for its icon of the Virgin Mary, which many Bulgarians believe has miraculous or healing powers.
I visited on a Saturday morning, and when I arrived there was already quite a crowd waiting to get into the church. I soon realized the reason for the line—a priest inside was giving blessings.
Bachkovo was incredible. There were frescoes everywhere—across the walls and ceilings inside and covering the walls outside the church as well. Inside, there was also gold, hanging lamps and chandeliers, and a beautifully carved iconostasis
After an hour or so, it was time to continue on to Plovdiv.
Plovdiv is one of Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, with thousands of years of history. It’s also known as the City of Seven Hills, although only six remain today (the seventh was largely quarried away for paving stones). The Old Town spreads across three of them, which I would become very aware of over the next two days as I climbed one cobblestone street after another.
I was staying right in the Old Town, and even arriving there was interesting.
Very few cars are allowed into this part of the city, so as we entered, we had to pass through a controlled gate. Cars dropping off hotel guests are allowed through, which thankfully included mine.
From there, we started climbing.
The cobblestone streets curved uphill between old buildings, sometimes becoming so narrow I wondered how we were going to squeeze through. It was absolutely adorable, and I immediately knew I’d made the right decision staying here.
Eventually, we pulled up in front of my home for the next two nights, Hotel Evmolpia, a small family-run hotel in the heart of the Old Town.
Waiting for me inside was a framed chalkboard with a handwritten message:
Welcome to our hotel, JoAnne.
How could you not love that?
My room was upstairs and had two beautiful old wooden beds with elaborately painted headboards and footboards, antique-style furniture and even a chandelier. It was definitely a little different from your typical hotel room, which was exactly what I liked about it.
The woman at reception showed me around and gave me a little information about the area. She also told me there was a free walking tour offered twice a day. I thought I’d join one the following day, but it never quite worked out. I couldn’t make the morning tour, and by the afternoon it was just too hot to spend a couple of hours following a guide around.
So I did my exploring on my own.
I dropped my things and headed straight back out.
So much had caught my eye while we were driving in that I really didn’t need much of a plan. I just started walking.
Almost immediately, I began coming across huge sgraffito murals on the sides of buildings. I’d seen socialist-era artwork in Sofia, but I hadn’t expected to find so much of it here.
And some of these weren’t simply murals. They covered virtually the entire sides of buildings.
One enormous work covered the sides of two buildings, with larger-than-life figures in traditional clothing, decorative patterns and scenes drawn from Bulgarian history and folklore. I was surprised by how many murals I saw around the Old Town.
Then there were the houses.
Plovdiv’s Old Town is filled with colorful Bulgarian National Revival houses, many built during the 18th and 19th centuries when wealthy merchants were establishing themselves here. But calling them simply “colorful houses” really doesn’t describe them. Many have upper stories projecting out over the street, enormous wooden eaves, rows of shuttered windows and painted or highly decorated facades.
Oh, and the streets—they were steep and uneven, but that was part of their charm. I spent almost as much time watching where I put my feet as I did looking at the buildings. Houses leaned out over the cobblestones on wooden supports, narrow passages disappeared between stone walls, and every once in a while I’d walk beneath an old archway and find another street climbing away on the other side.
It was exactly the kind of place where I like having absolutely nowhere I need to be.
One church that had caught my eye on the drive in was the Church of the Holy Mother of God, sitting high above the street at the top of a long flight of stone steps.
Of course, I had to climb up and take a look. Inside was much more ornate than I expected, with a beautifully carved iconostasis, chandeliers, icons and paintings covering much of the interior.
From there, I continued uphill until I eventually came to the Ancient Theatre.
Unfortunately, it was closed.
I kept exploring, following whichever cobblestone street looked interesting. Near the City Art Gallery, I came across a bronze sculpture of an artist holding an empty picture frame. People couldn’t seem to resist posing with it, and I stopped to watch for a bit.
By then I was getting hungry, so I headed to Philippopolis for dinner. I had grilled goat cheese with honey and dates, followed by orzo with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.
Both were really good.
After dinner, I headed up to Nebet Tepe, one of Plovdiv’s historic hills and one of the oldest parts of the city. Ancient ruins are scattered across the top, with views out over Plovdiv, and it’s a popular place to watch the sunset.
That had been my plan.
Except I’d arrived a little too early, and with only two days in Plovdiv, I really didn’t feel like sitting around waiting when there was still so much I wanted to see.
So I headed down the hill toward Kapana.
Kapana is Plovdiv’s creative district, a colorful little neighborhood filled with street art, cafés, restaurants, galleries and shops.
And it was surprisingly close to my hotel.
I basically walked down the hill from the Old Town, crossed the busy road through one of the pedestrian tunnels and—voilà—I was there.
Strings of lights and colorful decorations hung between the buildings, tables spilled out onto the streets, and people seemed to be everywhere eating, drinking and hanging out. After the cobblestones and historic houses of the Old Town, Kapana felt completely different—more casual and a little funky.
I had fun exploring this part of Plovdiv. Kapana had the cafés, little shops and street art, while the streets just outside it changed again. Here I found larger, much grander buildings painted in shades of yellow, pink, orange and red, many with elaborate plasterwork, balconies and decorative details.
I liked how quickly Plovdiv seemed to change. I could walk only a few blocks and feel as though I’d entered a completely different part of the city.
It wasn’t long before I came across my first major Roman ruins in this part of town—the Ancient Stadium of Philippopolis.
Built in the 2nd century, the stadium once stretched for about 240 meters through what is now the heart of Plovdiv and could hold as many as 30,000 spectators. Today you can see the curved northern end with some of its marble seating, while much of the rest remains buried beneath the modern pedestrian street.
Here I was walking along a busy modern shopping street with pieces of a huge Roman stadium sitting right in the middle of it—and much more of it underneath my feet.
Right beside the stadium was Dzhumaya Mosque, also known as the Friday Mosque. I didn’t go inside, but with its tall minaret and distinctive brick-and-stone exterior, it was hard not to stop and look.
I loved this about Plovdiv. I could be looking at murals and cafés in Kapana, walk a few minutes and suddenly be standing beside a Roman stadium and a centuries-old Ottoman mosque.
I also walked over to the remains of the Roman Forum. There isn’t nearly as much left here as at the Ancient Theatre, but enough remains to get an idea of what once stood here.
I kept coming across traces of Plovdiv’s Roman past. Some were beautifully preserved, some were little more than fragments, and then I’d turn another corner and find something else.
Eventually, I made my way back uphill to the Old Town before calling it a night.
The next morning started with breakfast at the hotel.
They put out quite a spread—pastries, cheeses, eggs, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, olives, jams, honey, chocolate spread and all sorts of other little dishes—which seemed especially generous considering I was the only guest staying at the hotel that night.
But of everything they put out, it was the Bulgarian yogurt I was most interested in trying. I’d been hearing about it since I arrived in Bulgaria, so of course I had to have some.
It was definitely different from the Greek yogurt I’m used to eating. It wasn’t particularly cold or firm and had a slightly lumpy texture and a much more sour taste. The best way I can describe it is somewhere between yogurt and cottage cheese.
I’m glad I tried it, but let’s just say I wasn’t planning to replace my usual yogurt with it.
After breakfast, I headed back uphill to the Ancient Theatre, hoping I’d have better luck than I’d had the day before.
This time, it was open.
The Ancient Theatre is remarkably well preserved. Rows of marble seats curve around the hillside looking down toward the stage, where parts of the original columns and architectural details still remain.
Enough of it survives that you can actually imagine it filled with people.
And yes, it’s an archaeological site, but what I thought was pretty incredible is that nearly 2,000 years later, performances and concerts are still held here.
I spent some time walking around before heading toward another place that had been closed when I’d passed it the previous day—the Ethnographic Museum.
On the way, I stopped at the Church of Saints Constantine and Helena, one of the oldest churches in Plovdiv. What first caught my attention were the beautiful religious paintings in the covered area outside. Inside was even more to look at, including an elaborate carved and gilded iconostasis.
The Regional Ethnographic Museum is housed in the Kuyumdzhioglu House, a beautiful Bulgarian Revival house built in 1847. With its dark painted exterior and unusual shape, it was definitely one of the more interesting houses I’d seen in the Old Town.
Inside were traditional clothing, furniture, crafts, musical instruments and household objects from Bulgarian life in the past. As interesting as the museum was, I think I liked seeing the house itself just as much.
Afterward, I spent more time exploring the Old Town and eventually found my way to the Street of Crafts.
The narrow cobblestone street is lined with small workshops where local craftspeople make and sell things like pottery, jewelry, woodcarvings and traditional textiles. In some, you can go inside and watch them at work. I had fun poking around the different workshops and seeing what was being made.
By this point I was really loving Plovdiv. It was such an easy city to explore on foot, and every time I thought I’d seen most of it, I’d turn another corner and find something else.
Eventually I headed back down toward Kapana, where the colorful mural outside Safron caught my attention.
I’ll be honest, the mural is what got me. The place looked cute, so I decided to stop for lunch. I ordered halloumi with tomatoes, which turned out to be really good.
After lunch, I continued through Kapana before making my way into the broader pedestrian area in the center of Plovdiv. The streets opened up here, with larger, more ornate buildings and plenty of shops, so I spent some time window shopping and looking around.
This was also where I came across another huge piece of socialist-era artwork on the side of a building. At the bottom were the words Plovdiv–Leningrad. The sgraffito dates from 1980 and commemorates the friendship between Plovdiv and the former Soviet city of Leningrad, today’s St. Petersburg.
And somewhere along the way, I came across Hansel and Gretel.
It was the completely over-the-top facade that drew me in. It looked like something straight out of a fairy tale, with candy, characters and all sorts of decorations covering the front.
Inside, it was just as whimsical—candy-cane columns, twisting trees and sweets everywhere.
I couldn’t very well walk into a place like that and not get a gelato, so of course I did.
By this point it was getting pretty hot, and after walking up and down Plovdiv’s hills for hours, I decided I’d earned a break. I headed back to Hotel Evmolpia for a couple of hours before going out again later in the afternoon.
Then it was back to Kapana for dinner, this time at Pavaj.
I ordered a cheese-filled filo dish and a cider and sat writing a few postcards while I ate. It was nice to sit for a while after spending most of the day on my feet.
And apparently I hadn’t had quite enough gelato earlier because I eventually grabbed a small cup of that too.
I mean, I’m on vacation, aren’t I?
After dinner, there was still one more hill I wanted to climb—Sahat Tepe, also known as Danov Hill, with its old clock tower at the top.
I followed the path uphill until I reached the tower.
From here I was looking out over Plovdiv from almost the opposite side of the city from Nebet Tepe, so it gave me a completely different view.
I’d decided not to wait for sunset the night before, but since this was my last evening in Plovdiv, I headed back up to Nebet Tepe.
This time I stayed. I found a spot among the ruins and watched the sun set over Plovdiv.
And it was gorgeous.
The following morning I had a little time before my driver arrived to take me into the Rhodope Mountains and Yagodina.
Naturally, I went for another walk.
I needed stamps for the postcards I’d written the night before, so I headed back toward the center in search of the post office.
And of all places, the post office gave me one final piece of Plovdiv’s socialist-era art.
Inside was an enormous mosaic of doves covering much of the wall in the main hall.
I bought my stamps, mailed my postcards and headed back toward the Old Town.
I loved my two days in Plovdiv. And I certainly covered some ground—I walked 8.5 miles my first day and another 9.4 miles the next, much of it uphill and over cobblestones.
Back at Hotel Evmolpia, my driver was waiting.
Next stop—Yagodina and a week of hiking in the Rhodope Mountains.
Three Days in Sofia, Bulgaria
Three days exploring Bulgaria’s capital before heading on to Plovdiv. (coming soon)
Hiking Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains: A Week on the Trails
Six days based in Yagodina, hiking through gorges, caves, forests and mountain villages.
An Evening with a Eurasian Brown Bear in Bulgaria
An unexpected evening in a forest hide—and a bear that appeared just five minutes after we almost gave up.
Bulgarian Food: What I Ate as a Vegetarian
What I ate around Bulgaria, from shopska salad and grilled cheese to banitsa and Bulgarian yogurt. (coming)
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