The best things to do in Plovdiv in one day

If you will be visiting Bulgaria and are looking for an amazing idea for a day-trip destination, Plovdiv is the place for you. Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria and has a very young and vibrant atmosphere. We spent an incredible day in Plovdiv during our Bulgaria trip and, in this post, we will tell you exactly what to see in the city so you can enjoy it just the same.

Is Plovdiv really worth visiting?

Yes, if you will be staying more than two days in Bulgaria, we definitely recommend visiting Plovdiv after spending the weekend in the country’s capital Sofia.

Read also: Itinerary for spending the weekend in Sofia

We need to be honest and say we didn’t research much about the city before our visit, but Plovdiv still managed to catch us by surprise. Even though we didn’t have high expectations, we were blown away by the alternative and lively area of the Kapana district, and the contrast between the ancient Roman city and the modern side of Plovdiv.

Here are a few reasons why we believe Plovdiv is definitely worth visiting and should be on your list:

1. Plovdiv is a very historical and cultural city. In fact, it was elected the European Capital of Culture in 2019.
2. Even though it is the second most important city in Bulgaria, it is still not well known on the European scene. We truly consider it a hidden gem.
3. You will encounter a diverse and amazing food scene.
4. Plovdiv is an extremely young city, with a very chill back vibe, which makes it a very pleasant place to spend the day.
5. It is super easy to get to Plovdiv to spend the day if you will be coming from Sofia.
6. The city is small enough for you to explore the city center comfortably within a day.

If these reasons aren’t enough to convince you yet, keep on reading to see the places you can visit and things to do in Plovdiv.

Things to do and see in 1 day in Plovdiv

One day is more than enough time to explore the main attractions of Plovdiv’s city center, which is why this city is the perfect day trip destination from Sofia. However, if you have more than a day, we recommend you sleep in the Old Town and take advantage of the additional day to visit the attractions that are located a bit further from the center.

Plovdiv is known as the city of seven hills, even though nowadays there are only six of them. The Old Town is surrounded by three of those hills, and they make some of the best viewpoints over the city.

Here is what we recommend you to see and do during your 1-day exploring Plovdiv.

Start by exploring the Old Town

Located across three of the hills (Nebet Tepe, Dzhambas Tepe, and Taksim Tepe), Plovdiv’s Old Town is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the best place to start your day trip through Plovdiv. Walking through the colorful and ancient buildings will bring you back to a different time.

We were very impressed with how the Old Town’s buildings are so well preserved, showcasing so well the traditional Bulgarian architecture. Some of the buildings are still privately owned, but you will notice that many of them have become museums, art galleries, shops, etc.

Points of interest in the Old Town:

• Hissar Kapia, the stone arch that used to be one of the three main entrances to the city
• The Ethnographic Museum and its stunning building (picture above)
• House of distillation, if you are interested in seeing a museum of how Rakija used to be made back in the days
• Nebet Tepe, one of the hills and our favorite place to watch the sunset over Plovdiv

Visit the Plovdiv Ancient Theatre

Walking through the Old Town, you will quickly get to Plovdiv’s Ancient Theatre, an impressive construction from Roman times.

There are many Roman theatres around the world, but what makes this one special is that it was only discovered in the 70s after a landslide. Since then, it has gone through a total restoration and is now being used for concerts and events. 

Can you imagine attending a show in such a unique location? If you are lucky with the program, you will be able to catch an opera or play here.

Plovdiv’s Ancient Theatre is located on the edge of one of the city hills, which means it has an amazing view of the city as a backdrop.

Opening hours:

9:30 – 18:00 from April to October, 9:00 – 17:30 from November to March. However, on event days, the venue may close earlier or not open at all. We recommend checking the schedule in advance.

Tickets: 5 BGN, bought directly at the entrance.

Pass through and enjoy the colourful Kapana District

The Kapana District was by far our favorite area of Plovdiv. It is a very artistic and colorful neighborhood where you will find some of the liveliest bars in town. We recommend strolling through the streets to enjoy the graffiti and artwork.

We have found some of our favorite restaurants in town in this area. Whenever you get hungry, just come back here and find yourself a nice spot for lunch.

Pro tip: If you will be spending the night in Plovdiv, make sure to come by to see and enjoy the nightlife as the bars come to life with locals and tourists meeting up.

Visit the Plovdiv Roman Stadium

Located right in the middle of the city center, the Roman Stadium is one of those places you simply cannot miss during your day trip to Plovdiv.

Even though nowadays only a portion of the old stadium can be seen, it used to be a massive construction that extended through the entire city center, hosting up to 30,000 people. It was discovered and excavated only recently, during the 20th century, just like the Roman Theatre.

Make sure you observe the Stadium from Dzhumaya Square but also go down to the visitor center where you can see it from below. The entrance to this part is free, and you will be able to learn a bit more about the history of Plovdiv’s Roman Stadium.

Stroll across Plovdiv’s Main Street known as Glavnata

It is impossible to spend a day exploring Plovdiv’s city center and not cross its main street. Popularly known as Glavnata, this street is more of a pedestrian boulevard where you will find a wide variety of shopping stores intertwined with a few bars and restaurants. It is the most popular meeting point in the city and a place where you will find a mix of locals and tourists.

The Roman Stadium we have mentioned above used to extend all the way across Glavnata. In fact, in some spots, you can still see some of the ruins that were discovered and preserved.

Pro tip: If you will be visiting Plovdiv on a hot day, make sure to stop for ice cream at Affredo, at the end of the street.

Climb Sahat Tepe until Plovdiv’s clock tower

Sahat Tepe is another one of Plovdiv’s hills, located on the opposite side of Glavnata if you will be coming from the Old Town. Climbing to the top of Sahat Tepe is very quick as it can be easily accessed from the city center.

The Clock Tower marks the top of the hill. To be fair, we didn’t find anything special about the clock itself. The reason we recommend going up this hill is for the view above Plovdiv. From here, you can see the center and the Roman Theatre all the way across town.

Check out the Roman Forum Philippopolis

Plovdiv is known as one of the oldest cities in Europe. By now, you have probably already understood that one of the things that makes Plovdiv most special is how the Roman past and the modern present are able to coexist.

Right in front of Affredo, you will see one of our favorite parts of the remains of the ancient Roman city of Philippopolis. Here is where the Roman Forum used to be located, which used to be surrounded by administrative buildings and two important streets. 

When visiting, you can walk through the ruins and read about the constructions on informative signs along the way. What blew us away the most is that there is a busy street passing right by it, so you can really feel the historical contrast that makes Plovdiv incredible.

Admission: Free

Visit the Tsar Simeon Garden and its Singing Fountains

Especially if you will be visiting Plovdiv during the summer, one of the best things to do in town is to take some time to walk around the Tsar Simeon Garden. Located right next to the previous two attractions, the park is a very pleasant place to rest from the heat.

The most special part of the garden is the Singing Fountains, where a music and light show happens on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, at 21:30. It is entirely free of charge.

With this last tip, we wrap up our itinerary of the best things to do in 1 day in Plovdiv. It may seem like a lot, but you can easily check all these spots within one day by foot, as everything is located close by. If you will be spending the evening in Plovdiv, we recommend going to a bar in the Kapana District.

How to get to Plovdiv from Sofia?

Since Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria, there are many possible ways to go from Sofia to Plovdiv. Here are the main options:

Getting to Plovdiv from Sofia by car

Sofia and Plovdiv are connected by one of the main highways in the country, which is basically a straight line from one city to the other. The drive takes around 1h 40m and it is 145 km long.

Going from Sofia to Plovdiv by car is the option that will give you the most flexibility as you will not have to rely on fixed timetables. You can go and park wherever you wish, and even make stops along the way. Parking in Plovdiv is very easy to find, just make sure you pay attention to the signs and pay for the parking in advance if you will be leaving the car on the street.

Read more: How is driving in Bulgaria

For our day trip to Plovdiv, we rented a car at Sofia International Airport early in the morning and returned it in the evening. The prices for renting a car for one day at the airport were varying between 9 – 20 €.

Do you need to rent a car for your trip?

We always use DiscoverCars to rent our car. So far it has proved to be not only the cheapest option but also the most reliable one. We used DiscoverCars to rent our car for our trips through Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia, Italy, and so many other countries, and we never had any issues. We even convinced all of our friends and family to use it. So that’s why we are also recommending it to you!

Get a quote here

Getting to Plovdiv from Sofia by bus or train

If you do not have your own car and don’t want to rent one, the next best option to go from Sofia to Plovdiv is to get a bus or train. Both are very accessible and affordable, we recommend picking the one that has the best timetable according to your plans. 

Ideally, you would want the transport to leave early in the morning and return at the end of the afternoon, so you can enjoy the entire day in Plovdiv. To check the schedule and purchase your ticket, we recommend using Omio.

The bus ride from Sofia to Plovdiv will take you around 2h each way on a direct line.

Pro tip: Make sure to check the schedule in advance to plan your day trip accordingly, since the bus and train timetables may vary between different seasons of the year.

Book a day trip to go to Plovdiv

If you don’t want to worry about arranging transport by yourself, booking a day trip to Plovdiv with a tour company may be the best solution for you. Most day trips leave early in the morning and return at the end of the afternoon.

Depending on the deal you get, you may have a tour of Plovdiv already included in the price or just the transport. There are several options of tours available – check below one of the options offered by Get Your Guide, the platform we usually use to book our tours.

Where to stay in Plovdiv

The best area to stay in Plovdiv if you will be visiting the city for one or just a few days is the city center. A good point of reference to use is the Old Town – if you get accommodation close to this area, you will certainly be able to explore everything by foot and have quick access to restaurants, stores, and everything you may need.

One thing worth mentioning about Plovdiv is that the city has an incredible selection of hostels. Once you visit yourself, you will see it makes sense as Plovdiv is a very young and vibrant city. Many of them are located in the Old Town itself.

Here are a few recommendations of places to stay in Plovdiv:

• HillHouse Plovdiv: This hotel is one of the best-rated properties in the center of Plovdiv. It offers a garden, private parking, and a la carte breakfast.
• Hotel Jägerhof: This property is located a little bit out of the center, but it has very beautiful interiors, comfortable rooms, and even a gym.
• Temple House: On a more budget-friendly note, we would recommend booking this very nice-looking hostel, located in the heart of Plovdiv.

If you would like to research on your own, check out the availability and offers on the map below.

When to visit Plovdiv?

Plovdiv is a city that can be visited all year round, but we recommend going during the spring or summer months. During this time, the weather is pleasant and you will be able to experience the lively side of Plovdiv. We traveled during May and had a great time, so we definitely recommend going around this time of year (between May and June).

If you will be visiting Plovdiv during the winter, keep in mind that you may encounter snow and temperatures below zero. On the other hand, Bulgaria has amazing ski resorts located nearby that you can visit on the same trip.

Other destinations you should visit in Bulgaria

If you will have more days in Bulgaria, take the opportunity to explore other amazing destinations in the country. Here are a few incredible places to visit:

• Sofia: Visiting Bulgaria and not spending a couple of days in Sofia would be like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. Sofia was our favorite place in the country, and we definitely recommend spending a few days to fully enjoy it.
• Seven Rila Lakes: Our trip to Bulgaria was originally planned so we could do this hike, but unfortunately, the weather had other plans. Even if we didn’t manage to go this time, we still have it high on our bucket list. If you like hiking and will be in Bulgaria during the warmer months, don’t miss the opportunity to hike to the Seven Rila Lakes.
• Rila Monastery: Located in the same mountains as the lakes, this monastery is a beautiful and very interesting building. Definitely worth the visit.
• Devetaki Cave: Another natural site that got us wishing for better weather, also quite high on our bucket list.
• The Black Sea: Many people visit Plovdiv on the way to the Black Sea. This is a popular travel route in Bulgaria and a very interesting place to visit.
• Bansko: The best ski resort in Bulgaria, this is the place to go for winter activities. Find out the best things to do in Bansko across different seasons.

That’s a wrap on our guide of the best things to see and do in 1-day in Plovdiv. With these tips, we believe you are more than empowered to have an amazing time in Plovdiv, whether you will be visiting for a day or longer. If you need any additional help, feel free to send us a message!

Have a great trip

Fe & Edo