Holidays in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria - main attractions, weather, photos

Plovdiv is an amazing city that I sincerely love. Despite the fact that it is not on the coast, it is the most interesting city in the continental part of the country after the capital of Sofia. It is very convenient to travel around Bulgaria, exploring Sofia, Plovdiv and, for example, sunny Burgas, making an unforgettable trip lasting a month or two, as I did.

Among other things, Plovdiv boasts an incredible area of the Old Town, which was built by the Turks during the ownership of this city. Here every fifth house is a house-museum, where you can go in and often see royal-style interiors. There are several ruins from the Ancient World in Plovdiv - an amphitheater and a boulevard.

In Plovdiv it is better to stay for two or three days, since the historical center of the city is quite small, and on its outskirts you will find areas of standard bedroom buildings.

Nevertheless, for many tourists, like me, Plovdiv seemed completely idyllic, in its own way aristocratic and romantic, because you can stay here for a much longer period than planned.

How to get there

The easiest way to get to Plovdiv is through the airport in Sofia (the capital of Bulgaria, 140 km from Plovdiv). You can also come here by car from Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as by train.

Since Plovdiv is not at sea, there is no ferry service to this city.

By plane

By plane, you can conveniently get to Plovdiv from Moscow and St. Petersburg via Sofia Airport.

From Moscow

By plane from Moscow you can fly to Sofia for 11000-17000 RUB on both sides of the companies Air Serbia (makes a transfer in Belgrade, 5 hours flight), Turkish Airlines (makes a transfer in Istanbul, 5-6 hours flight).

The price of a ticket Moscow - Sofia without a change is 16000-20000 RUB on both sides of the airline Bulgaria Air (2.5 hours flight) and Aeroflot (3 hours flight).

From St. Petersburg

By plane from St. Petersburg you can fly to Sofia for 16000-25000 RUB in both directions from Turkish Airlines (change in Istanbul, 18 hours), from LOT (change in Warsaw, 8-26 hours of flight, you need a Schengen). There are no direct flights from St. Petersburg to Sofia.

You can also fly on a flight St. Petersburg - Moscow - Sofia. But be careful choosing the arrival and departure airports in Moscow, because the flight St. Petersburg - Moscow can fly to one airport, and Moscow - Sofia fly from another). The cost of a St. Petersburg – Moscow flight from S7 Airlines costs about 7 thousand rubles one way + an average of 18 thousand rubles for direct flights Moscow – Sofia, total = 25 thousand rubles on both sides with one change in Moscow.

How to get from Sofia Airport to Plovdiv

Buses run from Sofia Airport to Plovdiv from morning until late at night (the price is about 4 USD per person). If you arrive at night, most likely you will have to take a taxi (50 USD per car). The total distance between Sofia Airport and Plovdiv is 142 km, i.e. approximately 1 hour 35 minutes drive.

Plovdiv Airport

The airport is local, so I do not recommend using it for your trip. There is not even a permanent bus service to the city. Taxi from the airport to your hotel will cost you 5 USD (10 BGN).

By train

A train Moscow - Sofia (the capital of Bulgaria, located 400 km from Sozopol) goes to Bulgaria from Moscow. Then you can change trains from Sofia to Burgas (Burgas is 30 km from Sozopol), and then take the bus from the bus station to Sozopol. Do not forget that travel through the territory of Romania is carried out on a Schengen visa.

The train Moscow - Sofia takes a very long time - 2 days 3 hours. It travels 2,800 kilometers and makes stops in Kiev, Lviv, Vikshani (Romania), Bucharest (Romania), Rousse (Bulgaria) and other smaller settlements. This train runs only in the summer, the route closes for the winter. It is necessary to clarify whether the train will be allowed again in the 2017th year (it worked in 2013-2015).

Ticket price in a compartment (4-seater) - from 12,000 rubles in both directions. It is allowed to transport no more than one large dog or two small dogs / cats, as well as animals in cages, but only in business class. During the train (50 hours) there are approximately 10 stops lasting more than 20 minutes, when you can get out of the car, i.e. approximately every 5 hours.

The Sofia-Plovdiv train runs 2 hours, 132 km. The fare is from 5 USD (10 BGN). The train is sedentary.

By bus

It is very inconvenient to get to Plovdiv by bus, so I do not recommend this option to any traveler!

By car

The Moscow-Plovdiv route looks something like the map below. Keep in mind that you will need a Schengen visa to cross Romania, and on the border with Romania and Bulgaria you will find the Giurgiu-Ruse bridge. The fare is 3 EUR per car. In addition, you pass Kiev, Chisinau (Moldova), Bucharest (Romania), Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgaria).

The route St. Petersburg - Plovdiv looks something like the map below. The first option is based on passing through Kaunas (Lithuania), Warsaw (Poland), the Czech Republic, Budapest in Hungary, Belgrade and the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia.

The second option involves travel through Minsk, Kiev, Chisinau, Bucharest, the Giurgiu-Ruse bridge. The fare on the Giurgiu - Ruse (Romania - Bulgaria) bridge is 3 EUR per passenger car.

Attention! To drive through Romania, you need to buy a vignette for a car that costs 3 EUR for 7 days for a passenger car (you cannot buy for 1 day). You can buy it here (payment by card). The plan for filling is extremely simple: an individual / legal entity, the registration or registration address where the car is registered (Russia), name, surname, telephone number in the format 07 *** and further (SMS will be sent to the telephone), email address.

hint: Plovdiv - time now22: October 1313Difference in hours: Moscow & plus; 0 Kazan & plus; 0Samara & plus; 1 Yekaterinburg & plus; 2 Novosibirsk & plus; 4Vladivostok & plus; 7

When is the season. When is the best time to go?

It is best to combine a visit to Plovdiv with a trip to the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia and the coast, to Burgas or another seaside resort.

Therefore, I advise you to go to Plovdiv from the end of May to the end of October, so that the sea is warm.

Plovdiv in the summer

In summer, Plovdiv is ideal for tourists - it is very warm, the city has hotels with pools, so you can have a great rest here! In addition, at this time the very season on the Bulgarian coast, where I also advise you to drop by.

The weather in the summer is always sunny, the air temperature during the day is 22-28 ° C.

Plovdiv in the fall

In autumn, Plovdiv is great for walking! In September-October, you can still swim in the sea in Burgas, Nessebar or Sozopol, so I highly recommend going here at this time. But November will already be too cold, it is better for him to choose the southern coast of Turkey or Greece.

The temperature in the afternoon in September is about 22-23 ° С, in October and November - 13-15 ° С.

Plovdiv in the spring

Since Plovdiv is still a sightseeing, and not a beach mecca for tourists, you can come here from the beginning of April, when the daytime temperature ranges from 18-25 ° C. In April and March, the air is cold, there may be wind, the air temperature is about 14 ° C in the afternoon.

But I would advise you to come here in June-August (summer) or September (autumn) in order to find good weather and warm sea on the coast.

Plovdiv in winter

In winter, Plovdiv, in principle, is not very attractive for tourism. For example, if you want to celebrate the New Year in Bulgaria, I advise you to choose the capital Sofia with a large number of restaurants and cafes, or Istanbul in Turkey.

In winter, snow lies in Plovdiv and the temperature is usually slightly below zero, for example, -3 ° C during the day and -8 ° C at night.

Plovdiv - monthly weather

hint: Plovdiv - weather for the months of January −0.3 February plus 1.3 March plus 6.0 April plus 6.0 April plus 11.3 May plus 16.3 June plus plus 20.3 July plus 22.3 August plus plus 22.0 September plus 18.7 October plus plus 12.7 November plus 6.7 December & plus; 2.0

Areas. Where is better to live

In Plovdiv there are three areas that may be of interest to tourists:

The center of Plovdiv is a very nice area, the most beautiful in the city. If the Old City is full of narrow streets and small historical buildings, as from a cartoon, then the Center has large streets, parks, avenues, houses in French and other European styles. I would advise you to stay in a hotel in the Center, closer to the Ancient Theater. This is how the central streets of Plovdiv look:

The Old City is a historical district, more likely walking and walking than residential. Its very center is the Architectural and Historical Reserve (entrance - 2.5 USD), and the outskirts are still residential. There are hotels, restaurants, cafes, as well as residential buildings. The restoration of buildings in the Old City was carried out at a very high level - the houses were not just repaired, but their traditional appearance was preserved, even the interiors have antique furniture. There are more than 10 museum houses that you can walk around, see rooms full of royal luxury or, conversely, peasant surroundings. It looks like a simple street of the Old Town of Plovdiv:

Karshiyaka is a former sleeping area, which, with the advent of the Ritz casino and hotels, has also become a tourist area. Nevertheless, there are a lot of panel houses, there are no necessary number of parks for walks, so if you are not a fan of gambling, I do not advise you to even go to this area, there is nothing interesting in it. This is what the center of Karshiyaki looks like:

Housing by type can be divided into four categories:

Room rental in a cheap hotel - from 10 to 40 USD per day for a double room.
Room rental in an expensive hotel - from 40 to 100 USD per day for a double room.
Family apartments in the hotel for 4-6 people - from 40 USD per day per apartment.

Renting an apartment from a private owner for a long time through a real estate agency (for example, with an annual contract) - from 120 USD per month for an attic for two, from 300 USD per month for an apartment with good furniture and new repair of 50-80 sq. meters (3-5 people, maximum).

At Bucking you can book accommodation, but here it is worth comparing prices. If you prefer to rent from locals, check out the offers on this site.

What are the prices for vacation

The price of accommodation in an expensive hotel is 80 USD, in an inexpensive one - 40 USD, in one of the cheapest hotels - 15 USD.
The price of lunch in an inexpensive restaurant is 10 USD, dinner in an expensive restaurant is 20 USD, lunch with meat in a traditional cafe is 2-4 USD.

The fare for a taxi in the city is 4 USD, for a bus in the city - 1 USD.
The price of a ticket to the museums is 2.5-5 USD.

hint: Cost of food, accommodation, transport and other currency: Euro, € US dollar, $ Russian ruble, rub Bulgarian lev, lv Prices in restaurants and cafes

Eating (lunch / dinner) in a reasonably priced restaurant	365 rub
Lunch / dinner for two, 3 course, middle class restaurant	1388 rub
McMill at McDonald's or similar combo lunch	256 rub

More details

The main attractions. What to watch

If you like old buildings, architecture, walking around the manor houses and taking pictures on narrow streets, Plovdiv really has something to see. Almost all interesting places in Plovdiv have a fixed entry price of 2.5 USD (5 BGN), so prepare a lot of 5 BGN notes! Or buy a single ticket and save up to 400%.

So, starting from the Tourism Association in Plovdiv at ul. Konstantin Stoilov, 50, to buy a Single Ticket and get a discount on visits, you can make your route around the city more convenient. There are various packages, usually it costs 5 USD (15 BGN) and opens access to about 10 museums immediately.

On the map I marked not only the TOP-5 attractions, which I will write about below (they are marked with different colors and signs), but also all museums and house-museums (marked with burgundy stars).

Top 5

Amphitheater Plovdiv (Antique Theater Filipopolis) - this is a unique building, built almost two thousand years ago during the time of the Roman Empire and restored in the highest quality only in the last century. Address: st. Stanislav Dospevsky. Opening hours: 09: 00-18: 00. Entrance fee: 2.5 USD (5 BGN).
Singing Fountains - A great idea for relaxing in the park with children and for couples in love :) Watch the show, dine at the local grill bar. An ice rink is open here in winter. Address: Tsar Simeonova Gradina Park, south corner. Performances: usually in the evening, at 17-18 hours. Fountains in the park, admission is free.

Archeological complex of Nebet Tepe (Nebet Tepe) - medieval ruins of about IV century. It was in 342 that Philip of Macedon conquered this region and built the city of Philippopol (Filipopolis) here. Address: st. Dr. Stoyan Chomkov, at the end of the street. Entrance fee is 2.5 USD (5 BGN).
Trakart Cultural Center - A very peculiar art museum, here are not paintings, but mosaic panels, glassware, dishes of the Eneolithic and Neolithic era. There are a huge number of antique Roman mosaics. The house itself, which houses the cultural center, was built 1,500 years ago, excavated only in the 1980s and has an original mosaic floor. Opening hours: 09: 00-19: 00. Entrance fee: 2.5 USD (5 BGN). Address: Blvd. Tsar Boris III-Combiner 89, south of the amphitheater.

Antique odeon - Another attraction of Plovdiv from the era of Ancient Rome. From the odeon there are several columns, sculptures and a mini-amphitheater. In the past, this was a very popular public building of the ancient city. Opening hours: 09: 00-17: 00. Entrance fee: 2.5 USD (5 BGN). Address: st. General Gurko, 12.

Beaches. Which are better

There is no place to swim in Plovdiv, despite the fact that there are as many as two beaches. The beach on the Danube (opposite the Grand Hotel Plovdiv) looks like the most ordinary Russian beach on the river (and even worse), and the beach at the sports complex gives the atmosphere of the USSR (near Landmark Kriyk Hotel, panorama below).

Therefore, I advise you to go overseas to Burgas or go to a normal water park in Plovdiv.

Churches and temples. Which are worth a visit

On the map of attractions, I marked the churches that you can visit in the format of your personal trip to Plovdiv. I recommend this part of the excursion program not only to believers, but also to architecture lovers.

All churches are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entrance is allowed when the service is in progress and when the church is empty. But you need to have closed shoulders, for women it is better not to short shorts / trousers and a scarf (preferably for girls from 12 years old).

You can find out more about churches in my article Old Town Plovdiv.

Museums Which are worth a visit

Plovdiv has a lot of museums and museum houses, especially in the Old Town. All of them, for your convenience, have already been marked by me on the map above, which you can easily use for a walk. Below are not all museums in Plovdiv, together with house-museums and art galleries there are more than 50 of them in the city! Details on this topic and revealed in the article Old Plovdiv.

So, I marked the most popular on the map of attractions and made a brief description of the three most important:

Museum of Archeology. Opening hours: 10: 00-17: 00. Address: st. Connection, 1. Entrance - 2.5 USD (5 BGN).
Museum of Natural History. Opening hours: 09: 00-17: 00. Address: st. Hristo G. Danov 34, at the park Dondukova. Entrance fee is 2.5 USD (5 BGN).
Plovdiv Art Gallery - stunning paintings, surrealism, oil, an icon room and much more! Opening hours: 09: 00-17: 00. Address: st. Prince Alexander I-vi. Entrance fee is 2.5 USD (5 BGN).

Tourist streets

You can see the entire tourist area on the map of attractions, and by their concentration you can determine the boundaries of the Center and the Old City - all of them are interesting for tourists.

Inside this zone there are restaurants, and hotels, and shopping centers, and parks, as well as walking areas, many supermarkets and clothing stores.

What to see in 1 day

Plovdiv is an incredibly rich city for museums, art galleries, museum houses (exhibition houses), but all the sights are nearby, so it’s quite possible to view absolutely everything that is marked on my map of sights in one day. If somewhere you are not happy with the exposition, for example, it seems boring, just go out after 5 minutes, quickly going through all the halls. Where interesting, stay half an hour.

09:00 - we begin our journey from the Tourism Association in Plovdiv at ul. Konstantin Stoilov, 50 to buy a Single Ticket and get a discount on visits (up to 400%).
09:05 - we visit in turn the Atanas Krastev House Museum, on a hill the ruins of Nebet Tepe, the Balabanov House Museum, the Hindliyan House Museum, the Anastas Artist Gallery, the Nedkovich Mansion, the Ethnographic Museum, the Plovdiv Art Gallery, the Lamartin House Museum. For this walk you only have 2 hours, so do not be afraid to pass by expositions that are not interesting for you personally.
11:00 - we go along the street Metropolitan Paisius along the Churches of St. Dimitar, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin and the Church of St.Virgin Mary. We leave on the street. Siborn and to Jumaya park. So we looked at the main attractions of the Old City district. I marked this first part of the route on the map:
11:15 - from there to the south on the street. Prince Aleksndar, we visit shops and clothing boutiques.
12:00 - I advise you to dine in the restaurant at the Drama Theater, then visit Pl. Stefan Stambolov.
14:00 - we visit the ancient theater, Odeon.
From 18:00 to 20:00 we spend time at the singing fountains in the Morado Bar & Dinner restaurant. Only about two hours.
21:00 - weary and happy leave for home. Or (for those who are younger and not tired at all), we go to the neighboring night club VOGUE. Below you will see the second part of the route (3.3 km):

Attention: Between visits to the Old City and the Ancient Theater and the Odeon, I strongly advise you to take a lunch break, as shown in my travel plan. It is not worth going from the Old City to the Antique Theater right away just because it is close to it.

Nevertheless, it is better to relax in the restaurant and shopping, and then continue the excursion program in order to fully enjoy the charm of antiquity!

What to see in the surroundings

In the vicinity of Plovdiv there are several amazing cities that you can visit. Around (up to 120 km of the road) Plovdiv is spread, mainly, the most ordinary villages, so even in the popular tourist village of Asenovgrad it almost makes no sense to go.

Below I have compiled the three most popular routes from Plovdiv:

City Sofia (145 kilometers) - the capital of Bulgaria, many boutiques, shops and restaurants. Sofia, of course, is a very important part of any Bulgarian travel.
Resort cities on the sea - Burgas, Nessebar and Sozopol (255 kilometers to Burgas) - the opportunity to enjoy the sea and the sun on the best beaches in Bulgaria.

The city of Kavala, Greece (260 kilometers) is an amazingly beautiful Greek resort, which is worth visiting for absolutely everyone who has such an opportunity! There are about 12 beaches in Kavala, many hotels, restaurants and shops, you will surely be interested here!

hint: Routes to neighboring cities Plovdiv - Kuklen 13 km Plovdiv - Asenovgrad 18 km Plovdiv - Perushchitsa 19 km Plovdiv - Bachkovo 23 km Plovdiv - Pazardzhik 34 km

Food. What to try

In Plovdiv, it is worth concentrating on Bulgarian cuisine, the dishes of which are excellently prepared here. You should treat yourself to grilled meat, barbecue, barbecue in Bulgarian, as well as options from Italian cuisine.

I would advise you to keep the ratio 1: 1.

Recommended Places

Below I present a list of recommended restaurants in Plovdiv. Just want to add that they struck me with a friendly, truly European service and very large portions. Below I have mapped these places:

Budgetary

"Pri Pacho" - a small home restaurant with a not too extensive menu, but a very attractive price tag. Opening hours: 11: 00-23: 00. The average check for lunch is 2 USD (4 BGN); she herself did not believe it was so cheap. For example, 100 grams of Bolognese - 0.5 USD, 1 BGN. Full address: st. Stamat Ikonomov, 11.
Tone Bonbon is not just a family restaurant, but a magical world with a children's play area and a very cheap menu with hearty dishes. Opening hours: 11: 00-23: 00. The average check for lunch is 4-6 USD (8-12 BGN), juice - 0.5 USD (1.5 BGN). Full address: st. Porto Lagos, 45.

Restaurant "Ribarnika" is a simple restaurant with nice prices, mainly seafood dishes. Opening hours: 09: 00-01: 00. The average bill for a seafood dish is 5 USD (10 BGN). Full address: st. King Simeon, 158.
"Shanghai" - just a great institution with low prices. Only Chinese food !. Opening hours: 09: 00-01: 00. The average bill for a salad is 2 USD (4 BGN), all main courses are 2-6 USD (4-12 BGN). For example, spaghetti with meat - 2.5 USD (5 BGN). Full address: st. King Simeon, 158.

Mid level

"Old Plovdiv" is a restaurant in the Old Town with an amazing supply of traditional Bulgarian dishes. Worth a visit between museum visits. Opening hours: 09: 00-23: 00. The average bill for a meal is 8 USD (16 BGN). Full address: st. Fr. Holio Curie 6A.
Restaurant "Sombrero" is a budget Mexican restaurant, perfect for visiting with children. Opening hours: 10: 00-23: 00. The average check for lunch is 5-10 USD (10-20 BGN). Full address: 5 Dunav Boulevard (Royal City Center).

Megdana is a traditional Bulgarian restaurant that serves only Bulgarian cuisine, including seafood. If you want to appreciate the culinary traditions of Bulgaria, be sure to go here. The interior here, by the way, is appropriate. There are musical performances with folk dances. Opening hours: 18: 00-00: 30. The average bill for a terrific dinner is 10 USD (20 BGN). Full address: st. Audris, 11.

Expensive

"Torro" (Torro Grande) - a chic restaurant with a very beautiful interior in the style of a luxury chalet! There are sushi, grilled meat, a lot of desserts. Opening hours: 07: 00-02: 00. The average check for lunch is about 10 USD (20 BGN). Full address: st. Captain Raicho Nikolov, 66.

"Hemingway" is a delicious Bulgarian meat dishes and grill. Located in a quiet street, the perfect place to dine with your family while traveling. There is a chic wine list and even your own wine cellar. Opening hours: 12: 00-24: 00. The average check for lunch is 15 USD (30 BGN). Full address: st. Gene. I.V. Gurko, 10.

"Mamori" (Memory) is a wine restaurant, the emphasis is on meat dishes and appetizers specifically for wines. You can very conveniently try many varieties with explanations from the owner. Dishes of author, Italian, European, Bulgarian cuisine, as well as seafood, barbecue and desserts are served. Opening hours: 12: 00-24: 00. The average check for lunch is 10 USD (20 BGN). Full address: pl. Connection, 3.

Holidays

In Plovdiv, more than 20 festivals are held per year, the current poster you can see here.

There is the Jazz Festival (early November), the Folklore Festival (first week of August), the Opera Festival (all of September), the rock festival (early September) and many others.

Security. What to watch out for

Plovdiv is a very safe city in the center, but the outskirts and sleeping areas can remind you of a rather nostalgic mood of the USSR. So, I advise you simply not to go beyond the areas of the tourist center of the city, and you can feel exactly the same security as in your hometown, and even more. In Bulgaria, everyone is very friendly with tourists, problems and misunderstandings are minimized (unlike, for example, from Egypt).

So, Plovdiv is a completely safe resort that can be visited with children of any age!

Things to do

In addition to the numerous museums and restaurants of Bulgarian and Italian cuisine in Plovdiv there are several casinos and even a water park. Below you will see them on the map:

AquaLand Waterpark is an excellent, large and very cheap waterpark in Plovdiv, in a residential area. Opening hours: 09: 00-17: 00. Entrance fee - 6 USD (12 BGN). Address: st. Theofan of the Regions, Aqua Land Hotel.

Ritz Casino is the only real casino in Plovdiv with animation, an amazing interior in the style of Las Vegas, chic lighting, an excellent selection of spirits. Address: st. Vasil Levski, 11.

Palms Casino is a very small casino, it cannot be compared with Ritz, but it is worth a visit if you are an amateur. Address: st. Raiko Daskalov 8. Works around the clock.
Efbet is the smallest casino in Plovdiv, which also cannot be called a competitor to Ritz. It is rather a casino salon. Address: st. Patriarch Eutimius, 9.

Shopping and shops

Plovdiv has a lot of shops, clothing boutiques, shoes and accessories. Listing them all is quite difficult, so below you will see a map of the best clothing stores, shopping centers and supermarkets in Plovdiv:

Bars Where to go

Amadeus is a wonderful bar in the style of classic burlesque, with international cuisine, desserts, cocktails and alcohol. Usually music plays chill out, jazz, R&B, no electronics. Opening hours: 07: 30-00: 30. The average bill for the evening is 15 USD (30 BGN). Full address: Blvd. Princess Maria Louise 6.
Piano Bar Getsby (Getsby) is a great place with live music. Opening hours: 23: 00-05: 00. The average bill for the evening is 20 USD (40 BGN). Full address: Blvd. Hristo Botev, 82.
Fabric is a fairly cheap bar compared to others, usually the age category of 20-28 years is just going here, whereas in night clubs it is usually much higher. Opening hours: 11: 00-01: 00. The average bill for the evening is 10 USD (20 BGN). Full address: st. Father Paisius, 31.
Gramophone is a traditional pub-style bar, large wooden bar counter, wooden tables and terraces. There is no full-fledged cuisine, as in Morado (see below), but there are cocktails, a variety of (and very cheap) shots, wines and vodka, and beer. Opening hours: 10: 00-02: 00. The average bill for the evening is 10 USD (20 BGN), for example, for 4 shots of tequila or two cocktails. Full address: st. Prince Alexander I-vi 36.

Morado Bar & Dinner - a gorgeous place in the park, the second floor is made all like a veranda. Lunch here will be surrounded by a park and flowers, during dinner you can watch from the veranda of the show of singing fountains. Opening hours: 11: 00-01: 00. The average bill for a dinner is 15 USD (30 BGN). Full address: st. Auxentius Veleski, 19, in the park.

Clubs and nightlife

There are several night clubs in Plovdiv. Despite the small population of the city, it is the cultural capital of Bulgaria and the second city after Sofia. Because here you can find quite modern night clubs.

The dress code is ordinary club, without beach and summer clothes, tracksuits, jeans and T-shirts, slates, sandals (except for girls) are not allowed. Best of all - trousers and a shirt or suit, girls dress, skirt and blouse, ballet shoes. So here everyone dresses. True, most clubs are allowed in jeans and a shirt. It should be borne in mind that the age category of guests in nightclubs in Plovdiv is always about 30-47 years old, and not 18-28 years old, as you might think. Below I present you a list of the best:

Galaxy is the most luxurious club in Plovdiv with a central stage, go-girls and a very incendiary program. Performances of artists and DJs are constantly held. Hall for 1000 people. Opening hours: 11: 30-06: 00. Entrance fee - 5 USD (10 BGN), for some events - free. The price of alcohol is from 1.5 USD, for example, for a shot of tequila (3 BGN). Full address: Trakia Blvd. Exemption to BL.№1.

Planet Club La Dolce Vita is probably the most inconvenient night club in Plovdiv, located at the end of the Karshiyaka district. However, it is very modern and stylish, playing modern music. The interior is ultra-modern, with a touch of Gothic. I would advise you to visit this particular club, along with Galaxy. A huge plus - there is also a restaurant. Opening hours: 21: 00-06: 00. Entrance fee - 2.5 USD (5 BGN). The price of shots is from 2 USD (4 BGN). Full address: Blvd. Dunav, 5.

Pasha Club is a modern club with a convenient location near the Odeon, the contingent is usually 28-36 years old, locals and Bulgarians from the capital. Opening hours: 23: 00-06: 00. Entrance fee - 5 USD (10 BGN). The price of cocktails is from 2 USD (4 BGN), for example, for gin. Full address: st. Captain Raicho Nikolov, 56.
Secrets is probably the cheapest Plovdiv night club, but it is very small. Nevertheless, it has its own charm - it is usually played only by Bulgarian, Latin American and pop music. Opening hours: 21: 00-06: 00. Admission is free for students and 2.5 USD (5 BGN) for everyone else. The price of cocktails is from 2 USD (4 BGN). Full address: Blvd. Maritsa 81, Karshiyaka.
Bally Club is an excellent modern club, however, primarily for locals. Age category - 30-40. There are interesting performances by Bulgarian music groups (pop, rock). Opening hours: every day 08: 30-04: 00. Entrance fee for musical performances - 2 USD (5 BGN). The price of cocktails is from 2 USD (5 BGN) for a simple shot. Full address: st. Abadzhisk, 1.

VOGUE is one of the most fashionable nightclubs in the city, popular in the category of 20-40 years. Opening hours: 23: 30-06: 00. Entrance fee - 5 USD (10 BGN). The price of cocktails is from 4 USD (8 BGN) for a cocktail and 2 USD (4 BGN) for a shot of rum or tequila. Full address: st. Auxentius Veleski, 20.
Polinero Place is an incredible atmosphere of live music in a truly traditional bar. People of the age category 40-60 usually relax here. Opening hours: 19: 30-05: 30. Entrance fee - free if there is no live music, and 2.5-5 USD if the performance is in the evening. The price of alcohol is from 3 USD (6 BGN). Full address: st. Vratsata, 5, Iztochen district.

Souvenirs. What to bring as a gift

Plovdiv is a city of art and culture! Here you should definitely buy only one type of souvenir - paintings (well, except magnets and figurines in the style of the Old Town of Plovdiv). The paintings here are usually painted either by local Bulgarian authors or by painters from the capital of Sofia. Amazing techniques, unusual presentation - there are traditional oil paintings, modern art, and an art house - and more!

How to get around the city

It is best to walk around the city, but if you come from Sofia or Burgas, you may already have a rented car. In addition, in Plovdiv, a regular bus system between all areas of the city is developed. And in the Center and the Old City everything in general remains within walking distance.

Taxi. What features exist

A taxi ride in the city of Plovdiv can cost 2-6 USD, on average - 4 USD (8 BGN). Taxis can be safely stopped on the street with a wave of your hand. There are no electronic payments on cards in a taxi, dollars and euros are usually not accepted, only Bulgarian currency, leva (BGN).

Above you see a map of taxi ranks with company telephones.

Buses

Buses run regularly in Plovdiv and there are a lot of routes, like in a Russian city of the same size. But since the tourist zone does not extend beyond the limits of the Center and the Old City, most likely you will not even need them. Nevertheless, just in case, you should know that buses stop at stops, the fare within the city is 0.5 USD (1 BGN).

To get from the Ancient Theater to the Ritz casino and back, you need to take bus number 2. So, you take the bus on Tsar Boris Boulevard (Antique Theater) on the right, i.e. you will go north, towards the Old City, drive 3 kilometers, crossing the river. Get off at the bus stop after the park, almost at the crossroads, follow the big road south (Dunav Boulevard) and in 10 minutes you will be at the Ritz Casino. Conversely, sit on the other side of the road!

Vehicle rental

Car rental in Plovdiv is very easy and at the same time very cheap. The rental price starts from 6-10 USD for a regular car and reaches 15-30 USD per day for a luxury car. You will need to show your passport and driver's license. Below on the map I marked car rental locations:

Compare car rental prices from different distributors here.

Plovdiv - holidays with children

In principle, I would not recommend Plovdiv for traveling with children, since in summer everyone really wants the sea or at least the pool, so the prospect of wandering through the narrow streets in the 30-degree heat does not completely appeal.

Nevertheless, if you call in Plovdiv on the way from Sofia to the sea (Burgas, for example), then the idea of visiting it with your children will be great! I remind you that there is a very large and good water park, which in any case will appeal to children!