Perperikon – Location and description: The half-ruined Thracian city of Perperikon (website of the location) is one of the most fascinating destinations in Bulgaria. Although discovered 20 years ago, the excavations are continuing and every successive step of the digs feeds Bulgarian historians’ imagination.  Situated in Eastern Rhodopes , Perperikon is hewn into the rocks at 470 meters altitude. The distance from Sofia is about 250 km (3 hours drive) and from Plovdiv about 100 km (less than 2 hours drive). The road is generally in good condition. The closest bigger city is Kardzhali (just over 20 km, about 30 min drive). Perperikon is an archaeological complex which covers an area of ​​about 12 square km. Being one of the oldest megalithic sites in Bulgaria, Perperikon embodies history that spans through several epochs. The complex  consists of four main parts, which form a perfect combination representing the Neolithic: a massive fortress wall; Acropolis- built of huge stone blocks, located in the highest part of the hill; Palace- carved into the rocks, […]

This is our second part of the “10 must-visit places in Plovdiv”. You can find Part I here. We are going to tell you about 5 more places in our city and their history. 10 must visit places in Plovdiv #6: The City Art Gallery The City Art Gallery of Plovdiv is one of the most remarkable cultural institutions in Plovdiv. There you can see some of the best examples of Bulgarian fine arts. The expositions of the gallery are situated in five different buildings, which are close to each other in the downtown area of the city. Four of them are in the Old Town of Plovdiv and the other one is on the main street of the city.          For bigger image of the map click here. Representative Permanent Exhibition – it contains over 200 works of Bulgarian art. There you can find the oldest example of non-religious Bulgarian painting, dating from 1812. This is the portrait of Sofronii Vrachanski, one of the most significant Bulgarian Revival leaders. Icon Gallery: the […]

Welcome to Plovdiv! Here we’ll post some of the most intriguing and famous places in the city. The fact that Plovdiv is not a large city is very convenient in terms of visiting numerous sites in a relatively short period of time. The thing is that the city is one of the oldest ones in Europe – founded approximately 6000 BC by ancestors of the Thracians. Plovdiv is full of history and amazing facts so you’ll need at least 3-4 days to get a relevant idea of its character. You can always visit the Free Plovdiv Tour – you will get to know the city in only a couple of hours. But still, Plovdiv is not all about the past – it is the second largest city in Bulgaria and is populated by a lot of young people, studying in its universities (6 universities and 4 colleges) and exploring the city’s diversity. One of the oldest European cities offers cultural and entertaining tourism and its environs are a great place […]

If you have already explored Plovdiv and are looking for another fascinating destination nearby, we strongly recommend visiting Asen’s Fortress (Asenova Krepost / „Асенова крепост”). History and Location of Asen’s Fortress This impressive medieval site is perched on a high rocky ridge in the Rhodope Mountains, overlooking the Asenitsa River. It lies about 2–3 km south of Asenovgrad (often called “the town of Asen”) and around 20 km south of Plovdiv. The original fortifications date back to the 6th century, during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian the Great. A stone inscription reveals that in 1230 Tsar Ivan Asen II rebuilt and strengthened the fortress after his victory at the Battle of Klokotnitsa. Over the centuries, the site was also known as “Stanimahos” (Станимахос) or “Petrich.” “Stanimaka” was the old name of Asenovgrad. According to a local legend, during an invasion of the fortress, the ruler found his mother cooking fish. He told her that if the fish were to come back to life, the attackers would capture them. Miraculously, […]