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May 17, 2015
If you are coming to Plovdiv by car you may be a bit worried where to park while you are on the Free Plovdiv Tour. Let us be your guides on this parking adventure as well and show you some nice spots. Read on to learn all of our secret tips on how to park your car in Plovdiv like a pro.
Blue Zone in Plovdiv (Синя зона)
Blue Zone sign – whenever you see this keep in mind that you CAN park your car even though the sign starts with an image that you can’t
One of the easiest ways to park is in the “Blue Zone”. This means that you can park on the streets but you have to pay. Almost the entire center is a Blue zone. In some countries “Blue Zone” means restrictions for the EURO eco category. This is not the case in Plovdiv – all cars are allowed. A convenient feature of this parking method is that once you get your ticket you can move your car within the Blue Zone until your ticket (paper or SMS) expires. Usually, on the new spot, they will check its validity.
You can park for a fee of 2BGN/hour in these areas from Monday to Saturday from 8:30 to 17:30. Outside of these hours and on Sundays parking is allowed for free.
How to pay for Blue Zone?
If you’ve found a place to park your car in the Blue Zone, there are three ways you can pay:
1) Parking machine – takes coins and banknotes (you have to put in exact change). Tickets cost 2BGN for 1 hour, but you can also pay 1 lev for just 30min. When you buy the paper ticket you have to display it on the dashboard at a visible spot so it can be seen through the windshield.
Blue zone parking ticket machine 
Blue zone parking ticket machine
2) Blue-vest ticket sellers – ticket costs 2BGN for 1 hour. There is NO 30min. option. When you buy the paper ticket you have to display it on the dashboard at a visible spot so it can be seen through the windshield.
Blue vest ticket sellers 
This is how to display the ticket on your windshield
3) Via SMS (only local providers) you can send a message with the registry license plate number of the car on 1332. The number should be written in LATIN letters. This option is only available if you have a SIM card from one of the local providers. It costs 2.40BGN for 1 hour. After the hour expires you can send a new message. There is NO 30min. option. When you buy an electronic ticket its registration happens automatically in the system. You may see a cashier checking your car’s license plate number on his/her device.
Green Zone in Plovdiv (Зелена зона) – Parking NOT allowed
Now the Green Zone is a totally different story. The Green Zone in Sofia is similar to Blue zone parking. But in Plovdiv, it shows you special mostly pedestrian areas where you CANNOT park your car unless you have a permit as a person who is living in this place. Kapana District and Old town are mostly Green Zone areas.
Paid parking lots
These are regular parking lots with or without physical guard, indoors and outdoors, with or without video control. There are a number of these in the city center. They are slightly more expensive, but usually, you can easily find a spot there. Keep in mind that in Bulgaria you cannot park your LPG or CNG car in the underground parking.
One of the most recent additions in this category is the high-tech automatic multi-level parking near “Stochna gara”. This is the first fully automated parking lot in Plovdiv and can fit 15 cars. Check out how it works in the video below!
We have created a google map for you with some of the most convenient parking lots near the city center in Plovdiv. When you click on each pin you will find information about working hours, payment method and the cost for the stay. Keep in mind that prices may periodically change.
Free parking
If you are staying in Air BnB somewhere a bit further from the city center or if you are here for just a day trip on Sunday or some of our National holidays, if you want to park the car from 17:30 for the night until 8:30 in the next business morning all streets are free. Look around for restriction signs and everything is going to be OK. Keep in mind that there are many signs for parking spots reserved for banks, shops, restaurants, delivery services, etc. If you park in front of someone’s garage (even if it doesn’t really seem to be in use) you might be really disappointed to find that it’s just this someone planning to paint the door/fence next summer but the garage is in use all the time and your car might get towed away.
If you have reached this far you are already armed with some serious knowledge and skills about parking your car in Plovdiv.
And if this still seems too hard for you using public transportation or biking are nice options for avoiding the parking adventures. Also, keep in mind that Plovdiv is not that big – most accommodation places are within walking distance from the city center and the weather here is usually really nice for walks.
Author: Free Plovdiv Tour Guide – Velislav Godzhunov
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