The Best Things to Do in Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

I was so surprised by Plovdiv. The second largest city in the country, it’s the cultural capital of Bulgaria, and was the European Capital of Culture in 2019. It’s also one of the oldest cities in the world, with the area being inhabited for over eight thousand years, seeing multiple civilizations and empires rise and fall. So my expectations were fairly high.

The hostel I stayed in was located in the Old Town neighbourhood of Plovdiv, and walking through those cobbled streets, I saw a couple of ruined Roman columns in a pretty garden, gorgeous old architecture, quaint window boxes and creaking doors. I instantly knew I was going to love this city. And as I continued to explore the different neighbourhoods, that feeling only grew.

I haven’t met many people who have travelled to Bulgaria. In fact, I almost overlooked it myself, except I wanted to visit Romania, and found a ridiculously cheap flight from Seville, where I was living at the time, to Sofia. I decided right then and there to add the country to my month’s travel. And I’m so glad I did, because it became one of my favourite countries in Europe. I would love to see more people experience it for themselves, but I also like the idea of it staying off the radar! ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).