Let us start with a personal confession : we love Sofia but we have also a special affection and admiration for Plovdiv. If our 10 good reasons to go to Plovdiv for your next weekends won’t convince you…. We don’t know what will !
Located at 130 kilometers from Sofia, Plovdiv is considered by many the cultural capital of the country. Contrasting and truly delightful, the city surprises with its positive vibrations you can feel everywhere. Really pretty and dynamic, there is plenty to discover from this city. Follow the guide
1. European Capital of Culture in 2019
Plovdiv is one of the oldest European cities and enjoys an ancient heritage. It is the first ever Bulgarian city chosen to be a center of the European culture for a whole year. There (will) take place many festivals, concerts, and other cultural events as part of its role in 2019. The meeting between different cultures, communities and groups was the biggest challenge and the best drive for the city development. Therefore the motto TOGETHER – it helps the city winning the title European Capital of Culture, essential for the successful transition to well-known and active European center. There is not most convincing reason that this one to plane your next weekend in Plovdiv. More about Plovdiv 2019.
2. Amazing Old Town
Plovdiv is the oldest living city in Europe and among the six oldest cities in the world. There’s a lot to love about the city. The Old Plovdiv is one of our other lovely part of the city, offering an impressive architectural and historical reserve. The Old Town is an unique city within the city, and its history going back to a Neolithic settlement dated at roughly 6000 B.C. Among the sites not to be missed, check our article about the Old Town of Plovdiv here.
3. Kapana District – Artistic, Lively and Fun !
While both Sofia and Plovdiv attract many artists, Plovdiv created a special district in the city center designated for arts and crafts called Kapana district (literal translation : The Trap). Once you get there you would never want to go back. There is no other place in Plovdiv, already existing for more than 7 centuries, with such a concentration of vital public activities, with such a tangible sense of urban environment and spirit. The district has been restored to be a prosperous and lively creative area where you can find galleries, workshops, ateliers, studios, cozy restaurants and shops, as well as other art spaces, and there is even a vinyl shop. Tiny buildings resembling the ones in Amsterdam are colourfully painted and full of life with people smiling everywhere. The atmosphere here is really friendly. Lot of cultural, social and economics events are organized here every month. You can follow the program here. You can also re(discover) our article about the famous district here.
4. Two museum nights a year
From 2005, « the Night of Museums » is an emblematic event on a national level offering a program with various events (more than 120), high attendance, attracting of young audience, positive energy and organization. Even more, Plovdiv is the only city in Bulgaria that has two major museum nights a year – one on the Saturday closest to International Museum Day (May 18) and one in September, called Night of the Museums and Galleries. Highly cultural you say ?
5. Tasty, Healthy & Various Food
In Plovdiv, we eat well, even very well. It is not difficult to find good restaurants offering a local and fresh menu, with meat and vegetables in a very friendly atmosphere. Still don’t believe us ? Then make a few notes and go to these places. Pavaj, in Kapana district, offers a tasty and fresh local menu, with vegetables from its own vegetable garden. What else ? 100% approved. Hebros Restaurant offer a refined cuisine, prepared with seasonal products. Smokini propose an interesting, renewed and tasty cuisine. To Hemingway, the aroma of delicious food and freshly baked bread floating in the air entices you to lunch. You like Alsatian specialities ? discover Tarte Flambée whose owner is French. The Turkish Pasa Restaurant or the Lebanese restaurant Mayriges. Want a coffee ? Taste « the best coffee » in Plovdiv at Dukiana. Then, Bakery Art is the best bakery of the city, realizing its bread with flour from France and Holland. It would be a shame to deprive.
@Instagram – Pavaj Restaurant, Kapana District – Plovdiv
6. Only on Foot
Plovdiv is one of these cities that you can explore only on foot. If you stay in the center, most interesting part of the city, you will not need to rent a car or to take common transports. When we are only 2 days, it is really practical to visit a city where all the places to visit are accessible at short distance. The pedestrian street is also the longest in Europe. Its 1750 meters of central pedestrian street make the city the European champion. Then, walking is good for health, so enjoy it.
7. Event Cats are Mega Cool
We do not know other cities in Bulgaria and probably in the World (San Francisco ? No, they are not really cool, just an impression…) where people are also friendly and relax. Plovdiv is a city where everything moves with no rush; Everything seems to be happening quietly but surely. If you are an hyperactive guy, do not be surprised if the locals look at you oddly. You’re just not cool and it can scare. Be cool, you are in Plovdiv. Moreover, we take the opportunity to officially declare Plovdiv as « The Coolest City In Europe », it is gone.
More : if you want to make new friends and participate to some local events there, the friendly community Expat Plovdiv is yours.
8. Free Plovdiv Tour
The free English language sightseeing walking tour of one of Bulgaria’s oldest cities is organized by 365 Association. Free Plovdiv Tour expects its guests every day at 11:00am and 6:00pm (from May to September) and at 2:00pm (from October to April) in front of the Municipality building on Plovdiv’s main street. No reservation required. The sightseeing tours of Plovdiv are organized by guides from a non-profit organization. Every tour is both fun and educational, the perfect introduction to the city and its thousands of years of history.
More about the Special Kapana Tour, the artistic neighborhood of Plovdiv.
@Instagram – Free Plovdiv Tour Team – Plovdiv
9. Vibrant Night Life
The locals go out and celebrate. And there’s something for all tastes. If you like Jazz, Bee Bob Café will be a good choice. For artists, Art Club Nylon will be your second home. For the beer lovers, the highly design Cat & Mouse beer bar is probably the best bear house of the city. The bar offers more than 100 different kinds of Belgian, Czech, German, Serbian and Bulgarian craft beer (Glarus, Byal shtark, Divo pivo). It’s a variety no other place can provide you with. If you prefer wine go to Vino Culture. Which brings us to our last reason to choose Plovdiv for your next weekend. Then, Club Petnoto or Terry’s Irish pub are some other must-see places if you are looking for total local immersion.
10. Bulgarian Wine Area
Come to plovdiv and not to discover the wine of the region, it is deserving a big spanking. The wine of Plovdiv area is really interesting and the interest for the wine does not stop to grow. Wine tasting bar and place open regularly, offering some nice events every month, sometimes hosted by the owners of the Plovdiv wineries. Vino Culture deserves a stop to taste. Not far from Plovdiv is the small town of Brestovitsa, small in size but renowned, which is no longer to be demonstrated. Indeed, Brestovitsa is called « The Bulgarian Capital of Wine », for its famous grape-growing and good wines. To know more about it, re(discover) our article about here.
To know more about Plovdiv, visit the website of the city here.
Good addresses for accommodation here.
Cover Picture by ©MadameBulgaria
Plovdiv is not located North of Sofia….Otherwise I agree with everything else! 🙂
We know 😉 Many thanks, we visited Plovdiv many times, just a mistake 😉
So far your blog has not said anything at all about a very important matter: CHEESE. How can you possibly be French, but you have not mentioned la fromage? Please hurry up and write a post all about cheese straight away.
ahahaha, merci Simon, probably because it is not a blog but a webzine, and our goal is definitely to post articles about things less famous but however attractive about Bulgaria. Bulgarian cheese, everybody knows. But, sure, we will think about for the future. Thanks !
One another thing worth to mention about Plovdiv is the hills of Plovdiv. The city is called « The City of the Seven Hills » also called « Tepe » in Bulgarian. It is a mandatory to visit one of the hills with the Alyosha Monument, a gigantic concrete soldier, the statue is part of the communist times in Bulgaria. Great articles thought. Greetings!