Hotels in Plovdiv

Plovdiv is Bulgaria's second city and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, built across a cluster of hills above the Maritsa river. Its Old Town is the draw: cobbled lanes lined with brightly painted nineteenth-century Revival-era merchant houses, many now small museums and galleries. A Roman theatre still hosts summer performances, and the remains of a Roman stadium lie partly exposed beneath the main pedestrian street. The Kapana district, a former craftsmen's quarter, has become the city's liveliest area for cafes, bars and street art.

Plovdiv is far more relaxed than Sofia and generally cheaper, which suits a slow weekend or a stop between the capital and the Black Sea coast. Be honest: the cobbles are steep and rough on the feet, and outside the historic core the city is a fairly ordinary sprawl of apartment blocks. Plovdiv International Airport has a limited schedule, so many visitors arrive via Sofia instead. Stay in or near the Old Town or Kapana so the main sights and evening life are all within walking distance.