Visiting Plovdiv Bulgaria's Second Largest City
Visiting Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s Second Largest City
Did you book your flight to Sofia Bulgaria from Dublin Ireland yet? If you did, that’s great. Let’s help you plan your travel itinerary. You should certainly make Plovdiv a part of your travel plans. Plovdiv is the second biggest city in Bulgaria, which is famous for its beautiful churches and magnificent ruins that date back to the Roman Civilization.
Plovdiv does not really get as many tourists as some of the other cities in Bulgaria such as Sofia. So, it’s a very calm and tranquil place. It is also full interesting sights such as the Roman Amphitheatre, the Night of the Galleries, the Philipopolis Art Gallery and the Archaeological Museum.
Plovdiv has a very low cost of living. You would know that Lev (plural: Leva) is the currency used in Bulgaria. 1 Bulgarian Lev is equal to 0.51 Euros. Staying at a hotel in Plovdiv would cost you between 50 to 160 Leva. There are many budget hotels here, so getting affordable accommodation is not a problem.
The food is very cheap here in Plovdiv. You can have street food for as little as 1.8 to 2.6 Leva. There are also many restaurants, which serve pretty reasonable food. A full meal at an average restaurant would cost you 18 Leva. If you want to have dinner at a fancy restaurant, that would cost you 25 Leva.
Getting around Plovdiv is pretty easy. There are a plenty of taxis and buses that ply here. An average taxi ride would cost you 6.30 Leva. Going by bus is much cheaper, just 1.8 Leva.
The best way to explore Plovdiv is to go on a walking tour of the city. There are a couple of companies that offer free walking tours in Plovdiv. We suggest signing up with them. Here are some of the things you can expect to see during a walking tour of Plovdiv.
Philipopolis Art Gallery – The Philipopolis Art Gallery is the first private gallery in Bulgaria. It consists of paintings from some of the greatest Bulgarian artists of the 19th and 20th-century such as Vladimir Dimitrov, Anton Mitov, and Dimitar Gyudzhenov.
Roman Amphitheatre – This is a historical structure that was built in the 2nd century, but was only discovered in the 1970s. It has been restored to its original splendour and hosts many large events and music concerts.
Archaeological Museum – The Archaeological Museum has a collection of over 60,000 items that date back to the Roman and Thracian Civilizations. You will be fascinated by the 2000-year-old pottery, beautiful jewellery and other splendid artefacts.
Tsar Simeon Central Garden –The Tsar Simeon Central Garden is a very quiet and tranquil park where you can spend a few moments of contemplation after a hectic day spent exploring Plovdiv. There are plenty of spots to have a family picnic or simply to relax here.
Hindlian House – This is for those who like antiques. Owned by the merchant Stepan Hindlian, the Hindlian House hosts an amazing collection of period furniture. The walls are painted with great skill, some of the paintings are simply marvellous. The architecture is fascinating too.
