Introduction
Plovdiv: 147km (91 miles) from Sofia; 190km (118 miles) from Veliko Tarnovo
Five thousand years ago the central plains of Bulgaria, stretching from the foothills of the Balkan mountains to the heartlands of the Rhodopes, once were home to the Thracian tribes, said to be Europe's first civilization, whose gold- and silversmith techniques were the most sophisticated of ancient times. The area is referred to as the "Valley of the Kings" and it is rich in archaeological finds. The UNESCO-listed Kanaznluk Tomb is the most famous, but the most popular destination in the region is a city described during Thracian times as "the biggest and most beautiful town in all of Thrace." Gorgeous Plovdiv still is the jewel in Bulgaria's crown, with a long and varied history that is vastly more palpable than Sofia's.
Plovdiv was known to the ancient Greek writers as Eumolpiade. The original settlement was invaded by Philip II of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great) in 342 B.C., and he renamed...
more local info
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Koulata Ethnographic Museum Complex
Located on cobbled Mirska Street in the oldest part of the small town of Kazanluk, this museum complex is near the Kazanluk Thracian Tomb. The...
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- Museums
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Bachkovo Monastery
Bulgaria's second-largest monastery is, like Rila, a UNESCO-listed monument, and while the natural environment does not impose the sense of grandeur...
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Kazanluk Tomb
Kazanluk, center of the rose-growing plains that surround it, was until recently more strongly associated with the overrated Festival of Roses,...
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