Day trips from Plovdiv
A monastery with frescoes by Zahari Zograf, a fortress on a rock, a city carved into stone and Roman walls. For each: whether it's worth it and how long it takes.
- Bachkovo Monastery
- car or bus, 30–40 min
- Asen's Fortress
- bus to Asenovgrad, 28 min + on foot
- Perperikon
- car, about 1 h 40
If you only have time for one trip, make it Bachkovo Monastery, half an hour south of the city, with the finest frescoes in the area. Asen's Fortress is on the same road and easily combined with it. Perperikon is the only one that needs a full day and a car, and Hisarya is for anyone more interested in Roman walls than in churches.
Worth it, if you only pick one
The monastery was founded in 1083 by Gregory Pakourianos, a Byzantine commander. The oldest building still in its original form is the 11th-century ossuary, outside the main courtyard. The main reason to come, though, is the Church of St Nicholas, where Zahari Zograf painted the Last Judgement in 1850, one of the best-known works of the Bulgarian Revival. The church and courtyard are free, and the museum and refectory have a separate entry. It's open until 8 pm in summer and 7 pm in winter.
Worth it, and it pairs with Bachkovo
The fortress stands on a rock high above the Asenitsa river. Tsar Ivan Asen II rebuilt it in 1231 as a stronghold against the Crusaders, and after the Ottoman conquest all that survived of it was the Church of the Holy Mother of God, with a tower over its entrance. A church on the edge of a cliff is the image this place is remembered by. The bus to Asenovgrad takes 28 min, and from the station you walk up to the fortress. Entry is €4.09.
Since Asenovgrad is on the way to Bachkovo, both fit into one day. The monastery in the morning, the fortress in the afternoon, then back to Plovdiv for dinner.
Not for a short stay, worth it with a car and a full day
Perperikon is a city carved into rock, on a hill in the eastern Rhodopes. The summit was a place of worship for thousands of years before the Romans, and the archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov links it to an oracle of Dionysus. Passages, stairs and rooms are cut straight into the stone. The drive takes 1 h 40 each way, and without a car a same-day return is hard. Entry is €7.16. If you only have a day or two in Plovdiv, save it for another trip.
Worth it for the Roman walls
Hisarya is a spa town with mineral springs, and the Romans built the city of Diocletianopolis around them. Walls 2.3 kilometres long still hold the old core in a ring. The best known part is the southern gate, Kamilite, which broke in the middle and now looks like two camels facing each other. Getting there: car 40 min, bus about 1 h. The museum and a stretch of the walls cost €3.07, and half a day covers it all.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Which day trip from Plovdiv is best if I pick one?
Bachkovo Monastery, for Zahari Zograf's frescoes. Asen's Fortress is on the same road, so the two combine easily into one day.
Do I need a car for these trips?
Only for Perperikon. The monastery, the fortress and Hisarya all work by bus.
What is there to see in Hisarya?
The Roman walls around the old core and the southern Kamilite gate, broken so that it looks like two camels.
Ready for Plovdiv?
Where to next
Where to stay in Plovdiv
→The Old Town is cobbles and quiet after dark, Kapana is tables in the street until late. Five minutes' walk…
Veliko Tarnovo · 126 km
→A city wrapped around three bends of the Yantra, built around the fortress where the Bulgarian tsars once ruled
How well does Plovdiv suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
Leave your email and we'll let you know when a new destination or story goes up.