The best time to visit Plovdiv

The best months for Plovdiv are Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct. The city sits on a plain deep inside Bulgaria, with no sea to soften the temperatures, so July and August average daytime highs of 32 °C and January nights freeze. In spring and autumn you can walk the whole loop over the hill without a break.

Month by month

Average 2008–2024 — daytime high / night-time low

In this table April, May, September and October sit between 19 and 27 degrees by day. That's the temperature at which you climb Saborna Street without breaking a sweat and can sit on the theatre's marble even at noon. Most rain falls in May and June.

2 daysA plan that works in any of these months:Plovdiv in 2 days →

July and August average daytime highs of 32 °C, and the cobbles and stone of the Old Town hold the heat even after sunset. The plan therefore splits into three. The hill and the house-museums are for the morning, the middle of the day is for shade, and the city comes alive in the evening. Summer also has one more reason to come. From late June to early September the Ancient Theatre is the stage of the Opera Open festival, and a performance there is the best way to see it.

Day tripsOpen-air trips, and which of them has no shade in summer:Day trips from Plovdiv →

From December to February days sit between 8 and 10 degrees, and nights hover around zero. The city closes nothing because of the cold, the museums and taverns work as usual, and the Old Town is empty. You only lose what needs a long stretch outdoors, above all lingering at the lookouts.

• Start early in summer. The climb up Saborna and the theatre before noon, because there's no shade on the climb.
• Expect a shorter day in winter. The loop over the hill still fits into one day, you just spend less time standing at the lookouts.
• Pick the open-air trips outside July and August. Asen's Fortress and Perperikon have no shade on the way up.