Balkan Experience - Day Trip to Koprivshtitsha and Plovdiv, Bulgaria - 27 September 2026 - Part 2

We reached Plovdiv around 1345 and were told that we would be departing Plovdiv at 1730. In between we were given an hour to have lunch and told to reassemble near the Ancient Stadium of Philippopolis. The main pedestrian street was quite lively with weekend crowds adding to a touch of gaiety. I explored a bit and thereafter settled for small bite of dolma, salad and white beans curry.

The Stadium of Philippopolis was built in the beginning of 2nd century AD during the reign Emperor Hadrian. The facility, approximately 240 meters long and 50 meters wide, could seat up to 30,000 spectators. The city was renamed after Phillip of Macedonia who conquered the area.

The Ancient Stadium of Philippopolis is located under the main pedestrian street of Plovdiv. Its northern part is found at Dzhumaya Square. Visitors can go underground to the original level of the Ancient Town. I walked down the steel spiral staircase to explore a part of the track and the semi-circular part of the spectator seats.

I joined the walking tour of the Old Town of Plovdiv with the group thereafter. At almost handshaking distance from the remnants of the Ancient Stadium is the Dzhumaya Mosque, which is the main Muslim shrine in Plovdiv. The mosque was built on the site of St. Petka Tarnovska Plovdiv Cathedral Church soon after the conquest of the city in the 14th century by the Ottoman army. During the reign of Sultan Murad II (1421-1451) the old building was demolished and the Ulu Dzhumaya Mosque, meaning Main Friday Mosque, was erected in its place.

The bell tower of the Assumption Church has the inscription 1881 embossed on it. The bell tower also stands separate from the church. These are significant because bell towers were not permitted to be built during the Ottoman rule as it was thought to 'compete' with the minaret of the mosque. It was only after the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in 1878 that the bell tower was built. We didn't tour inside the church as Svet promised us a more magnificent church to visit later in the tour.

The Ancient Theatre of Philippopolis is Plovdiv's most famous and fascinating historic landmark, dating back to the 1st century AD. It is one of the world's best-preserved ancient Roman theatres. The open-air amphitheatre seats up to 7,000 people. It is now a venue for major concerts, opera performances, and festivals.

From the height of the theatre can be had stunning views of the city and the Rhodope Mountains. It was told to us that some marble seats still feature ancient inscriptions marking where specific city officials and districts sat. Svet also pointed out the place where the emperor would sit during performances

Plovdiv was strategically located on the military route between Constantinople and Rome, which was referred to as the Via militaris, a major 1st-century ancient Roman military and trade road spanning 924 kilometers across the Balkan Peninsula. The road connected Central Europe to the Orient, running from the Danube through the heart of the Balkans, connecting cities like Belgrade, Sofia, Plovdiv, Edirne and Constantinople. The road was built primarily during the reign of Emperor Nero in the 1st century AD to serve as a vital strategic military link for Roman legions. The road was later used extensively by Crusaders and the Ottoman Empire.

The next attraction that was pointed out to us in the Old Town was the La Martin house. Its owner was the eminent representative of the Plovdiv merchant class. It was built by some unknown master-builder in 1829- 1830 and is one of the biggest and most beautiful symmetrical houses in the Old City. The great French poet and traveler Alphonse de Lamartine stayed in the house in the summer of 1833, on his way back from a journey to the Middle East. Even though he spent only three days in the house, he was charmed by the house and its hospitable hosts. He attested to these in his writings.

The Sufi monastery in Plovdiv is known as Mevlevi Hane (the Dervish Monastery), located on the slopes of Dzhambaz Tepe in the Old Town. It belonged to the Mevlevi Order, a Persian mystical Islamic community famous for their spinning rituals (the "Dancing Dervishes") inspired by the poet Rumi. The monastery was built in the 16th century by Arif Dede and the complex included a prayer house, residential areas, and a central hall for ritual dances.

The monastery was abandoned near the end of the 19th century after the order declined. In the more recent past the building was renovated as a restaurant. Even that is closed now as the government took over the premises as the owner was involved in corruption cases. Walking in the Plovdiv Old Town is tricky with uneven cobblestones pitched in the streets. One's eyes wander around admiring the 19th-century National Revival houses. However, where one places one's feet matters a great deal to ensure that one doesn't come away with a twisted ankle. 

One can get a pretty good idea of what pharmacies used to look like in the only pharmaceutical exhibition in Bulgaria – the old Hippocrates pharmacy in Plovdiv. It was opened to the public in 1981, but the house actually housed a pharmacy from 1872 to 1947, which was among the most advanced of its time. Svet pointed out that most two-storied houses had a larger first floor as compared to the ground floor. He mentioned that the government in olden days used to collect tax on the basis of the floor area occupied. Citizens came up with innovation construction to pay less taxes and occupy a larger area.

Thereafter, we came to the Church of St. Konstantin & Elena Church, which is the oldest active Christian church in Plovdiv. The site's sacred history dates back to 304 AD, marking the martyrdom of local saints Severin and Memnos, who were martyred during the reign of emperor Diocletian. The first church on the location was erected in the 4th century over an ancient pagan temple.

After being destroyed and rebuilt multiple times over the centuries, the present-day structure was constructed in 1832. It was designed during a time of Ottoman restrictions on the size of churches. It now features a five-tiered bell tower that was added in the early 20th century. The church interior features a magnificent, ornate baroque-style iconostasis, besides priceless icons and frescoes painted by renowned National Revival artists.

We climbed all the way up to Nebet Tepe, which is where the existence of the ancient city began. The first stone in the development of the settlement was laid here in the 4th millennium BC. Over time, different eras and civilizations layered on top of each other in this part of the Three Hills, which today is recognized as a cultural monument of national importance and is undoubtedly one of the most significant cultural and historical sites not only in Bulgaria but also on the Balkans. The panoramic views from this historic hill across Plovdiv is a must experience.

On the walk back, we briefly sauntered into the Regional Ethnographic Museum which is located inside the grand 19th-century Kuyumdzhioglu House in the heart of Plovdiv's Old Town. The 1847 symmetrical building is a stunning national cultural monument and masterpiece of Balkan National Revival architecture.

The Hisar Kapia is a unique architectural and historical ensemble around the eastern gate of the Acropolis fortress wall and is one of the prominent symbols of Plovdiv. There has been a gate since ancient times there. From here one can also appreciate that the building that now houses the Regional Ethnographic Museum has two more floors beneath the ones occupied by the owners. They were servants’ entrances and quarters. That entrance was also quite elevated from the road to avoid insects and pests from entering the house.

We passed through this medieval and Roman fortress gate set into the old stone walls and the tour was over for all intents and purposes. We walked back to where we were to boarded the bus at 1730. With almost 29 minutes to spare some of us went to the nearby Ramada hotel to avail the restroom facilities.

When we got back to the meeting point, we found that many new 'passengers' were boarding the bus too. In fact, one of them claimed my seat saying that he had a reserved ticket. A brief standoff later I retrieved my seat. The guide later announced that 20 more tourists had joined for the ride back to Sofia. They should have been asked to wait for the original passengers to board first to avoid the unnecessary hassle.

The ride back to Sofia was rough with the A1 Road surprisingly badly surfaced. Mercifully, the journey was over in 2 hours and I got off at the place where I had boarded in the morning and walked back to the accommodation. On the way, I picked up a Turkey sandwich for dinner.

When I reached the main door of the accommodation, I was in for a rude shock. The passkey I had been given refused to open the main door. I rang up the owner and gave him a piece of my mind. Once I got to the room, I polished off a 500 ml can of Stolichno Bock, which is a 6.5% ABV dark beer brewed in Bulgaria by Zagorka Brewery, part of the Heineken stable.  I didn't very much fancy the caramel and roasted malt aroma of the beer. However, the Turkey sandwich was quite wholesome.