Sightseeing Around Plovdiv
The Bachkovo Monastery
Virgin Mary Monastery of Bachkovo is located 29 kilometers south of Plovdiv. It is accessible from the Assenovgrad – Smolian road, a few kilometers away from the village of Bachkovo. The Bachkovo Monastery is one of the oldest and the second largest monastery in Bulgaria. Only the Rila Monastery is bigger. It is located in the valley of the Chepelare River, also known as Chaya River.
The monastery is surrounded by the picturesque hills of Phodopi Mountain. At the monastery, you can buy rare Rhodopian herbs, home-made berry jams, goat and buffalo’s yoghurt, traditional Rhodopian blankets and tufted rugs, and many other goods that are characteristic for this part of the country. The monastery was founded in 1018 by Gregorius Bakuriany, a Byzantine general of Georgian origin, and his brother Abasius.
Of the original buildings, only the two-floor crypt is still preserved today. It is 300 meters from the monastery complex. Its exquisite murals are what make this historical crypt a masterpiece of 11th and 12th century Orthodox art. After the fall of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom under the Ottoman rule at the end of 14th century, Patriarch Evtimii, then the Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, was exiled to the Bachkovo Monastery. During his exile, he turned the monastery into both a place of worship and a place of literature and education. Legends claim that the Virgin Mary icon that is kept there can work miracles.
For many years, the Bachkovo Monastery provides accommodation to its guests. There are 200 tourist beds in the hotel section of the monastery. The area around it abounds in restaurants and taverns that offer traditional Rhodopian meals.
The most convenient way to visit Bachkovo Monastery is renting a car from us. You can pick up the car directly at Plovdiv Airport, or we can deliver it to you at any hotel you are staying at.
Hisar
The town of Hisar is located in the central part of Sredna Gora Mountain, 41 kilometers north-west of Plovdiv. It is one of the most famous mineral water health resorts in Bulgaria. Besides the mineral water there, the climate itself has a therapeutic effect.
The average year round temperature is 16C. The 22 mineral water springs have a total capacity of 4000 liters of water per minute. The water is suitable for treating diseases of the kidneys, of the gastro-intestinal tract, the liver, and the bile. Treatment there includes drinking mineral water, swimming in mineral water pools, submersion tubs, thermal treatment, paraffin treatment, dieting, laser procedures, and Chinese acupuncture.
Banya Village
This mineral water and medical mud health resort is known as Karlovski Mineralni Bani. It is located 46 kilometers north of Plovdiv and 12 kilometers away from the town of Karlovo. It is specialized in the treatment of neurological diseases, diseases of the bones and joints, diseases of the peripheral nerve system and the spinal cord. So close to Plovdiv Airport, you can visit Banya after quick car hire directly at the airport.
Narechenski Bani
Narechenski Bani is a mineral water and a health resort located in Rhodopi Mountain, 50 kilometers south of Plovdiv. It is accessible through the Plovdiv – Smolian road. Its mineral water is suitable for treatment of diseases caused by wrong metabolism, functional nerve and cardio-vascular diseases. The transition-continental climate affected by the Mediterranean Sea, the forests, and the mineral springs are what attracts tourist there.
Chudni Mostove (The Wonderful Bridges)
Chudni Mostove is one the most amazing natural phenomenon in Bulgaria. This unique and amazing rock phenomenon is on the ridge of Chernatitsa hill, 20 kilometers from the Narechenski Bani resort after the turn to Chepelare along the Plovdiv – Smolian road. Its formation is probably the result of the collapse of a cave during an earthquake.
Time and atmosphere conditions have shaped two breathtaking natural bridges in the marble rocks. The upper bridge is 45 meters wide and the precipice under it is of exactly the same width. The arch is 20 meters thick. Some 200 meters down the stream is the second bridge. It is 60 meters long. Close to it is the entrance to the Ice Cave where the ice holds till mid-summer. It’s one of the most astonishing places in Bulgaria. Hire a car, so you can go to this location fast and easy.
Momin Prohod Village
The resort Momin Prohod is located between the slopes of Sredna Gora Mountain and the Rhodopi Mountain. It is 83 kilometers away from Plovdiv. It is specialized in treatment of chronic diseases to the respiratory, the central and the peripheral nerve systems, as well as degenerative diseases of the joints, the skin, and the intestines.
Koprivshtitsa
Koprivshtitsa is located about 80 kilometers north-west of Plovdiv. If you fly to Plovdiv Airport you can gat your car delivered there, or you can pick up a car directly at our Sofia Airport office. Koprivshtitsa is considered a museum of the Bulgarian Renaissance architecture as there are more than 250 architectural monuments from the period of the Bulgarian Renaissance. In 1978, the town was granted the special status of a tourist destination of international importance.
Koprivshtitsa has a population of about 2500 people. Nowadays, every street and every house tells about the heroic past of this ancient town. Many of the Bulgarian revolutionaries and writers were born there. Lyuben Karavelov, Georgy Benkovski, Todor Kableshkov and Dimcho Debelyanov are just a few of them.
This is one of the few towns in Bulgaria which have kept intact their renaissance architecture. Six houses turned to museum-houses and are always open for tourists. Among them are the houses of Lyuben Karavelov, a great Bulgarian writer and journalist, his brother Petko, who was a prime minister of Bulgarian three times, and the greatest poet in Bulgarian literature, Dimcho Debelyanov. Oselkovata House is the most valuable architectural and ethnographic heritage site in the town. It was built during the war in the Crimea (1853 – 1856). The homes of the leaders of the April Uprising, Georgy
Benkovski and Todor Kableshkov, are also remarkable. The Assumption Church was built in 1817. The local people still call it “The Old Church”. Its iconostasis, completed in 1821, and its icons, painted by Renaissance artists, are of great value. The St. Nikola Church was built in 1845 and the local people call it “The New Church”.
Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora is located 90 kilometers north-east of Plovdiv. It is famous for its straight streets, lime trees, and poets. It is located in the feet of Sredna Gora Mountain, at an elevation of 197 meters above the sea level. With its population of 169 000 people, it is the sixth biggest town in Bulgaria. The entire central part of the town is declared an archeological reserve.
The Bereketska Mound is the largest pre-historic settlement mound in Bulgaria. Two dwellings from the neolith (sixth millennium BC) were discovered, researched, and conserved in Stara Zagora. These are the best preserved dwellings from that period anywhere in Europe. The Augusta Trayana Antique Forum is one of the most significant monuments in the Roman town with the same name. The ancient mosaic from 4th century on the floor of the guest room in one of the rich houses is on display in the center of Augusta Trayana. Book a car with pick up place Stara Zagora or Plovdiv and we will deliver it to you!
Just in front of the post office building are the ruins of an ancient public building dating back to the 4th – 6th century. Its floors are still adored with mosaics. The Hilendarski Convert, where Vasil Levski lived for three years, is located in the yard of the St. Dimitar Church. The Churches of Virgin Mary and The Holy Trinity are also of interest to the visitors of Stara Zagora. The Defenders of Stara Zagora Memorial Complex is a fifty-meter high monument built in 1977.
Smolian
The town of Smolian is located 100 kilometers away from Plovdiv. It has a population of about 35 000 people. It is the longest town in Bulgaria. There are houses and churches in Smolian, built in the 18th and 19th century, that are very well preserved. They give the tourists a clear idea as to what life of the Rhodopi people used to be. Such houses are the Pangalova House (1860), the Alibeev Konak (1751), the Kelevska House (1860), and the Sgurova House (1866).
There are seven old Orthodox churches in the town. The second largest Orthodox Church in Bulgaria, and the largest one in Southern Bulgaria, is located in the center of Smolian. Another landmark, in the central area of the town, is the Planetarium. There, you can follow the history of the Universe in a unique Star Hall. Special telescopes allow you to gaze at the stars and the galaxies. Smolian is also known for its several centuries-old sycamore trees, the oldest of which is 250 years old. It is 25 meters high and the circumference of its trunk is 7 meters.
The 20-meters high Smolianski Waterfall is in the south-western part of the town. There are a couple of large hotels and many cozy small family hotels in Smolian. When you go there, you should definitely try the traditional Rhodopian and Bulgarian cuisine, and hear the amazing folklore songs from the region. In the area of Rozhen, a place near Smolian, the famous Rozhen Fair is held. It happens in the end of August on every fourth year.
Not far away, to the east of Rozhen area, is situated the Rozhen National Observatory, the largest one on the Balkan Peninsula. There are a great number of monuments in and around Smolian. These include the Delio Voivoda Monument in the town of Zlatograd, the Bride’s Monuments above Smolian, and the monuments of the singer Orpheus in the town.
The best ways to visit Smolyan is renting a car at low prices from our office in Sofia or with delivery to Smolyan or Plovdiv.
