Plovdiv on a Budget: A Roman Theatre for About €2.50 and a Free Hilltop View Over Bulgaria's Second City
Plovdiv calls itself one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, and it has the layers to back it up. Thracian fort, Roman city, Ottoman town, National Revival merchant houses, communist-era blocks, all within a twenty-minute walk. It was European Capital of Culture in 2019, and the year left a mark: foreign visitors rose by 27% and overnight stays by about 18%.
It's also cheap. Bulgaria joined the euro in January, and Old Town prices are still small. The Roman theatre, the city's big sight, was listed at 5 leva for adults and 1 lev for children and students before the switch. That's about €2.56 at the fixed conversion rate.
The view from Nebet Tepe, the hill where the city began. Old stone walls in the foreground, a carpet of red roofs below, the other hills of Plovdiv rising out of the town, and the Rhodope mountains on the horizon. It's free, and it's the best place in the city for sunset.
What to buy
The Roman theatre was built in the 2nd century and is still used for concerts and opera in summer. It opens from 9:00 to 18:00. If you want more than one site, the Old Plovdiv combined ticket, listed at 15 leva (about €7.70), covers five sites of your choice, from house museums to galleries, and excludes the two basilicas. The Episcopal Basilica, with its floor mosaics, was a separate 12 leva and is worth it.
The Roman stadium sits partly under the main pedestrian street, and you can look down on its curved end for free from the street.
Why go now
Plovdiv is an easy two hours from Sofia by bus or train, and many visitors do it as a day trip. Stay a night instead. The Kapana district, a few streets of old craftsmen's lanes turned into bars and galleries, is at its best in the evening.
Since the euro switch, Bulgaria sits in the same price comparison as Greece or Croatia, and it comes out far cheaper. Plovdiv is where that's most obvious. A Roman theatre for the price of a coffee and a pastry.