The Cutest City You’ve Never Heard Of…
Plovdiv Old Town is the single prettiest place we’ve visited since beautiful Lijiang in China.
The city’s history is written in its walls. Successive generations of conquerors — Macedonian, Roman, Bulgar and Ottoman — have left their mark here, cannibalising each other’s buildings to build and defend anew.
One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, first settled 8000 years ago or so, the Old Town ambles across three crags above Bulgaria’s Maritsa river, complete with a Roman theatre.
The skyline now, bar the big, brick-built Ottoman mosque, is firmly Orthodox. There are dazzling churches, dense with gilt and icons, at every major crossroad.
In winter, the Old Town is almost empty. Children ride sleds between galleried houses, the homes of wealthy merchants 150 years ago or so.
The old town is pocket-sized and if you stay in the heart of it you can wander at will.
There are museums of pharmacy, history, icons, ethnography, old houses kitted out for display. A myriad art galleries, both private and public, compete with antique shops.
And these are addictive. Ancient sewing machines, Ottoman coffee mills, Russian pre-revolutionary icons, bundles of drachma, war medals, vintage books, box cameras, jewellery, old letters cluster the shelves.
You can wander down a back street and find a flawless view, take a walk up to an ancient monument and find a winter wonderland. (Snowballs and icycle battles optional.)
Yes. Plovdiv, despite your name, I think I love you…
And, if you love Plovdiv too, I reckon you’ll adore Byblos in Lebanon, or sailing a felucca down the Nile or stunning Central Laos.
This is the cutest little town! The snow & winter scene really add to the allure. Lovely photos!
Thank you! It’s quite ridiculously cute…
It looks adorable. Hopefully I’ll be able to visit this year or next.
Bulgaria is very affordable compared to where you are… If that helps at all…
Hello you. Good to catch up and see where you’re at.
Beautiful pictures.
I think last time we ‘spoke’ you were in Laos?
Wow! You disappeared for a LONG time… I’ll have to catch up on what you’re doing…
Oh wow, your photos are beautiful. We’ve wanted to go to Plovdiv for such a long time and now we want to go even more. We were thinking about a summertime visit but everything looks so pretty in the snow!
Julia
It is extremely pretty in the winter. And also almost deserted. From the look of things, it gets quite busy in the summer. Hop across the border… You know you want to…
Definitely on the route for Greece in the summer – it looks delightful.
It is! Definitely stay in the Old Town, though. The new city is pretty generic E/European — a lot of casinos, strip joints, etc.
No snow in Michigan. Did it all go to Bulgaria? Looks lovely.
Yes! Eastern Europe is having an impressive cold snap. Was -22 the night we arrived in Sofia. It’s apparently -40 in Belarus at the moment.
Absolutely lovely, wonderful in the snow too! I’d love to get to Bulgaria soon. Thanks.
I’d recommend it. It’s also very affordable if you’re travelling slowly (we weren’t)…
It’s Awesome. I have been to Lijiang, but this is so great with the snow! Thanks for putting it on the map for us.
My pleasure, Justin. And it’s the second city of Bulgaria so easy to get to…
I looks lovely! I’m definitely planning to add a stop in Plovdiv during my own trip through Bulgaria this summer. It’ll be interesting to see how different it looks in the summer, compared to your winter photos.
It looks like they have some great beer terraces in summer, Amanda. Just sayin’…
Plovdiv looks gorgeous. I love quiet, small cities too. The photos remind me a lot of Veliko Tarnovo … well except for the roman ruins.
Yes, I’m annoyed we missed Veliko Tarnovo. Another time?
Veliko Tarnovo is good too
OK, OK, you can stop now. I never had any desire to visit Bulgaria, but…
Hahaha! Nor did I, really, but it’s rather charming once you’re there…
Thanks for reminding me about the beauty of Plovdiv. I spent a lot of time regularly visiting Bulgaria from 89-92 and then lived in Sofia for 6 months in 92. I went to Plovdiv many times, in summer and winter and it was always enchanting and so so quiet! I’m sure it’s a lot busier now but I’d love to go back again one day.
Twitter @FibiTee
It was incredibly quiet when we visited, but you could see that it would get a bit busier in summer, particularly given the surrounding countryside has more going on in the warmer months. Bulgaria must have changed A LOT in those twenty years…
It’s so very beautiful!! I’d love to go. How was the food?
I was pleasantly surprised by Bulgarian food as a whole. It’s sort of 50-50 eastern Mediterranean and Slav, so a lot of salads, plus grills and hearty stews (and mushrooms!). We actually went to what’s supposed to be the best restaurant in town, though I’d say stick to the simpler farmhouse style places as the haute cuisine side of things isn’t really there yet…
When you say “Lijiang” and “China”, I had thought it’d be like other parts of China (e.g. Hangzhou or xi an). Looks like it’s not the case! What an interesting place indeed – hope we get to visit one day!
Lijiang is indeed amazing. I liked Xi’an a lot but it doesn’t have the cute factor of Lijiang — although — wow! — the warriors.
The winter scenery is absolutely stunning. I’d love to be there right now walking through the city and experiencing it in real life.
I would recommend it. Veliko Tarnovo is also supposed to be amazing, though we didn’t make it there this time.
C’mon… Plovdiv – great little town? It’s 1/2 million people there. And even the old town… Bulgaria has so many more little gems – Melnik, Bozhenci, Tryavna, Koprivshtitsa. Cannot even continue – I guess a list of at least 15-20 more places would come before even thinking about Plovdiv
Umm, yes, that’s why the post refers to Plovdiv Old Town throughout.
Beautiful pictures you are a true master in photography ….I was there 10 years ago and you give a new perspective…. I’ve almost forgotten how Old Plovdiv looks
It’s a wonderful town, thanks for sharing!!
Wow! The snow really adds to the atmosphere! Although I bt you had cold toes
No, I had my trusty northern Chinese furry boots. We did have to go back for Z to change out of his trainers, though. Crazy kid…
I ve been this lovely town too many times and
still going there min once a mounth .
There is a lovely atmosphere if you try it
you ll want to go…
Thanks, Ozan! I’m glad you like it too. It’s not just the aesthetics, but the whole art scene and the junkstore scene.