Private Day Trip to Plovdiv from Sofia: Explore Europe's Oldest Settlement in an Eco-Friendly Tour

Embark on an eco-friendly private day trip from Sofia to Plovdiv - Europe’s oldest settlement. Discover rich history and stunning architecture while combatting air pollution with our eco-friendly cars.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Plovdiv Old Town - This tour offers you the opportunity to explore Plovdiv, the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe. Known as the town of the Seven Hills, it is a picturesque destination just a 2-hour drive from Sofia. This remarkable city blends Thracian, Roman, and Bulgarian heritage. You will encounter traditional Bulgarian houses from the Revival period, stroll past Roman ruins, and admire early Christian mosaics. Notable museums to visit include the Ethnographic Museum, the Museum of Natural History, and the Roman Stadium. Additionally, you’ll have free time to enjoy lunch at a traditional local restaurant.

Plovdiv is Bulgaria’s second-largest city, the fifth oldest in the world, and the oldest in Europe, with a history dating back to 4,000 BC. Initially, the ancient settlement was located on the natural elevations of Nebet, Taksim, and Dzhambaz hills (the Three Hills). The Thracians inhabited these hills and established a fortified settlement, the largest city in Thrace. In the 4th century BC, Plovdiv was conquered by Philip of Macedonia, who named it Philippopolis and fortified it with thick walls. Later, it became a Roman province and a significant regional center. The city is home to the Roman Theatre, which has been successfully restored and is currently used for various performances, concerts, and events.

As Plovdiv is the European Capital of Culture this year, you may have the chance to experience some of the ongoing events, including exhibitions, concerts, art performances, street parades, and more. Share your travel dates with us, and we will inform you about the events happening during your visit that can be included in your day trip.

What's Included
  • Hotel pick up and drop off
  • Private tour
  • Expert driver-guide, English-speaking
  • Air-conditioned vehicle for transportation
  • Sightseeing in Plovdiv
What's Not Included
  • Lunch & Personal expenses
  • Museum entrance fees (2- 5 euro)
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Partake in an exclusive day excursion to the picturesque town of Plovdiv - recognized as the most ancient populated city in Europe - grasp its abundant historical significance and marvel at its splendid architecture.

Primarily, the journeys are conducted using eco-friendly vehicles - equipped with CNG engines or electric cars, contributing to our efforts in fighting air pollution.

  • please wear comfortable walking shoes
  • Please warn us if you have a 0-2 years old baby when you make the reservation so that we can prepare a special seat for them
Location
Plovdiv Old Town
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(17 Ratings)
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Charles_m
Jul 14, 2024
Summer in Plovdiv - Plovdiv is a fascinating place and Poli is an excellent guide (and driver). The tour duration was just about perfect. Poli did a good job helping us manage the heat on the hills of Plovdiv.
Review provided by Viator
David_e
Jun 19, 2024
Highly recommend - We had a great day in Plovdiv. Our driver/guide was excellent. He gave an informative introduction to the city & its history exactly to our request. With this information we then enjoyed free time exploring at our leisure. His driving was excellent. A beautiful city and tour.
Review provided by Viator
Fahd_m
Jun 10, 2024
Awesome day trip to Plovdiv - My wife and I, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, spent this summer visiting the beautiful Balkan countries, checking off a significant item from our bucket list. Our final destination was Sofia, Bulgaria, where we embarked on a day tour to the ancient town of Plovdiv. Jordan, our tour guide, greeted us outside our hotel with a big smile and a towering presence, standing over 6 feet tall, making him hard to miss. Throughout the tour, Jordan’s extensive knowledge of history and local details greatly enriched our experience. His passion for the region’s culture and history was evident in every story he shared. We highly recommend taking a tour with Jordan for anyone looking to explore this remarkable area.
Review provided by Viator
Szuldomi
May 21, 2024
Worth to see ! - Great experiance! We enjoyed a lot the trip. The rich in cultures and styles city to be discover and explore pice by pice without rush learning about its history. Our driver and guide Dani( Daniel) was super kind,smiling and engaged very young man. He was very helpful and wiling to satisfy guests.Moreover ready to entertain us with a small talk , but without being " too much". Tour was well organized with correct timing and schedule. We highly reccomend to see Plovdiv with City Tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aliezzeddine1
Apr 12, 2024
A trip to the past - A great tour... the city is very beautiful inspiring. if you like architecture and old town this tour is a must. i really enjoyed it
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Culture68600098906
Sep 7, 2023
Great day trip to Plovdiv with an excellent guide! - Dimitri was excellent! He was very knowledgeable about Bulgarian history and made learning interesting. He was a welcoming representative.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Igrossling
Aug 30, 2023
Dimiter amazing tour guide! - Our guide Dimiter was a history book of information! He knew so much about Bulgaria and it’s history. We learned so much and he was very kind. The day trip was great we just wanted more time because it was so incredible.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karenbonavita
Jun 15, 2023
Recommend this Plovdiv day trip! - Excellent tour of Plovdiv. Tsetso was a very good, informed, personable guide and we learned a lot. Recommend this particular day trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Piratesofcroydon
May 23, 2023
EXCELLENT - Excellent: on time and on schedule. BRILLIANT tour guide. Total knowledge of Plovdiv/Bulgaria. Wide ranging and informative on historical sights.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andmo6
Jun 28, 2024
I think there are better alternatives - This excursion was an experience that did not meet our expectations. Despite meeting the requirements to have a guided tour in Spanish (there were more than 4 people), we were not offered the possibility. We were left in Plovdiv with an audio guide (if it can be considered as such, because my mother) and told that we had 3 hours to visit the whole city and eat. This meant picking us up at 14:30 when really the time I put in the tour description was 15:00. Commenting on it, he told us that they had moved up the time to avoid city traffic, which they could have explained earlier and given us a choice (in the end, there was not much traffic and we arrived in Sofia at 17:00 as planned). In the end, seeing that in that time we would not give ourselves time with the "audio guide" to discover Plovdiv, we coupled to the tour in English (which were only 4 people). The English tour was lousy. The guide gave little historical explanation, did not transmit the information or seem to show interest in the city or what he was telling us. We didn’t know anything and in the end we left Plovdiv without knowing her. I feel sorry because this city looked very good, with many curiosities and history, but our tour could not teach it well.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
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September 2024
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