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Small Group Tour: Exploring Plovdiv, Asen's Fortress and Bachkovo Monastery
4.8
122 Ratings
Plovdiv
With this daylong journey, you’ll have the opportunity to explore a location in Bulgaria that’s a must-visit and was fittingly chosen as the European Capital of Culture for 2019. Also included in this tour are two significant landmarks of the area - Asen’s Fortress and the Bachkovo Monastery.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Plovdiv Old Town - The tour starts with pick up from your hotel/accommodation in Sofia. After approximately an hour and a half drive, we will reach Plovdiv. Plovdiv is said to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe. The city has cultural and economic significance both in the past and in the present due to its strategic location. Pieces of evidence of its millennial history can be found all over the place
- from the Roman Theatre to the Ottoman mosques. This is the reason why Plovdiv is one of the most charming sights in Bulgaria- wherever you look you will find history, a legend from a different period, traces of glorious past and at the same time, it’s a pleasure to see how vivid is it still and how it continues to develop and writes its new history. There we will visit the highlights
- the Roman Theatre, the Roman Stadium, and have a walk in the Old Town with typical for the Revival Period house museums and narrow cobblestone streets. Afterward, we will have lunch.
- Assenova krepost (Asen’s Fortress) - When we are done with our traditional Bulgarian lunch, we will head towards the final destination of the tour
- Asenova Fortress (approx. 25 min drive from Plovdiv). Asen’s Fortress is situated on the top of a cliff in Rodopi Mountain, at approx. 20 km distance from Plovdiv. It is a Medieval fortress with a rich history and breathtaking view.
- Bachkovo Monastery - After feasting our eyes on the beauties of nature, we will drive to the Bachkovo monastery. This is the second biggest monastery in Bulgaria and one of the oldest. It was established in the late XI century by a man for Georgia. The monastery later became part of the Bulgarian church. It suffered a lot from the turbulence of the time and keeps a lot of history and drama.
![](https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/attractions-splice-spp-720x480/06/75/92/71.jpg)
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional guide
- All fees and taxes included
- Transport by private vehicle
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
Additional Information
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- We understand your concerns in relation to COVID 19, therefore we’ve taken the needed measures for you to feel safe. All our guides and drivers go through regular medical checks, wear masks during the tours and in each vehicle, we have a disinfectant spray. Furthermore due to the situation nowadays we organize tours only for small groups (up to 7 persons) and we have the option for private tours.
Location
Plovdiv Old Town
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(122 Ratings)
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Celeste_g
Jun 16, 2024
Stunning - This trip turned out better than I expected, the views were beautiful. The tour guide was friendly, patient and knowledgeable. Definitely worth it.
Review provided by Viator
Carol_k
Jun 5, 2024
Great Trip to do - This was a great tour. Not too many and Val, our guide, was very informative. Highlight was the Bachkovo Monastery - what a wonderful place. Not to detract from Ansen’s Fortress or Plovdiv which were worth visiting.
Review provided by Viator
Patrick_b
May 26, 2024
Enjoyable day trip from Sofia - This trip from Sofia is well-worth doing. Our knowledgeable guide Valerio kept the pace relaxed and the itinerary flexible to meet the needs of the group. The fortress, monastery and Plovdiv itself were interesting to visit and we finished the tour knowing some more about Bulgaria and its history.
Review provided by Viator
Michael_j
May 23, 2024
A monastery and a city - The Bachkovo Monastery was beautiful and magnificent.
The early Christian mosaics in Plovdiv displayed well.
Review provided by Viator
Robisa
May 22, 2024
Great trip to visit Plovdiv - If you arrive in Sofia for a few days don't miss the opportunity to visit Plovdiv. The trip is about 2 hours, the van was comfortable and the driver serve as a tourist guide as well. She was professional and very knowledgeable about the history and traditions of Bulgaria. We spent a good time during the trip. Thanks Maria!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariema4798ew
May 10, 2024
Magnificent ancient landscapes and historic places - An unforgettable memory, a pleasant day with a guide Alex, cultivated, available and exciting 👍
We appreciated the punctuality and service of this agency. We highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roberto_c
May 8, 2024
Nice day in Plovdiv - We booked in Viator a Day excursion to Plovdiv and it was a great choice. It was about one and a half hour and the Maria, the driver and tour guide at the same time did and excellent job talking about the history of Bulgaria. She was very knowledgeable and professional. Plovdiv is a historic and beautiful city. It worth to visit it. The old town is very well preserved with churches and monuments from ancient times. The Roman theater is one of the best preserved in the world. In the city center, the main street is a pedestrian street full of attractions. If you come to Sofia for a few days, do not miss Plovdiv!
Review provided by Viator
Stefan_b
May 3, 2024
Nice trip with lots of history - Walking along the cobble stone streets, makes you feel like going back inti medieval times. The greek/roman theatre is in very good condition and still in use for concerts with less than 2000 people. It's enough time also to explore a bit of the city centre or just go shopping. It'as easier having a small lubch as there's not enough time to go for a bigger meal in a restaurant.
The fort is the next big stop. Apart from a few walls it's not much left. The only building in good condition is church with a few frescos.
The monastry is still in use though it currently has only few people living there. One church has lots of recently cleanded ceiling and wall paintings. The whole monastry us in very good condition snd well worth the visit.
Review provided by Viator
Kahli
Apr 26, 2024
10/10, highly recommend this day trip to experience a different region of Bulgaria and learn about the diverse history - An amazing day trip from Sofia, with my fantastic and extremely knowledgeable guide Meto. I ended up being the only one on the tour and appreciated the opportunity to ask Meto all the questions I had about Bulgarian history, culture and film - he’s like an encyclopaedia! All the stops on the tour were beautiful, fascinating and diverse, and the afternoon in Plovdiv was fantastic - what a lovely city. Highly recommend this trip when visiting Sofia to experience a different region of Bulgaria outside of the city centre and hotspots.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Duane_k
May 24, 2024
Incompetent driver - Driver/tour leader drove about half the speed limit on the long drives and therefore we spent too much time driving and too little time at the tourist stops. It was like the driver was the first day he ever drove a vehicle since he made MANY driving mistakes-very unsafe.
Review provided by Viator