Private Day Trip to Plovdiv and Asen's Fortress: Explore Ancient Town and Panoramic Views
4.5
12 Ratings
Sofia
Embark on a private day trip to Plovdiv and Asen's Fortress, where you'll explore an ancient town, Roman heritage, and breathtaking panoramic views. Travel in eco-friendly cars to combat air pollution.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral - The tour starts with a pick up from any location in Sofia.
- Plovdiv Old Town - The cliche “you must see Plovdiv to see Bulgaria” is absolutely true and there is so much to explore in the country’s second largest town. Plovdiv is about 1,5 hours’ drive from Sofia and is situated in the western part of the Thracian Valley. It is one of the oldest settlements in the world, having emerged on the three adjacent hills – the beginning of its history dates back to 4,000 years BC. It has preserved Thracian, Roman and Bulgarian heritage from different epochs. There will be a 1,5-hour walking tour in the heart of the town and you will learn lots of historical facts and legends while exploring its most interesting sightseeing places.
You will see the Roman Theater and parts of the Roman Stadium. Walk through the longest pedestrian street in Europe. Explore the magnificent Revival old town with its unique colorful houses from the 19th century. See the recently uncovered early Christian mosaics dating back to the 4th century!
Since this year Plovdiv is the European capital of culture, you may be able to see some of the undergoing events as well! They will be in all different aspects such as exebitions, concerts, art permormances, street parades and many others. You can write us your date of traveling and we will inform you what events will be held during that period and can be included in the day trip. On requesrt, we can organize you a multiday trip to Plovdiv with an overnight stay as well!
- Assenova krepost (Asen’s Fortress) - After exploring Plovdiv, you will head to the mountains and visit the remains of the old medieval Asen`s Fortress (named after the famous Bulgarian king Ivan Asen II) and its church. It is situated on a very vivid place from where you can see amazing panoramic views and take astonishing photos.
What's Included
- Hotel pick up and drop off
- Professional private driver-guide
- Private tour customization
- Air-conditioned transportation
- Plovdiv sightseeing experience
- Tour of Asen’s Fortress
What's Not Included
- Food & personal expenses
- Gratuities
- Entrance fees (if present)
Additional Information
Embark on a delightful day out to the age-old city of Plovdiv and acquaint yourself with its historical town, Roman lineage, and breathtaking hills. Post lunch, venture to the proximate Rodopi mountain to reveal the remnants of an archaic Bulgarian fort - the viewpoint from here also offers stunning panoramic vistas.
Often trips are led in environmentally friendly vehicles that operate on a CNG engine or are electric-powered, contributing to the fight against air pollution.
- Please wear comfortable walking shoes.
Location
St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral
Aleksander Nevski Square,
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(12 Ratings)
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Mvrvilo
Feb 12, 2023
Perfect daytrip to Plovdiv and Asen's fortress - This was a wonderfule experience! Alex has a PhD in History and our drive to Plovdiv was filled with information about the past and recent history of the area we were driving thru,as well as introduction to various musical influences different cultures left over the centuries. Both Fortress and especially Plovdiv are definitely worth the visit and having Alex as a tour guide certainly elevated the experience. This was the only day trip I had the time fore during my visit and I would strongly recommend it. At the end of the day, before heading back, try baklava and coffee (or tea) in a turkish coffee/tea shop by the mosque.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ryan_e
Oct 18, 2022
The best tour EVER! - A beautiful tour to two completely different places. Maria our tour guide was so nice, and knowledgeable, she was amazing & deserves mentioning! Plovdiv is beautiful & so interesting & Asen’s fortress has breathtaking views! Would recommend this tour highly, especially if you have Maria guiding you! :)
Review provided by Viator
Michael_s
Oct 17, 2022
Very informative - Our guide was interesting and informative. We learned a lot about Bulgarian history and culture. It was a pleasant drive and the right amount of time
Review provided by Viator
Eoghanf449
Mar 20, 2022
This is real history, go for this trip. - This was an amazing trip that we will never forget. Our guide Vaisl was brilliant and very knowledgeable and gave us so much information on the whole history of Bulgaria. Asen's fortress is really cool and looked great in the snow. Plovdiv is an experience and the Roman ruins everywhere would make you think you were in Italy. We also felt privileged to visit the Church of St Helena and St Constantine in Plovdiv which was the site where 27 people were martyred by the Romans. A very special place. If you have time for only one trip from Sofia then do this one and do it with citytours, they are excellent. Eoghan & Juanita, Ireland
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Simply_govind
Jun 23, 2021
Awesome trip with a fun guide - We traveled with our guide Antonio...he is always friendly, cheerful & knows a lot Abt the Bulgarian history and culture...he is punctual yet flexible with our requests...he is always energetic and take very good clicks of yours...Plovdiv is the European cultural capital and is a must visit for all art lovers...we enjoyed this trip a lot...
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patrickburrelwilliam
Jun 14, 2021
A Must to do with City Tour - Thank you Vasil and Antonio for such a wonderful experience during my stay in Bulgaria.
I had to admit that I was very much overwhelmed experience that shall remind with me forever. Many thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion with me about the Bulgarian history.
Without a doubt I was blown away by when we visited the 'Boyana church' and the 'Rila Monastery' it was such an enjoyable historical journey with you that day which shall always remained in my memory for ever.
That restaurant where we had the fish was a great choice.
I also really enjoyed the second day trip to Plovdiv and the Asen's Fortress.
Although I was somewhat tired, when I saw those 'rival houses' I got excitement and the tiredness just disappeared.
See you very soon.
PBW
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Semarja
Jan 2, 2020
Amazing! - We, my husband, son and I had an amazing day with our tour guide Ivan! He picked us up from our hotel. First we drove to Plovdiv with a 10 minute bathroom/coffee break in the middle. It was a smooth trip. In Plovdiv we had a walking tour where Ivan showed us a lot of sights in this wonderful city. We went to a traditional Bulgarian/Balkan restaurant where Ivan gave us good advice what to order. It was a great meal. After that we drove up to the mountain and walked around Asen's Fortress, which turned out to be an excellent choice. The view was amazing! The drive back went smooth. Highly recommended! Thank you Ivan for this amazing day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lightking_911
Aug 26, 2022
It was an enjoying trip to the old town in plovdiv city, we had a good time there. - It was a very good and joyful trip, but there were some things missing in the car, 1st No wifi in the car. 2nd the tour guide was Not fluent in english but he was a kind man. 3rd the radio in the car was Not working well so that we couldn't listen to music at all.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeffrey_f
Apr 8, 2024
Good sightseeing but ride was uncomfortable and guide in English was difficult to understand. - The sites visited on this tour are actually great. I would recommend this tour for that reason alone. What our group was a disappointed about was the quality of transportation used and the English fluency of our driver/guide. Our driver/guide was 15 minutes late for pick up which worried us. He drove a van owned by City Tour Ltd, the agency in Sofia that organized the tour. The van’s door initially wouldn’t open. And then, the air vents would blow heat but not cool air and the guide couldn’t fix it. The van was also a very uncomfortable ride, as if it had no shock absorbers. As for our guide/driver, he looked like he had just jumped out of bed to pick us up and his English was difficult to understand. We probably could catch only half of what he was saying. We know he tried to do his best but we felt it just wasn't good enough.
Review provided by Viator
Madzmac325
Nov 24, 2022
Rude Tour Company Operator - We accidentally booked this tour for the wrong day and rebooked, but the tour company REFUSED to refund any of the money from our incorrect booking. They were VERY rude.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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