Bulgaria - Eastern Europe - page 102

early summer the Old Town's streets also exude a vibrant, sophisticated atmosphere:
from behind the walls of Kuyumdzhioglu House you may hear the tinkling of a
piano—a recital in the gardens—while a few blocks farther an orchestra sets up for an
evening concert in the ruins of the Roman amphitheater. It's a pleasure to explore, be
it for a few hours or over 2 to 3 days, and an ideal base for a trip to nearby Bachkovo
Monastery, Bulgaria's second-biggest monastery, or farther south into the Rhodopes to
view quaint villages like Shiroka Luka and Gela (see section above), or northeast to the
“The Valley of Kings” and the Kazanluk tomb, which can be viewed as a day trip from
Plovdiv, or as a staging post in your journey from Plovdiv to Veliko Tarnovo or the
Black Sea Coast.
ESSENTIALS
Bulgaria's most beautiful city planned to open the doors to its first tourism bureau
only at the end of 2006—proof of just how much Bulgaria's tourism industry still has
to grow. At press time no details were available about its location; call & 032/633380
for more information. Alternatively take a look at the semiuseful site www.plovdivcity
guide.com. Astral Holidays (www.astralholidays.bg) is one of the city's most estab-
lished independent travel agencies, but is hopeless when it comes to making astute
hotel recommendations. For what's on, pick up the monthly Plovdiv Visitor's Guide or
Programata (www.programata.com)
Plovdiv is best visited in spring and early summer (July-Aug it can get unbearably
hot) or autumn; try to avoid the Plovdiv Fairs (early May and mid- to late Sept; for
exact dates see www.fair.bg), or at least book your accommodations long in advance
as space is limited and prices soar.
GETTING THERE
The Sofia-Istanbul highway that links Sofia with Plovdiv is in tiptop condition, so the
journey by car takes 70 to 90 minutes, making it a possible day trip from Sofia (and
there are plenty of tour operators that offer this), or even to skip Sofia and treat Plov-
div as your base.
There are three bus terminals. Yug is the main terminal on Hristo Botev, where
buses connecting Plovdiv with Sofia pull in almost hourly (journey is just over 2 hr.;
10lev/$6.50/£3.50 one-way); also buses that travel to Assenovgrad (from where you
can catch another bus to Bachkovo), Varna (7 hr.), Burgas (4 hr.), and Istanbul (6 hr.).
GETTING AROUND
The city is divided into two sections: the 18th- and 19th-century open-air architec-
tural reserve that is Old Plovdiv, sprawled across the three remaining hillocks of
ancient Eumolpiade, and “New” Plovdiv, spread around the foothills. With its mean-
dering cobbled lanes, Old Plovdiv—and even the smattering of sites in “New” Plov-
div, essentially ranged along pedestrian Knyaz Aleksandur I Street—is best explored
on foot, with all the top sites and hotels listed within walking distance of each other.
WHERE TO STAY
Plovdiv provides ample proof of just how little one can rely on many of Bulgaria's
hotel star ratings, with the Novotel, the city's only five-star hotel, a dank Communist-
era pit, while the zero-rated Hebros is the best option in town. If the hotels below are
full (with the exception of the Trimontium, they are after all quite small) look at the
following options, all situated near or in the old part of town: Hotel Bulgaria