Plovdiv by brbtravelblog.com

Very different from Sofia, Plovdiv is the hipster city of Bulgaria.The minute you arrive in Plovdiv, you feel the laid back atmosphere. The city has been named European capital of culture for 2019 and it’s very visible in its street art, open air operas, and artsy stores.

The city is mainly divided into two sections, the Kapana, also known as “the Trap” and the old town.

Kapana

By far the coolest neighbourhood in Bulgaria, Kapana offers a very young and hip vibe with its wine bars, craft beers, coffee shops and artsy stores. Decorated with streamers and graffitis, the Trap will surely seduce you. It’s called the Trap because it feels like a labyrinth of small streets all intertwined with each other.

We were super lucky that our Guest House was in this neighborhood so had everything close-by.

Food, Drinks and more drinks

Cat & Mouse

This place is pretty neat, they have a selection of their own beer, craft beer from Bulgaria and the rest of Europe. The bartenders were very friendly and took the time to explain their beers. Plus their terrace and the music makes it a cool place to hang out for a couple of drinks.

Vino Culture

If you are a wine lover this is a must! The relaxed atmosphere with its wide selection of wines, will be perfect to enjoy a glass or two.The bar was highly recommended by the oenologist of Villa Yustina (read about it below). Boris, the owner is very knowledgeable about wines and alcohol in general. We had a great night discussing the different wines of the region with him and talking about Bulgaria in general.

Pavaj

Known for traditional plates with a modern twist, Pavaj is very highly rated by locals and travelers. I found it a little deceiving, maybe my expectations were too high. Apparently, there is a waiting list of several months but we were lucky to have a reservation on the same day. The staff is super friendly and they even got us free shots of Rakia!

Pastries

There is a little counter that serves pastries, unfortunately, I cannot remember the name. With a wide selection of sweet and salty ones, there is something for everyone. Besides being delicious, they are super cheap!! We went to have our breakfast every day there because it costs less than a 1$ for two. The counter is located near the Coco guest house.

Shawarmas

Since Plovdiv has a bigger influence of Turks and Muslims, there is an abundance of shawarma stands. They are sooo good and very cheap too! The stands are also open until late so it’s perfect for a late night snack after a few shots of Rakia.

The old town

The picturesque cobblestone streets and the colourful houses and small buildings with wooden shutters from the 19th century are very unique. This part of the city also has museums and little antique shops for you to spend a couple of hours.

At the end of the old town, you will find a beautiful Roman ancient ruin theater. Overlooking the mountain, this relic still functions as an open air theater/music hall and has great acoustics. In the summer, some week and weekend nights have free opera under the stars, called Opera Open. Sadly, the days we stayed in the city did not have any shows so we could not enjoy it.

Day trips

Wine route

The wine route is easy to follow and very accessible if you have a car. The vineyards are just 30min to 1h distance from the city, so it’s the perfect day trip.

Pro tip: you have to reserve if you wish to do tours and tasting. Also, most of the vineyards are closed on Mondays.

Of course, we decided to do the route on a Monday and of course most of them were closed. Luckily, we could go to Villa Yustina, one of the best winery in the region. The oenologist gave us a great tour and an excellent tasting of the wines. We were spoiled to have her just for us so we could ask a bunch of questions. She was the one that recommended us Vino Culture.

Orbelia winery makes really good wine and the building is shaped like half a barrel, which makes it interesting. Unfortunately it was closed in our visit but we had the chance to taste the wine.

Buzludzha

My husband is very intrigued and captivated by the communist era so it was no surprise that when I told him about Buzludzha, I knew we will do a stop.

The gigantic monument is a symbol of the power of the party at the time. Located on top of the central Balkans, it holds particular significance since it was where the Bulgarian rebels did their final battle against the Ottoman empire in the 19th century.

The brutalist architecture is very imposing. Sadly, as with most of the monuments of that era, the country has left it to abandon trying to turn the page. The route and the building on the interior and exterior are in decay. There are some movements to try to use it for different purposes, but the authorities have yet to decide what to do.

The entrance to the building is forbidden but there are a few adventurous people that go in to see what is left of the murals. For our part, we were too scared to go in.

On a magical realism type of moment, there was a family of wild horses hanging around the monument.