Bulgaria- Roses and Trains 2025

Day 5 – Plovdiv

It was noisy last night but we managed to get through it with ear plugs and the white noise machine. When we asked reception if there was going to be a party tonight they said two! A wedding and a prom. Here’s a tip for you – don’t come to Bulgaria at this time of year and specifically don’t come to the Radisson Plovdiv. Complete nightmare.

Back to exploring Plovdiv. It’s Bulgaria’s second largest city and it’s very old, dating back to 6000BC. That’s old!

Everyone heads to the old town so after a workout in the gym (no vibration therapy but you can swing a cat) off we went.

It was a much easier walk than we thought last night. You know you’re in the old town once you hit the cobbled streets. It’s very hilly and we were glad we were wearing our walking boots.

The streets are dotted with Ottoman style houses that have been renovated. We bought a ticket that allowed us to see 5 tourist destinations which came to 30lev for both of us – approximately £15.

We saw the amphitheater, the apothecary (don’t bother) and three houses. The houses are brilliant and definitely worth seeing. They are all different but the effort that has gone into renovating them is amazing. My favourite was the last house we saw , Hindliyan House. The owner was a merchant of Armenian descent and had running water and a bathroom which was very unusual in those days.

Lunch was in the Kapana district, the trendy area of Plovdiv. I had a trio of dips which were all delicious but particularly the green one. I asked the waitress what was in it but she didn’t know. I think it was goats cheese, maybe avocado and dill. Whatever it was, it was yummy.

The drizzle came at about 3pm and we decided we’d had enough so we yomped back to the hotel only to find our room hadn’t been cleaned. Third world problems but a little irritating. Seems like the management are more interested in parties than punters.

A little nap followed by a jacuzzi and steam – delightful. Fortification against the teengage joyriders who arrived at 6.30pm. I wonder what the wedding party will think? Although if they’re anything like the Turks, they’ll have brought guns. Luckily we’ve got enough chocolate in the minibar to hole up for a while.

Dinner was at The Riviera Restaurant less than 10 mins walk away. It was very cozy and a good atmosphere. Multigenerational families eating together, friends all very local. Made me miss family. Food was good too and great value. S booked again for tomorrow!

The walk home was extremely wet- the threatened weather event has arrived. My socks were very damp by the time we got in.

As I write, giggly girls are running up the corridor. That’ll be another night of white noise and earplugs then.