Plovdiv Small Group Full Day Guided Tour from Sofia
Description
Travel hassle-free from Sofia to Plovdiv and back in the comfort of a modern and air-conditioned minibus. Plovdiv is one of the oldest towns in the world. More ancient than Rome! With an expert guide at your side, explore and experience its millennia of epic history, monumental attractions, unique Bulgarian culture, and way of life. Your guide will take you to the most interesting sites and pinpoint fascinating details missed by the general public. Still, you will have ample free time to stroll on your own along the longest pedestrian street in Europe and sample local food and drinks.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your day trip starts early at 08:00 AM from the Vasil Levski Monument (Embassy of Slovakia) to beat the summer heat and the crowds! Board our comfortable, shared tourist coach and begin your journey.
Before hitting the highway, the bus makes a scheduled stop at Sofia International Airport (and occasionally selected hotels) to pick up arriving passengers and regular shuttle ticket holders joining the route. Please sit back and relax as we complete these necessary boarding procedures before the 2-hour drive to Plovdiv.
Upon arrival in Plovdiv—one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe—you will begin a comprehensive walking tour. Walk along the cobbled streets and marvel at the beautifully restored 19th-century National Revival houses. (Logistics Note: If you booked a tour in Spanish or Italian, you will be met by a dedicated local expert guide here, while your onboard host from Sofia manages transport logistics).
Explore one of the world's best-preserved ancient Roman amphitheaters. Still used for performances today, this spectacular 1st-century structure offers breathtaking panoramic views. (Entry is optional; local fee approx. 2.56 € cash).
Discover the massive Roman Stadium built in the 2nd century AD, located beneath the main pedestrian street. Your guided portion concludes near the vibrant "Kapana" (The Trap) creative district.
How the afternoon works depends on the Option you booked: Plovdiv Extended Free Time: If you booked the base Plovdiv tour, you now have massive extended free time! Relax, dine in Kapana, or visit museums at your own pace. (Note: The shared bus will leave Plovdiv to conduct the "Grand Tours" and return later in the afternoon to pick you up). Starosel OR Koprivshtitsa Grand Tours: If you booked a premium upgrade, you will re-board the bus and travel into the countryside to visit the Thracian Tomb of Starosel & Staro Zhelezare Art Village, OR the historic 19th-century town of Koprivshtitsa (depending on the day's specific route).
After completing the day's itinerary and reuniting the group in Plovdiv, the bus travels back to Sofia. We will make a brief scheduled stop at Sofia Airport to drop off connecting passengers and shuttle riders.
The tour concludes with a final drop-off at the original morning meeting point (or selected hotels, if the premium pickup option was booked). Expected return time is approximately 18:00 - 19:00, depending on traffic and the day's specific routing.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Dynamic Itinerary & Shared Coach: To offer flexible options, this tour operates on a shared coach. If you book the "Extended Free Time" option, you will remain in Plovdiv to explore independently while the bus continues on to visit Starosel or Koprivshtitsa with the other passengers, returning later in the afternoon to pick you up.
- Guide Language Logistics: If you select a live guided tour in Spanish or Italian, your local tour will be conducted by an expert in that language. However, the transport host accompanying you on the bus from Sofia will manage logistics in a different language (usually English).
- Audio App Users: If you booked a self-guided/Audio App option, the onboard staff will assist with meeting times and logistics only. Please bring your own headphones, a fully charged smartphone, and ensure you have mobile internet data.
- Terrain & Dress Code: The Old Town of Plovdiv features steep, uneven cobbled streets. Comfortable, sturdy walking shoes are absolutely mandatory.
- Summer Weather: During summer, temperatures in Plovdiv can be extremely hot. Sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, and a bottle of water are highly recommended
- All touch points in our vehicles will be frequently cleaned and disinfected.
- Museum Closures: Please note that the Regional Ethnographic Museum in Plovdiv is closed on Mondays.Confirmation will be received at the time of booking.Not wheelchair accessible.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult. Minimum age is 6 years
Reviews(240)
Tour guide Ani was very friendly right from the beginning. Despite only being booked and required to speak in Spanish Ani kindly translated everything into English for those of us who should have had audio guides. I had downloaded the audio guide but hard to follow given that the numbers etc. didn't tie up with the order that we saw things in Plovdiv. Also, the audio guide is an American voice that goes into a lot of detail sometimes for nearly 10 minutes at a time, which I found quite annoying after awhile and hard to stay interested in. If you can I definitely recommend booking a tour with a tour guide that speaks your required language and don't book the audio guide tours. Plovdiv was lovely and nice weather. We also went to the Thracian tomb near Starosel and Starosel art village to look at the amazing graffiti art work. Thank you Ani and our driver for a lovely day trip in a comfortable minibus.
Great experience guys, I will definitely recommend you!
Plovdiv is not to be left out on your trip to Bulgaria. Maria, the guide, was a true professional. Very knowledgable and quite obviously passionate about Plovdiv. I would 100% book with this tour group again.
We choose a small group tour which was very pleasent, and efficient. The guide was very good her name is MARIA Maneva
Svet was a great guide. He talked a lot about Plovdiv and Bulgaria in general. Plovdiv is a very nice town with lots of charm. I deduct a star, because a group of about 20 people is not a small group for me (that's what the title says).
I like to do trips on my own since I believe going in these tours is very cumbersome, however I'm glad that I chose this company to go to Plovdiv, the reason I did it is because going from Sophia to Plovdiv independently requires multiple transfers from taxis to train and the back again: we are talking about 5 to 6 hours in transportation only ! Which makes no sense. Plovdiv is full of history with multiple layers of cultures, very nice explained by our guide who was very nice, polite, and informative We were in the Hyatt Sofia and the tour departs from across the street so for us was a no-brainer. Highly recommended when the time in Sofia is limited and Plovdiv is a must go when in Bulgaria Enjoy
Nice experience with Traventuria. Guide and driver at the top. Nice and available. Good behavior. I recommend.
Extraordinary excursion commanded by Maria and a great driver of the vehicle. Maria since we left gave us explanations of the Cd. From Sofia and upon arriving in Plovdiv he did the same, guided us through the main attractions of the city, giving us details of many things. All excellent, thank you.
Superb historic city of Plovdiv in autonomy. Attention, single-string voice of the audio guide otherwise very well.
Todor and Nikolai thank you for a lovely day. Friendly staff with loads of knowledge. Would recommend a tour with these guys Can't wait to go on another someday Thanks
