We probably could have done with a bit more time to explore Plovdiv. By the time we were finished looking around Sofia and had driven half across the country to return the rental car, we didn’t have a lot of time left.
We arrived just shy of 1800, dropped off the car and headed over to the bus station. We bought a ticket for the 2230 Metro Bus to Istanbul, dumped our bags and grabbed a cab into the old town.
It’s only about a 15 minute walk from the bus station to the Stari Grad but with legs like jelly from our day hiking in the Rila National Park we weren’t game to walk anywhere much.
The first cab we got in to charged us about 2 dollars to drop us at the foot of the ancient Roman Amphitheater. Problem was, the site was perched high up atop a mountain, with a huge traffic tunnel tearing underneath it. We could see the Amphitheater easily enough, but we didn’t know how to get to it. Google said it was only about a ten minute walk away but we were pretty sure that the walk was going to involve a steep hill and so we hopped into another taxi.
A couple of minutes and dollars later and we were standing in the centre of the old town – about half way between Danov Hill the theatre. The sun was starting to duck low below the horizon, so we made our way up the hill to explore the remnants of the old fortress first and watch the city light up. The views from Danov Hill are fantastic, and while I’d recommend you getting there in time for sunset (we missed it by a few minutes), it’s definitely worth a look regardless.
After chilling out for a while, taking in the city, we decided to set out in search for the Amphitheatre. The cobble streets – while quaint and romantic – did nothing for our broken legs.
Eventually we came across the Roman arean and found a nice, quiet bar to settle down for a drink. We also missed going into the theatre for a look, but from the top of the hill we got a pretty good view of the ancient relic all lit up.
After a drink or two we wandered back up the hill to find a restaurant. We settled on the Art House, Boris Palace with its pastel pink and neon lace clad exterior, and promise of a panoramic terrace the main draw cards (our first choice was The Residence, but after walking in on a wedding – the second in a day, we decided to keep looking).
In the end, the touted panoramic terrace was closed, but we didn’t let that, or the rude Bulgarian wait staff, ruin our meal.
Before long, it was time to settle up and head back to the bus station to catch our 2230 bus back to Istanbul.