Plovdiv Small Group Full Day Guided Tour from Sofia

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Sofia, Bulgaria

High interest

Booked 2 times today.

12 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Escape the hassle of planning and enjoy a seamless full-day adventure from Sofia to Bulgaria’s cultural gem, Plovdiv. Travel comfortably in an air-conditioned vehicle and explore one of Europe’s oldest cities without worrying about transport, navigation, or tickets. Choose between a live guided walking tour or a comprehensive audio guide to dive into over 8,000 years of history at your own pace. Discover ancient ruins, the charming Old Town, then enjoy free time to savor authentic Bulgarian cuisine or wander the cobblestone streets.

Hassle-free round-trip transport ensures a seamless experience
Explore Bulgaria beyond Sofia without having to navigate public transport
Visit spots you'd likely miss out on if exploring independently
Enjoy free time to explore at your own pace

What's Included

Round-trip transportation by air-conditioned minibus or coach
Extended Plovdiv time or trip to Starosel/Koprivshtitsa (Depends on your selected Option)
Live Guide OR Audio Guide App (Depends entirely on the specific Option selected)

Hotel pickup and drop-off (If a standard 'Meeting Point' option is selected)
Plovdiv & Starosel/Koprivshtitsa site tickets (Optional & payable locally)

€15.00 per person
Smartphones, headphones,and internet data- Required ONLY if you book an Audio App/Self-Guided option
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Sofia Center, bul. "Yanko Sakazov" 9, 1527 Sofia, Bulgaria
IMPORTANT: The meeting point is Vasil Levski Monument (Embassy of Slovakia). Please, be there 15 min. in advance! | This tour is not suitable for children under the age of 5.

End points

This activity ends in a different location. See details below:

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Itinerary

Begin your journey with an easy meet-up in front of the Embassy of Slovakia in central Sofia. Join your local guide and fellow travelers for a comfortable two-hour drive to Plovdiv—Bulgaria’s second-largest city and one of Europe’s oldest.

Upon arrival, set off on a guided walking tour through Plovdiv’s enchanting Old Town. Wander cobblestone streets lined with beautifully restored 19th-century homes, ancient Roman ruins, and vibrant art galleries. As you explore, your guide brings the city’s 8,000-year history to life, sharing captivating stories of the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Bulgarian influences that give Plovdiv its unique character.

After the tour, enjoy free time to explore at your own pace. Soak up the atmosphere on the lively pedestrian streets, unwind at a local cafe, or browse for handcrafted souvenirs.

End your day with a relaxing drive back to Sofia, with drop-off in the city center—the perfect, stress-free way to experience Plovdiv’s timeless charm.

Vasil Levski Monument

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Sofia International Airport

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Plovdiv Old Town

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Ancient Theatre of Philippopolis

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ancient Stadium of Philipopolis

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Plovdiv Province

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Sofia International Airport

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Vasil Levski Monument

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
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
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Artemis_S

Our tour guide, Hristo was very knowledgeable about the history of this area of the world. He filled in gaps I had been unclear about in the religious history of Bulgaria. He spoke clearly and loudly in his excellent English, making it easy to understand all he said. He was personable, helpful and excellent at pointing out local architecture and how it related to the history and religion of Plovdiv. I highly recommend a tour with Hristo. In fact, we booked another tour with him for next week. Our bus driver was a safe driver and I'm always appreciative of that. I highly recommend.

Reviews

4.4

based on 240 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Ani was a excellent tour guide and very welcoming

Dmitri_G, May 2026

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.

A worthwhile tour

Shmuel_A, Feb 2026

We choose a small group tour which was very pleasent, and efficient. The guide was very good her name is MARIA Maneva

Poor organisation

Vicki_W, Oct 2025

We were crammed in to a small minibus bus and on return was so hit the whole 3 hour journey was uncomfortable. When we arrived in Plovdiv the tour guide was extremely rude and unhelpful in determining the pick up area. She refused to point out where to meet on a map on my phone and just kept saying it was at McDonalds- there are over 6 McDonald’s, and hen you don’t speak the language or understand street names. The town itself is beautiful and worth a visit but avoid this company.

Excellent guide for the history and architecture

Artemis_S, Oct 2025

Great way to explore Plovdiv

Thiti_V, Aug 2025

This was a great way to see Plovdiv with some context. Martin was an exceptional guide who didn't simply tell you the facts, but kept engaged with humor, quizzes, interesting tangents; he made the tour great. I think time is well slotted for most people, personally I could use another hour so I could maybe visit a museum and have quick lunch... but I think it's fine for most! Would recommend this tour.

Day trip

Bjanka_B, Aug 2025

It was a smooth ride to Plovdiv. Our guide Kamen was nice and managed everything so we could make it back on time for my flight. We had a nice walk through Plovdiv with some insights from Kamen. Thanks!

Basically a day of transport from Sofia to Plovdiv & back in a big slow bus

Richard_W, Jul 2025

Understand this is basically a tour mostly just gets you to Plovdiv from Sofia w/minimal guide activity involved & then back. As in it took way, way too long to get from Sofia to the drop off point-over 3 hours due to way too much freeway traffic + construction, then about an hour & 1/2 of the guide taking you to points of interest then about an hour & a 1/2 of very rushed free time that includes getting a way, way too late lunch (around 2 pm) then at least on the way back the bus (not a van-there were about 25 peeps on it) took a different route so it only took 2 & a 1/2 hours to get back-so about a 9 hour day w/only 3 hours in Plovdiv. Plovdiv is lovely & historic but someday in the distance future if I return to Bulgaria I would spend a couple of days there but at least this was a primer for me as that is how I travel these days in retirement to find locales that I want to return in the future. Finally our guide was fine & nice but her history talks, etc. in the bus were mostly unmemorable as she was not really a high energy person.

An enjoyable day out

Anthony_R, Jun 2025

A enjoyable day out , with martin the guide being very informative and entertaining. This trip comes recommended

Plovdiv is beautiful and...

Rongling_Y, Jun 2025

Plovdiv is beautiful and worth visiting. I traveled with my family. It took 2.5 hr to reach there and another 3hrs to come back.

Trip to walk

Rakesh_A, May 2025

This is an average trip. The place has some interesting things but not an exciting town. There is lot of history spread around. Be prepared with comfortable shoes.

Amazing day out, a must do, with brilliant guide

Ellis_H, Apr 2025

Plovdiv was very beautiful and has a lot more history than people probably realise. So if you like history, this trip would be perfect. But also, some amazing sights and views and with the guide, we saw more sights than we probably would've if we were on our own. On this trip, we had a nice long walking tour, about 2 and a half hours, and then an hour and a half free time afterwards, but that's all that would be needed because we covered a lot of Plovdiv with the guide. Going this time of year was perfect as it was hot but not super hot, and it was like a slightly cheaper Greece. The ancient theatr of Philippopolis was unbelievable and was definitely worth going to, it only cost 5 Lev to enter and was 100% worth it. Our guide gave us the option to follow on the walking tour or not, as long as we met back at the end meeting point which was nice to have that freedom, but we felt the tour was worth it, though some people did do their own thing. He also had some pictures, facts, sheets, activities for us as a group, which was a nice touch, made it interactive and a lot more visual. Todor was a brilliant guide, with good knowledge and was a very nice guy. If you're in Sofia and have a spare day, definitely go to Plovdiv. Several people we met in Sofia before going on this trip, did highly suggest Plovdiv.

Response from Host, Apr 2025

Thanks for sharing this detailed and thoughtful review — it paints such a vivid picture of your day! We're really glad to hear that you enjoyed both the beauty and history of Plovdiv, and that Todor helped make the experience even more memorable with his engaging and interactive approach. It’s great to know that the balance between the guided tour and free time worked well for you, and that you appreciated the flexibility and the personal touches. Plovdiv truly is a hidden gem, and we're happy you got to explore it at just the right time of year. Hope to welcome you on another trip soon! Warm regards, Nina N. from Traventuria team

Plovdiv and Koprivshtisa

Lilia_B, Mar 2025

A lot of interesting historical information was shared, great sights. Very knowledgeable tour guide.

Response from Host, Apr 2025

Thank you for your kind words! We're delighted that you enjoyed the historical insights and breathtaking sights of Plovdiv. Our guides are truly passionate about sharing the city's rich heritage, and it's wonderful to hear that their expertise made your experience even more memorable. We hope to welcome you back on another adventure soon!

Convenient tour, well...

Peggy_K, Nov 2024

Convenient tour, well organized. Downside is making a detour to pick up passengers at the airport and the traffic backup that significantly impacts the time one has in Plovdiv. If one is interested in spending time at a museum, don't go on Monday - they are all closed and one does have a little time to visit a museum on this tour.

Can be improved.

Allan_H, Nov 2024

Martin was fine as a guide, speaks very good English. They should pre buy tickets for the Roman theatre, it was a pain to go all the way down the hill to the end of the tour, to then go back up, then to have lunch and keep to the schedule. Unbeknownst to us, the bus ride back detours to the airport for new riders they pick up, huh? this was not even listed as one of the drop offs they sent before the trip and likely added 40 mins to the trip back at the end of a long day.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Dear Allan, Thank you very much for your feedback and review. They are of great value to us and we appreciate your time. We apologize the trip did not meet your expectations. Please, kindly note that unfortunately pre-buying tickets to the Roman Theatre is not possible. Please, also kindly note, that a stop at the Sofia Airport is part of the tour itinerary. It is clearly described on the tour's page on Viator's website. We look forward to seeing you again in Bulgaria. Give us another chance to impress you. Next time with 5 out 5 stars. With best regards, Nora (Traventuria Team)

Great day

Theresa_K, Nov 2024

Loved it! Martin was fun and the city is amazing. So much history and so interesting. Even going in November, it was well worth a little bit of cold weather

Plovdiv to remember

Amie_I, Nov 2024

The tour is amazing and organized Plovdiv is a picturesque city. Our tour guide Dafina know a lot about Plovdiv. She told us amazing stories. Kudos also for our driver in this tour. We arrived earlier as I expected. I totally recommend this trip.

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Thank you for your fantastic review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the tour and found Plovdiv to be such a picturesque city. It's wonderful to know that Dafina's knowledge and storytelling added to your experience. We'll be sure to pass on your kudos to our driver as well. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you on another adventure soon! Svet (Traventuria team)

Maria was a delight

Ebru_M, Oct 2024

Our guide Maria was a delight and made the trip engaging and very pleasant! Plovdiv has some interesting sights and the city has a different atmosphere than Sophia. Would definitely recommend it.

Back to ancient times.

Rick_R, Oct 2024

In general the entire tour was a wonderful experience and Maria (our guide) was very knowledgeable and took me to the past with the all the history information she gave us.

Very interesting tour

Inna_Z, Oct 2024

Beautiful town and amazing tour guide. We had four different tours during our stay in Sofia. This one was the best organized, most interesting visually and informatively. Guide Dafina is the best by knowledge and personality. Thanks a lot!!

old city in a modern era

mark_d, Oct 2024

the old town was very much up to expectation. Seeing people who still live there, very much in their own world

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Dear Mark, Thank you very much for your feedback and review. We appreciate your time and are glad you enjoyed Plovdiv! Looking forward to seeing you again on a tour with us next time you visit Bulgaria. Best regards, Nora Dobrinska (Traventuria Team)

A good day trip

Wil_M, Sep 2024

Plovdiv is a terrific day trip option from Sofia. The visit was long enough for us to see the highlights of the town and see the contrast between Plovdiv and the much larger Sofia. Even in late September this trip is popular; our bus was completely full. Although every seat appeared to be comfortable, getting there on time allowed us to get seats together at an optimal window location. Once in Plovdiv, our guide, Lino, did a good job of explaining key points in the town while herding over 30 tourists. We felt like the mix of guided time and free time was good.

Excellent visit to Plovdiv

Jos_R, Sep 2024

Extremely interesting visit to Plovdiv, a very nice city. The meeting point it was very easy to find. The driver was extremely careful and the guide, Hristo, explained very well the history of Plovdiv and the visit.

Great day in Plovdiv!

Rika_O, Sep 2024

The company is very organized, providing precise directions the day before of where to meet, what to wear and how to prepare. We had an excellent and very informative guide, Hristo. He provided a lot of history, context and information and I came out of the tour learning a lot about the history of Plovdiv and Bulgaria in general. He was very good at keeping the group organized and moving the tour along in a timely fashion. Plovdiv is not close to Sofia and it is about a two hour drive. For our itinerary, the vehicle stopped at a gas station some time into the journey so people could buy water and use the restroom (clean). You walk around the Old Town part of Plovdiv while listening to the guide in English. Hristo was very good at keeping a steady pace- not too fast or slow and ensuring people had time to take good photos. Then you are taken nearby to the modern part of Plovdiv and given free time. Those who want to explore more of Plovdiv Old Town can (such as entering museums) or shop (it’s a huge shopping avenue full of cafes and restaurants). We chose to have a nice sit down lunch. Some reviews mention not enough time to fully explore. If you really want to see more of Plovdiv it’s better to actually stay there. For us, I thought it was the perfect “see and get a taste of” kind of tour. Well worth it!

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Dear Rika, Thank you very much for your lovely review. It was a pleasure reading it. Your feedback is of great value to us and we appreciate you taking the time to review us here on Viator. We are more than happy you enjoyed your tour and look forward to seeing you again in the future! with best regards, Nora Dobrinska (Traventuria)

Highly recommended

Chunyan_S, Aug 2024

The trip schedule is great! The bus is is very comfortable. Our guide Martin was very caring and very knowledgeable, he made the trip perfect! I highly recommend it to people visit to Sofia.

Great Tour and Guide

ejaneridley1, Aug 2024

Plovdiv is a lovely town and well worth a visit. The tour guide Christo was absolutely fantastic. He showed us everything of interest. The only downside was this tour picks up and drops off at the airport. This meant we had an hour less in Plovdiv. And because of that the tour around the old town was rushed. We were okay with that, but others might not be.

Great day out

Tania_W, Aug 2024

Very good guide passionate about his history full of good stories and interesting information Would love to do it on a cooler day. Climbing hills in the heat was hard.

Historically interesting day with an informative guide

Janette_M, Aug 2024

A great day out with Hristov our guide and Sergii our driver. Hristov has a love of Plovdiv and it shows in his enthusiasm and vast knowledge of not only the city but of Bulgaria in general. We had an incident on our tour where one of our fellow travellers had a nasty fall, Hristov was caring and professional and as we were all concerned we were given an update on her condition as it delayed our tour itinerary therefore impacting all of us. (Not that anyone complained). I can recommend this tour, even though the bus drive is over 2 hours each way, Hristov kept us all entertained.

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Dear Janette, Thank you very much for your feedback and kind review. It's of great value and we appreciate your time. Hristo is one of the best tour guides and we are glad you enjoyed your tour with him. We look forward to seeing you again in Bulgaria for more yours together. Best regards, Nora Dobrinska (Traventuria Team)

Nice town and with a visit if you have seen Sofia

Alison_C, Jul 2024

Plovdiv is a lovely town, especially the old part. Our walk through there was really nice and the guide gave interesting and useful information. Unfortunately we went on a Monday so most of the museums were closed. We probably wouldn’t have had much time to see one anyway as once the walking tour was over we only had 2h to find lunch then get back for the return journey. The rest of the town isn’t anything very special so if the museums are open my advice would be to try and grab a quick pizza slice and go visit one of them!

Response from Host, Jul 2024

Dear Alison, Thank you very much for your feedback and review. We appreciate your time and are glad you enjoyed your trip. As we always strive to provide the best hassle-free experience to our customers, we will take into consideration you remarks and invest time to improve our services even more. We are thankful that you are sharing your experience here on Viator, so that others may read and take advantage of your useful tips. Thank you once again. We look forward to meeting you in the future for more tours together. Best regards, Nora Dobrinska (Traventuria Team)

A magnificent journey to Plovdiv

Robert_R, Jun 2024

This tour was absolutely wonderful.... Plovdiv is a magical town with a fascinating history and so many beautiful sights that represent it's era during the Byzantine as well as the Roman as well as the Ottoman and then the Soviet control of this important area....We were lucky to have Lubo as our guide....he's so knowledgeable about the history of the place but more importantly he made this adventure really fun....I really had a wonderful and a very memorable experience.

Plovdiv day trip

Farkhondeh_A, Jun 2024

The mini bus was uncomfortable. Seats were low, I was not able to see much of the outside during the 4 hours back and forth drive. The tour was organized in a way to give less time in the old town, more time in the shopping street. I expected the opposite arrangement.

Response from Host, Jun 2024

Dear Farkhondeh, Thank you very much for your feedback. It is of great value to us and we appreciate your time. We are sorry we have not met your expectations. We take your remarks into consideration and will improve our services. However, this shopping street you are referring to is also part of Plovdiv Old town and is one of the most visited and popular places in town as well. Once again, please accept our apology for not meeting your expectations. Looking forward to seeing you in Bulgaria again! Best regards, Nora Dobrinska (Traventuria Team)