Day Trips from Plovdiv: Bachkovo, Asen's Fortress and More

All prices are in euro: Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026. Opening hours, ticket prices and timetables were checked on 12 November 2026 on the sites' own pages, the Bulgarian State Railways timetable and the website of the company that runs Plovdiv's bus stations. Our transfer prices were read from our booking system the same day, and the price shown when you book is the one that counts.

One honest note before you plan: we do not currently offer a guided tour that starts in Plovdiv. What you can book with us is a private transfer, car hire and a hotel in the city, and this guide is here to help you put the day together yourself.

Day trips from Plovdiv at a glance

Distances and drive times are rounded road-route figures. On the mountain roads of the Rhodopes you will drive more slowly than the map suggests, and more slowly still in snow. Time on site is our estimate for an unhurried visit.

Asen's Fortress: opening hours, tickets and how to get there

Asen's Fortress sits on a crag above the river gorge, 2 km beyond the southern edge of Asenovgrad. The rock is sheer on three sides, which is why the Thracians fortified it as early as the 5th century BC. It takes its name from Tsar Ivan Asen II, who enlarged and strengthened it in 1231. Little of the fortress itself survives beyond foundations and walls. The one building that stands complete is the Church of the Holy Mother of God of Petrich, a two-storey church with fragments of medieval frescoes. You come for the church and for the view down the gorge and across the mountains.

• Opening hours: every day, with no closing day. Asenovgrad's municipal tourism enterprise has announced 09:00 to 18:00 from October to April and 09:00 to 20:00 from May to September. The fortress's own page shows only 09:00 to 20:00 with no seasons, so in winter plan to be finished by 18:00 and phone to confirm before you go. It is dark by around 17:00 in winter, so arrive in daylight.
• Tickets: adults €4.09. Pupils, students and pensioners €2.56. A family ticket for parents with children under 7 is €7.67.
• Guided talk: a talk in a foreign language costs €19.94 on the same price list. To arrange one: +359 884 44 62 56.
• By car: from Asenovgrad follow the road towards Smolyan and Bachkovo and turn right at the signs. From Plovdiv allow half an hour.
• Without a car: take the train to Asenovgrad and a short taxi ride from the station. On foot it is a long uphill walk along the road.

The way up from the car park to the church is a stone path with steps, so wear comfortable shoes.

Bachkovo Monastery from Plovdiv: what to see, hours and tickets

Bachkovo Monastery is the second largest and second most important monastery in Bulgaria, after Rila Monastery. It was founded in 1083 by the Georgian brothers Gregory and Abasius Bakuriani and stands 440 metres up above the Chepelare river, 10 km from Asenovgrad and 30 km from Plovdiv. The monastery's own website calls it probably the most visited monastery in the country, with thousands of people arriving at weekends and on major church feasts. For a quiet visit, come midweek or early in the morning.

What to see at Bachkovo Monastery

• The main church: the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin was built in 1604. Inside are a carved iconostasis from the early 17th century, one of the oldest in Bulgaria, and the icon of the Virgin that the monastery venerates as miracle-working.
• The old refectory: a barrel-vaulted hall 17 metres long, almost entirely covered in frescoes dated 1643. The monastery says around 90 per cent of them survive and that the hall is the only one of its kind in Bulgaria.
• The monastery museum: in the south courtyard, with crosses covered in miniature woodcarving, church plate, and an icon hall opened in 2022 showing icons from the 13th to the 19th century.
• Bachkovo Monastery ossuary: about 300 metres east of the monastery, and the only building left from 1083. It keeps frescoes from the 11th and 14th centuries, among them a portrait of Tsar Ivan Alexander. It is now a museum, and you need to ask at the monastery to visit.

Bachkovo Monastery opening hours and tickets

• Opening hours: every day, 07:00 to 20:00 in summer time and 07:00 to 19:00 in winter time.
• Tickets: the monastery's website lists a price only for the museum, €3, and the old refectory, €5. Both are published as prices before VAT, and the site does not state the final price at the desk, so ask there before you pay.
• Services: morning service at 07:00 and vespers at 17:00, or 18:00 in summer, according to Asenovgrad's tourism enterprise.
• Museum and visitor enquiries: 0877 11 11 48.

This is a working monastery: dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, and keep your voice down in the churches. One detail for this winter: in a notice dated 27 October 2026 the monastery says overnight stays in its guest house are not possible from 1 November 2026 to 25 April 2027. That changes nothing for a day visit, but if you had planned to sleep there you will need a hotel in Plovdiv or Asenovgrad.

The fortress and the monastery pair naturally in one half day: they are about 10 km apart, a quarter of an hour by road.

The Wonderful Bridges: a full day in the Rhodopes, by car only

The Wonderful Bridges, also called the Marvellous Bridges, are two natural marble arches in a spruce forest at 1,450 metres. According to Chepelare municipality's tourism site, the larger bridge is 96 metres long and 70 metres high, with its arch rising 45 metres above the stream. The second stands about 100 metres down the ravine and is 50 metres high. There are railings and cut stone steps around the bridges, so the walk itself is easy, children included.

The drive is the long part. From Plovdiv you go through Asenovgrad and past Bachkovo on the Smolyan road, then turn off before Chepelare onto a side road through the village of Zabardo. From the turning it is 16 km of narrow mountain road. In total allow about 75 km and 1 hour 45 to 2 hours each way. We found no official notice of an entry fee, so keep a few coins for parking.

In winter the side road climbs to a height where snow and ice are normal. Between December and March, check road conditions before you set off and do not attempt it without winter tyres. Public transport is not practical: buses only stop at the junction on the main road, a long way from the bridges.

With a car and a full day, this order works: leave early, drive straight to the bridges, and stop at Bachkovo Monastery and Asen's Fortress on the way back. In summer both stay open into the evening. In winter the fortress closes earlier and it gets dark early, so check the hours before you build the day. That is about 150 km in all. For the villages, caves and walks beyond the bridges, see our Rhodope Mountains guide.

Hisarya and Starosel: Roman walls and a Thracian temple

Hisarya lies 42 km north of Plovdiv. It is a spa town with 22 hot mineral springs, built inside the Roman city of Diocletianopolis. According to Hisarya municipality, the wall went up at the end of the 3rd century under Emperor Diocletian. It is 2,327 metres long and in places still stands 11 metres high. The south gate, known locally as the Camels, rises to 13 metres.

You explore on foot: from the south gate along the wall, to the Roman baths in Momina Salza park and to a 4th century Roman family tomb with a coloured mosaic floor, about 300 metres south-west of the gate. On the way, fill a bottle at the mineral water fountains as the locals do. For more thermal pools and springs, see our guide to hot springs in Bulgaria.

The Archaeological Museum is at 8 Aleksandar Stamboliyski Street. The municipality's website says it opens every day, in winter 08:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:30. The same municipality's tourism portal says it is closed on Saturday and Sunday. If the museum matters to you and you are coming at a weekend, check before you travel.

Starosel is about 25 km west of Hisarya. The Thracian complex near the village has two temples built beneath burial mounds: the great temple in the Chetinyova mound, discovered in 2000 by the archaeologist Georgi Kitov and dated to the 5th to 4th century BC, and the Horizont tomb with its columns. Hisarya's tourism portal says the site is open to visitors all year. The ticket price is still published there in leva, the former currency, and we found no official price in euro, so we give no figure here. Check the current price and hours before you go.

Hisarya is easy without a car and Starosel is not: the village has only four buses a day from Hisarya, and the temple is outside the village. To see both in one day you need a car.

More day trips from Plovdiv: Karlovo, Kazanlak and the Rhodopes

• Karlovo and Sopot: two small towns at the foot of the Balkan range, about 60 km north of Plovdiv. Karlovo is the birthplace of Vasil Levski, the hero of Bulgaria's independence struggle, and the writer Ivan Vazov was born in neighbouring Sopot. There are 7 trains a day, 6 of them direct, and a private transfer from Plovdiv to Karlovo costs from €66 per car. Check the house museums' hours before you go.
• Kazanlak, the Valley of the Thracian Kings and Buzludzha: about 130 km, roughly 1 hour 40 on the motorway. A long day, but a possible one. A private transfer from Plovdiv to Kazanlak costs from €104 per car. For the monument on the mountain, read our Buzludzha guide. If you would rather break the journey, you can stay at the Kings' Valley Medical and Spa Hotel in Kazanlak.
• Smolyan and Pamporovo: about 105 km south and more than two hours on a mountain road, so better as an overnight than a day trip. A private transfer from Plovdiv to Smolyan costs from €88 per car, and our Pamporovo guide covers the ski resort.
• Wineries: some of the best cellars of the Thracian Valley are around Plovdiv. The detail is in our guide to Bulgaria's wineries. Most wineries need a booking in advance.
• Koprivshtitsa: the museum town in the hills also works as a day from Plovdiv. It is described in our day trips from Sofia guide.

Near Asenovgrad, if you have time left

• Asenovgrad Palaeontological Museum: complete skeletons of prehistoric mammals, including a deinotherium, a giant relative of the elephant. Good with children. The official page lists Tuesday to Saturday, 09:00 to 17:00, and gives no hours for Sunday or Monday, so do not count on those days.
• Dobrostanski Biser cave: a show cave above Asenovgrad. Open only from May to September, Thursday to Monday, 09:00 to 18:00. Adults €4.60.
• Belintash: a rock plateau that served as a Thracian sanctuary, about 30 km south-east of Asenovgrad. Car only.

Day trips from Plovdiv by train and bus

Plovdiv to Asenovgrad by train

This is the simplest option. On the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) timetable for 14 and 17 November 2026, 16 trains a day run from Plovdiv central station to Asenovgrad, from 04:50 to 22:20, and the journey takes 26 to 28 minutes. Convenient morning departures: 07:50, 08:51 and 10:15. Back from Asenovgrad: 15:00, 16:12, 17:17 and 18:22, with the last train at 22:50. The annual rail timetable changes in mid-December, so check again before you travel.

A sample day: take the 08:51 and you are in Asenovgrad at 09:17. Taxi to Asen's Fortress, then a taxi on to Bachkovo Monastery, 10 km further. In the afternoon return to Asenovgrad for the 16:12 or 17:17 train. Agree with the taxi driver in advance when he will come back for you at the monastery.

Plovdiv to Bachkovo Monastery by bus

Buses towards the Rhodopes leave from Rodopi bus station at 73 Pobeda Street, on the south side of the railway station. The station operator's online search shows buses to Smolyan, Madan and Zlatograd that stop at Bachkovo. The first one listed leaves at 11:00 and arrives at 11:30, followed by departures at 11:30, 12:30, 13:20, 14:00 and 14:30. That suits a late start. Return times from Bachkovo are not published on that site, so ask the driver or at the ticket desk, which is open 06:30 to 20:00. If there is no bus, a taxi to Asenovgrad and the train from there is your fallback.

Plovdiv to Hisarya by bus or train

From Yug bus station, at 47 Hristo Botev Boulevard, 8 buses a day run to Hisarya: 06:20, 07:40, 09:00, 10:30, 13:30, 15:15, 17:30 and 19:30. The ride takes an hour and the fare on the operator's site is €3.40. Back from Hisarya: 11:00, 11:50, 15:00, 16:30, 17:10, 18:10 and 18:45. There is also a train, 5 or 6 a day, about 1 hour 15, most of them with a change at Dolna Mahala. Good departures are 07:30 or 09:48, returning at 13:55 or 17:30.

By private transfer or hire car

A private transfer from Plovdiv to Asenovgrad costs from €21 per car, for up to 4 passengers, from your hotel door. That price is to the town of Asenovgrad: if you are heading for the fortress or the monastery, enter the exact address when you book, and the price shown before payment is the one that counts. The transfer is one way, and the return is booked separately. It does not include waiting time at the site, so it suits travellers who want a comfortable ride out and the train back, or who fix a pickup time in advance. You pay part when you book and the rest to the driver at the end of the ride. Transfer prices are dynamic, which is why every one here is given as a from price.

For the Wonderful Bridges, Starosel, or a day that strings several places together, car hire is the simple answer. The roads to Asenovgrad, Bachkovo and Hisarya are good. Only the last stretch to the bridges is narrow and winding.

Where to stay and how Plovdiv fits a wider trip

To see the city and still have a day for the countryside you need at least two nights. The convenient base is the centre, close to the Old Town and a short ride from the railway station: here are our hotels in Plovdiv. What to see in the city itself is covered in our Plovdiv guide.

From Sofia, a private transfer from Sofia to Plovdiv costs from €113 per car. If you are staying in Sofia and only want a taste of the city, there is a day trip from Sofia to Plovdiv at €100 per adult. Note that it visits Plovdiv itself, not the places in this guide.

Heading on to the mountains? A private transfer from Plovdiv to Bansko costs from €124 per car, and once there you can carry on with our day trips from Bansko.