Full Day Archeological tour of Plovdiv and the Region

At 09:00 your guide will meet you at your hotel/accommodation in Plovdiv and your journey through history will begin. The first stage of the tour will be a walking tour of the ancient ruins of Plovdiv. First, you will visit one of the most impressive archeological sites in Bulgaria- The Bishop’s Basilica of Philippopolis. The basilica is impressive with its size but also with the preserved mosaics which are some of the finest examples of Late Roman art and early Christian traditions. The IV century Christian church replaced the earlier temple dedicated to the cult of the Emperor. You will see and learn how the Christians have implemented and adopted the Classical styles and motives and created something one of the sort. The exposition of this impressive site is very interactive and includes digital 3D reconstructions of the ancient building.

After we finish with the Bishop's basilica we will visit another example of the Early Christian sanctuary so-called "The small basilica". You will admire other wonderful and well-preserved mosaics from the IV century AD.

Our walk will continue and will lead us to the ancient Forum of Philipopolis and the South gate. Next to the Forum used to be one of the sides of an impressive Roman stadium. We will see the remains of this amazing sport facility which had a capacity of 30 000 spectators who were watching the chariot races. There we not so many of those buildings in the Empire which can give you a better idea what was the status of the city in the II and the III century AD. The Stadium was constructed during the reign of Emperor Hadrian who actually stayed in the city for few months.

Next to the Roman ruins is standing one of the most beautiful and old medieval mosques- Djumaya Mosque. As Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman empire for around 5 centuries its heritage has a very strong impact. We can make visit inside and admire the Ottoman art and the mixture of architectural styles between the Byzantine and Ottoman traditions.

When we finish our lunch break, we will continue with our exploration of this amazing city. We will enter the Old town where you will learn about the Revival period of Bulgaria and the late Ottoman rule. We will see the architecture of the XIX-century upper-class citizens of Plovdiv. We can enter some of those homes. We will see some medieval ruins and the fortification that was built after the Hunic invasion. We will reach the top of the hill where the first prehistorical settlement was established which makes Plovdiv one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe.

Our next stop will bring us back to the Roman empire and the period after the Dacian wars, during the reign of Emperor Trajan. We will visit the Theatre of the ancient Trimoncium which is still an active theatre where performances are still happening. During the II century AD, the theatre was used to entertain the citizens with gladiator fights.

When we are done with Plovdiv's old town, we will pick a car and head towards the next destination of the tour – Asenova Fortress (approx. 25 min drive from Plovdiv). Asen's Fortress is situated on the top of a cliff in Rodopi Mountain, at approx. 20 km distance from Plovdiv. During the exploration of this medieval fort, you will learn about the might of Bulgarian medieval history and what dramas led to the fall under Ottoman rule.

After feasting our eyes on the beauties of nature, we will drive to the Bachkovo monastery. This is the second biggest monastery in Bulgaria and one of the oldest. It was established in the late XI century by a man from Georgia. You will learn about this very dramatic period in Bulgarian history- an invasion of Viking leaders from Kyiv Rus and a long-lasting catastrophic war with the Byzantines, the adoption of Christianity and the Cyrillic in Kyiv Rus, and many more. Also, we will get to modern times and will talk about the Second World War and the saving of the Bulgarian Jewish community.