Hostel Plovdiv Guest, Plovdiv, Bulgaria Youth Hostels

Our beautiful double rooms

1. Bachkovo monastery - Asen's fortress

From Plovdiv we head towards the beautiful Rodopi Mountains (the widest mountain massif in Bulgaria) passing through the pretty town of Asenovgrad. Nearby we will see the remarkable remains of King Ivan Asen's fortress - a wise ruler of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. There we are to find an ancient church dating from the 12th century painted with some authentic pieces of iconography as well as the stone made inscription carved by King Ivan Asen.

Next we go deeper in the Rhodope Mountains towards Bachkovo monastery (the second largest in Bulgaria, founded in 1083, one of the most sacred places in our history).

We'll have lunch near-by the waterfall and under the trees' shadows of the "Waterfall "restaurant near-by the Bachkovo monastery, enjoying local cuisine. After lunch we go on a little hike in the " Red wall " reserve where will see a beautiful waterfall, chapels, the miraculous icon as well as drink holy water out of the sacred well of a chapel.

Then we go back from Bachkovo monastery to Plovdiv.

2. Rodopi Mountains - sightseeing trip

We head from Plovdiv towards Chudnite mostove (The Wonderful Bridges). The Wonderful Bridges represent a unique nature phenomenon, consisting of two rocky bridges (height of 43 m) over a small river.

Then we'll visit the holy site with healing power Krustova Gora (Cross Forest), considered also one of the sanctuaries of Bulgaria. According to experts, the Cross Forest is one of the three places with a special energetic radiation in Bulgaria. According to the local history, a part of the Holy Cross was transferred from Istanbul and buried in a secret place in the area in the 15-th century.

Next we head towards Bachkovo Monastery (the second largest in Bulgaria, founded in 1083, one of the most sacred places in our history).

We'll have lunch near-by the waterfall and under the trees' shadows of the "Waterfall "restaurant near-by the Bachkovo monastery, enjoying local cuisine. After lunch we go on a little hike in the "Red wall" reserve where will see a beautiful waterfall, chapels, the miraculous icon as well as drink holy water out of the sacred well of the monastery.

On our way back to Plovdiv will see the remarkable remains of King Ivan Asen's fortress - a wise ruler of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. There we are to find an ancient church dating from the 12th century painted with some authentic pieces of iconography as well as the stone made inscription carved by King Ivan Asen.

3. Rodopi Mountains biking trip - Bachkovo monastery - Asen's fortres

We head from Plovdiv towards Biala Cherkva (a small ski resort in the Rhodope Mountains - 1700 m above sea level) by car. Few kilometers before the resort we get on the bikes into the forest. We go on a mostly downhill biking for about 3 hours until we get to the remarkable remains of King Ivan Asen's fortress - a wise ruler of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. There we are to find an ancient church dating from the 12th century rich in authentic pieces of iconography as well as the stone made inscription carved by King Ivan Asen.
On our way to the fortress we will enjoy some splendid views over the majestic Rhodope Mountains.

Then we head towards Bachkovo monastery (the second largest in Bulgaria, founded in 1083, one of the most sacred places in our history) for a few kilometers on the asphalt road.

Just before visiting the monastery we will have lunch near-by the waterfall and under the trees' shadows of the "Waterfall" restaurant near-by the Bachkovo monastery, enjoying local cuisine.

At the end we go back to Plovdiv by car.

4. Rodopi Mountains hiking or snowshoeing trip - Mineral bath in Narechen village

The Rhodope (highest peak - Goliam Perelik - 2 191 m) are the widest mountain massif in Bulgaria, being also the oldest land on the Balkans. Here one can find the loveliest coniferous woods in the country and the most preserved nature. This is the land of the legendary Orpheus where one can also find 70 % of the world minerals as well as 600 caves.

Depending on the season we go for a hiking amidst the greenery of the greatest massif of coniferous woods in Bulgaria or for a snowshoeing on the surface of the white array of the stunning Rhodope Mountains.

We head from Plovdiv to a place nearby Orehovo village (altitude: 1200 m). From there we start hiking (snowshoeing) to "Persenk "hut (altitude: 1750 m). We continue uphill to the highest point of the trip - the countryside "Grobite"(altitude: 1950 m). Then we hike only downhill to "Chudnite mostove "hut (altitude: 1500 m). There we'll visit the nature phenomenon "The Wonderful bridges "- a unique nature phenomenon, consisting of two rocky bridges over a small river - height of 43 m.

The best to do after an active walk in the mountain is to relax into the warm and nice waters of a mineral bath. The car will take us from The Miraculous bridges to Nerechen village where we'll have a mineral bath.

At the end we go back to Plovdiv by car.

5. Thracian temple at Starosel - Roman mineral bath in Hissar
(On a bike or by car)

In August 2000, a sensational discovery occurred near the village of Starosel, in central Bulgaria. Archaeologists found the enormous temple/grave of what is believed to be a Thracian ruler, possibly Sitalkes I, the first king of a combined Thracian empire. The Starosel temple is the largest known so far dating back from the 4-5 centuries B.C.

The car will take us some 10 km away from Plovdiv in the countryside. Depending on your cycling abilities we will be riding our bicycles from 30 to 50 km on isolated asphalt roads, mostly on even terrain. We'll pass by the Piasachnik damn, through several Bulgarian villages and The Starosel temple until we get to the old Roman town of Hissar, famous for its hot mineral springs.

After a nice and warm mineral bath we go back to Plovdiv by car.

6. Wine tasting - Bachkovo monastery - Asen's fortress

Bulgaria is world-wide renowned for its fine and unique wines. The wine producing tradition began from very ancient times and is connected with the glorious Thracian civilization.

First we head towards Brestovitsa - a small village in the outskirts of the Rhodope Mountains, famous for its wine producing traditions. There we are to visit the well known wine house of "Todoroff" where will attend a lecture on how the actual process of wine making takes place. Then we will be taken to a specially designed chateau where will taste five types of local red wine including the unique Bulgarian red wine sort ''MAVRUD" that is to be found only in this region.

Next we head towards the Rhodope Mountains passing through the pretty town of Asenovgrad. Nearby we will see the remarkable remains of King Ivan Asen's fortress - a wise ruler of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. There we are to find an ancient church dating from the 12th century rich in authentic pieces of iconography as well as the stone made inscription carved by King Ivan Asen.

Having left the fortress we go deeper in the Rhodope Mountains. Following the river of Chaya we head towards Bachkovo Monastery, second largest in Bulgaria, founded in the 11th century - one of the most sacred places in our history, a symbol of Christianity.

Then we have some lunch near by the monastery.

We go on a little hike in the "Red wall" reserve near by where will see a beautiful waterfall, chapels, the miraculous icon as well as drink holy water out of the sacred well of the monastery.
We go back from Bachkovo Monastery to Plovdiv.

7. Perperikon - the ancient sacred town of Thracians

In 2002 Bulgarian archaeologists discovered for the first time in Bulgaria the remains of a palace-sanctuary of a Thracian king with a fortress nearby - Perperikon. The palace, dating back from the 5-6 centuries B.C., is situated in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains, some 15 km. away from Kardjali town (some 115 km. from Plovdiv).

For more than a century already, archaeologists have searched for the remains of the famous temple where Dionysus had an oracle. It is believed that, when made, the discovery will be as important as that of Troy and Mycenae. Very little is known about the temple today and the only thing which is known for sure is that it was in the Holy Rhodope mountains. Some archaeologists believe that Perperikon is the Temple of Dionysus.

The Rhodope Mountains were famous in ancient times for the mining of gold, silver and precious stones. One of the largest mines in Antiquity was located near the present-day village of Stremtsi, about 2 km. from Perperikon. What remains of it are about a dozen entrances and more than 500 metres of galleries. The entire hillside was cut through by a thick network of tunnels and caverns.

A beautiful 4 bed room

Below are the services and facilities that Plodviv Guesthouse offers to its guests:
+ FREE Cozy lobby (common room) which will make you feel relaxed, enjoying the easy-going conversation with other travelers and local people
+ FREE All you can eat breakfast - jam, salami, yellow cheese, eggs, cornflakes, yogurt, bread, butter, sugar, milk, tea and coffee
+ FREE International channels cable TV and DVD in the lobby
+ FREE International channels cable TV and DVD - in the twin rooms and the 4-bed rooms
+ FREE Wireless Internet access
+ FREE Reception service and 24 hours room access with key cards
+ FREE Clean and fresh sheets, blanket, pillow and towel
+ FREE Brand new spotless bathrooms with 24 hours running hot water
+ FREE Hair dryer, iron
+ FREE Security access entrance card
+ FREE Use of modern fully equipped kitchen
+ FREE Bike parking
+ FREE Board games - scrabble, chess and more
+ FREE Plovdiv map with highlights and travelers info
+ FREE Full information support for every spot of Bulgaria.

+ Exciting day trips
+ Unlimited high speed Internet access in the lobby- 2 PCs
+ Laundry service
+ Locker and safe luggage storage
+ International phone calls
+ Fax
+ Parking
+ City Pick Up
+ Airport Pick Up

B. Trips:
Please, ask your host!

C. Others:
- Unlimited high speed Internet access in the lobby (2 PCs) – 1 Euro per hour
- Laundry service- 1 Euro
- Dryer – 1 Euro
- Locker and safe luggage storage – 1 Euro per 24 hours
- City Pick Up from any point of the city – 1 Euro PP (08'00-18'00); City Pick Up from any point of the city – 2 Euro PP (18'00-08'00)
- Transfer from/to Plovdiv Airport (08’00-18’00) – 10 Euros per person
- Transfer from/to Plovdiv Airport (18’00-08’00) – 15 Euros per person
- Parking place
- Cars, vans, 4WD cars and mini buses for rent:

If you come for the first time or by means of transportation below you'll find the easiest directions.

HOW TO GET THERE

By train
Once you walk out the Central railway station you'll see a bus station in front of you. You may catch buses ? 7, 20, 26 (bus ticket - 0, 30 EURO) or mini-bus shuttle ? 2 (shuttle ticket - 0, 35 EURO). You need to get off at the 6-th bus station, the one straight after the tunnel - travel time: 10 min. Then you walk back for about 30 m (passing by the subway on your left) and take the stone stairs to the left, leading uphill to the Old Plovdiv. In another 30 m walking on a cobbled narrow street you ignore the first street to the left and take the second one, again to the left. In 60 m you come to a crossroad with the Balabanov house on your left. There you continue straight ahead and uphill. About 60 m further up you get to another crossroad with a high church wall and a bell tower in front of you. There you turn right and in about 35 m you'll find the Plovdiv guesthouse on your left.

By bus
There are 3 bus stations in Plovdiv:

1. Bus station "South", serving passengers coming from South Bulgaria and Sofia. Just across the bus station street there is a public transportation bus station. From there you may catch buses ? 7, 20, 26 (bus ticket - 0, 30 EURO) or mini-bus shuttle ? 2 (shuttle ticket - 0, 35 EURO). You need to get off at the 5-th bus station, the one straight after the tunnel - travel time: 10 min. Then just follow the same directions as in the "by train "description above.

2. Bus station "North", serving passengers coming from North Bulgaria. In front of the bus station you'll see a public transportation bus station. You may catch bus ? 21 (bus ticket - 0, 30 EURO) or trolley bus ? 3 (trolley bus ticket - 0, 30 EURO). You need to get off at the 6-th bus station, the one just before the tunnel - travel time: 10 min. Then you take the subway which you'll find on your left after you get off the bus. After about 50 m walking underground you take the right stairs and get up on the ground surface. Immediately after you take the stone stairs to the left, leading uphill to the Old Plovdiv. Then you follow the same directions as in the "by train "description above.

3. Bus station "Rhodope", serving passengers coming from the nearby Rhodope Mountains. You need to get down the subway beside the bus station. In about 300 m. walking underground you take the left exit and arrive at the bus station in front of the Central railway station. There you just follow the same directions as in the "by train "description above-travel time on the bus: 10 min.

By taxi
Always check the taxi rates and the approximate amount for the drive before getting on a taxi!!!

The taxi rates in Plovdiv are:

0.22 - 0, 25 EURO - initial fee
0.22 - 0, 25 EURO per kilometer
0.08 EURO - waiting per minute

By plane
The closest airport is Plovdiv airport which is situated at about 10 km from the city (15 m drive) . The airport has specialized in international charter passenger flights only throughout the year. The busiest period is the winter time when a huge number of foreign tourists fly in to go to one of the top 3 Bulgarian ski resorts - Pamporovo (60 km), Borovets (90 km) and Bansko (160 km). No regular flights.

The second closest airport is Sofia airport, 150 km away from Plovdiv (1, 5 h drive). The Bulgarian capital's airport is the largest international airport in Bulgaria with over 1.2 million passengers per year. There are many daily regular flights from the European capitals and cities.

We can arrange your transfer from both airports.

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