While the once-huge 2nd-century Roman stadium is mostly hidden under a pedestrian mall, there are stairways from different sides allowing for exploration. A new on-site 3D movie (adult/student 6/3, child free; 10 screenings daily) offers an immersive experience of the stadium's glory days as a venue for gladiator matches.
Stadium of Philippopolis
Plovdiv
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
15.1 MILES
About 30km south of Plovdiv stands the magnificent Bachkovo Monastery, founded in 1083. Most of the complex dates from the 17th century onwards, with the…
0.16 MILES
Plovdiv’s magnificent 2nd-century AD amphitheatre, built during the reign of Emperor Trajan, was uncovered during a freak landslide in 1972. It once held…
0.25 MILES
One of Plovdiv's most beautiful Bulgarian National Revival–era mansions, Balabanov House is an enjoyable way to experience old town nostalgia as well as…
12.86 MILES
The panoramic views from Asen's Fortress, which squats precariously on the edge of a cliff 19km southeast of Plovdiv, will make your stomach flutter…
0.31 MILES
Even if you don't have time to step inside, it would be criminal to leave Plovdiv's old town without glancing into the courtyard of this stunning National…
0.31 MILES
Close to Nebet Tepe hill, this late 18th-century house was the residence of local painter and conservationist Atanas Krastev until his death in 2003…
0.31 MILES
This 100,000-item museum is a tour de force of Thracian and Roman artefacts, as well as icons and ecclesiastical artefacts from recent centuries. Most…
0.4 MILES
Plovdiv's prettiest place to stroll, Tsar Simeon Garden was sculpted by Swiss architect Lucien Chevalas in 1892; he's now lovingly referred to as the …
Nearby Plovdiv attractions
0.02 MILES
Bulgaria's first working mosque, this unmissable Ottoman building in the middle of Plovdiv's pedestrianised shopping zone was originally built in 1364. It…
0.08 MILES
Dedicated to renowned writer and publisher Hristo Danov and several other Bulgarian authors, Danov House contains a re-creation of a bookshop and a…
0.09 MILES
'Milyo the idiot', as he's affectionately known, was a local prankster and mimic, fondly remembered in Plovdiv's shopping precinct in the form of a statue…
0.1 MILES
This branch of the City Gallery of Fine Arts holds small, temporary exhibitions of abstract art, housed within one of Plovdiv's first Bulgarian…
0.13 MILES
This small private gallery, attached to Philippopolis restaurant, features exhibitions of 19th- and 20th-century Bulgarian art.
6. Church of Sveta Bogoroditsa
0.14 MILES
Painted a fetching shade of butter-cream yellow, this three-nave church looks out proudly from a stone staircase at the base of the old town. Built in…
0.16 MILES
Plovdiv’s magnificent 2nd-century AD amphitheatre, built during the reign of Emperor Trajan, was uncovered during a freak landslide in 1972. It once held…
0.16 MILES
A little-visited 16th-century gem, Sveta Marina Church has suberb Old Testament murals on its outer walls, depicting scenes from Adam, Eve and a…