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Plovdiv on a budget in 2026: prices in euro

What Plovdiv costs in 2026, in euro: train and bus fares from Sofia, city bus tickets, Old Town site prices and combined tickets, and what you can see for free. Every price is dated and linked to its source.

By Nomad's Travel Guides. Published .

Researched from official and operator sources and fact-checked before publishing. Prices and rules change, so each one is dated where it appears.

This post contains affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Many Plovdiv budget guides online still quote prices in leva. Bulgaria switched to the euro on 1 January 2026, so this guide uses euro throughout. Every price below is dated and linked to the operator or official page it came from. Where we could not find an official price, we say so and tell you where to check.

For the city itself, start with our Plovdiv city guide. If you are coming from the capital, see the Sofia guide and the Bulgaria country guide.

What a day in Plovdiv costs

The table adds up the costs we could source: the trip from Sofia and back, one night's bed, city transport and sightseeing. It leaves out food, because we could not find restaurant prices published in euro (see below), and we will not put a guess in a table.

All prices as of October 2026.

ItemShoestringMid-rangeComfortable
Sofia–Plovdiv and backTrain, fast train, 2nd class return: EUR 9.00Bus both ways: 2 × EUR 11.00 = EUR 22.00Train, fast train with compulsory reservation, 1st class return: EUR 15.34
Bed, one nightDorm bed in a hostel rated 8+: from EUR 13Half of a double room in a hotel rated 8+: from EUR 20 per person (room from EUR 40)Double room in a hotel rated 8+ for one: from EUR 40
City transportWalk: EUR 024-hour bus ticket: EUR 2.5624-hour bus ticket: EUR 2.56
SightsRoman Stadium (free) + 1 Old Town site: EUR 3.585-site Old Town combined ticket EUR 10.74 + Archaeological Museum EUR 5.00"Ancient and Eternal" 72-hour ticket EUR 30.68 + Archaeological Museum EUR 5.00
Free walking tourTip of your choiceTip of your choiceTip of your choice
Sourced total (no food)EUR 25.58EUR 60.30EUR 93.58

Sources: train fares from BDZ's fare tables in leva and euro, bus fare from Karat-S, city transport from Plovdiv Municipality, Old Town tickets from Old Plovdiv municipal institute, museum from the Regional Archaeological Museum, beds from the Booking.com search described under "Where to stay for less" (all checked 9 October 2026). Totals are our own sums.

Getting there from Sofia: train vs bus

By train. Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) listed 14 departures from Sofia to Plovdiv for Thursday 16 October 2026, from 05:25 to 22:50 (BDZ timetable, checked 9 October 2026). Direct trains take between 2 h 40 min (the 16:25, arriving 19:05) and 3 h 5 min. Trains via Karlovo take 4 h 51 min to 5 h 42 min and need a change. Several direct trains are marked "Train with compulsory reservation", so check the label before you buy.

Fares are harder to pin down. BDZ's timetable says "pricing is dynamic and depends on the length of the journey and the day and time selected" (BDZ timetable, as of October 2026). The clearest published figure is the discounted return ticket in BDZ's own fare table, which lists Sofia–Plovdiv–Sofia by name (BDZ fare tables, Table 2A, as of October 2026):

Return Sofia–Plovdiv–Sofia2nd class1st class
Fast trainEUR 9.00EUR 11.30
Fast train with compulsory reservationEUR 12.22EUR 15.34

Three things can change that price. BDZ charges "calendar prices" on Fridays to Mondays on trains from a company list, and on holidays and the days before them. Fast trains cost 10% more from 15 June to 30 September (BDZ passenger tariff, Art. 37 and 40, in Bulgarian, as of October 2026). And the fare tables carry no effective date. Confirm the price for your train in BDZ's online ticket system or at the ticket office. Under-26s with BDZ's "Mladezh" (youth) rail card pay half price, per the same tariff; we did not find the card's own price.

By bus. Karat-S lists Sofia–Plovdiv at EUR 11 one way, with a journey time of 2 h 20 min, arriving at Plovdiv Central Railway Station (Karat-S, as of October 2026). Its page showed six departures between 08:10 and 12:30 without making clear which date they were for, so check the day you need. Sofia Central Bus Station, at 100 Knyaginya Maria Luiza Blvd, also listed a 12:00 departure to Plovdiv with another operator at EUR 11.00 (Sofia Central Bus Station, as of October 2026). We could not find Sofia–Plovdiv fares on Hebros Bus's site.

Which is cheaper? On published prices, the return train ticket (EUR 9.00, fast train, 2nd class) costs less than two bus tickets (EUR 22.00). The bus is 20 minutes faster than the quickest direct train, and its price is the same for every listed departure.

Where to stay for less

These price bands come from a Booking.com search on 9 October 2026 for the nights of 13–15 November 2026 (a Friday and Saturday), sorted by price, signed out and in euro. They are per night, before any members-only discounts. Prices change with dates and demand, so treat them as a guide.

Type (guest rating 8 or higher)Lowest prices found, per night
Bed in a mixed dorm, 1 guestEUR 13 and EUR 15 (two hostels within about 500 m of the centre)
Double or twin room in a hotel, 2 guestsEUR 40 and EUR 42 for the two cheapest; several more at EUR 45

Below a guest rating of 8, dorm beds started at EUR 9 and private rooms at about EUR 23 a night on the same search.

The three areas readers usually compare:

  • Old Town. Home to the Ancient Theatre (4 Tsar Ivaylo St) and the house museums run by the Old Plovdiv institute (Old Plovdiv). Staying here puts the paid sights within walking distance.
  • Kapana. Central, and close to the Old Town. We found no official source on its accommodation prices.
  • Near Central Railway Station. The Karat-S bus from Sofia stops here (Karat-S). Useful for an early departure or a late arrival.

To compare prices for your dates, search hotels in Plovdiv (opens Booking.com in a new tab) and sort by price. Check the map pin against the area you want before you book.

Free and cheap things to do

  • Roman Stadium (Sfendona). The section of the stadium on Roman Stadium Square is free for adults and students (Old Plovdiv, as of October 2026). The projection hall there costs EUR 3.68 for adults.
  • Eastern Gate of Philippopolis. At 39–41 Mitropolit Panaret St, "open at all times" with no ticket listed (Old Plovdiv, as of October 2026).
  • Free walking tour. Free Plovdiv Tour, run by the 365 Association, meets at Plovdiv City Hall every day at 11:00 and 14:00 until 1 November 2026, then at 11:00 only from 2 November. It lasts about 2 hours, is in English, and booking is not required (Free Plovdiv Tour, as of October 2026). It is tip-based: the organisers say they run on "the donations of our guests". You decide the amount.
  • Free days. Old Plovdiv sites are free for students and pensioners on the first Thursday of each month, and free for everyone on 6 September (Unification Day), European Museum Night and Plovdiv Museum Night (Old Plovdiv, as of October 2026).

Other paid sites. The Regional Archaeological Museum prices its tickets directly in euro: EUR 5.00 for adults, EUR 1.00 for students, EUR 10.00 for a family. Children under 7 enter free; free entry for pensioners applies to Bulgarian pensioners only. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00, and is closed on Mondays (Regional Archaeological Museum, as of October 2026).

The Regional Ethnographic Museum opens Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00–17:00 in winter and 9:00–18:00 in summer (Ethnographic Museum, as of October 2026). We could not read a ticket price on its site; call 032 625 654.

The Ancient Theatre, the Revival-era house museums and the basilicas are run by the municipal institute Old Plovdiv, under one price list. Prices as of October 2026, from the Old Plovdiv ticket page:

TicketWhat it coversAdultStudents and 65+
Single siteAny one Old Plovdiv site except the Bishop's BasilicaEUR 3.58EUR 1.53
Ancient Theatre + projectionThe theatre and the film shown under the stageEUR 5.11EUR 3.58
5 sites of your choiceAny 5 Old Town sites except the Small Basilica, the Bishop's Basilica and the Irini buildingEUR 10.74EUR 4.09
"Renaissance"7 houses: Hindliyan, Balabanov, Nedkovich, Stambolyan, Klianti, Dr Stoyan Chomakov, and the Hippocrates old pharmacyEUR 20.45EUR 10.23 (school pupils and 65+)
Three basilicasBishop's Basilica, Small Basilica, Irini buildingEUR 12.78EUR 6.14
"Ancient and Eternal"All Old Plovdiv sites + the Roman Stadium projection, valid 72 hoursEUR 30.68not listed
Bishop's Basilica alonesee noteEUR 3.58

Children under 7 enter free. A family ticket for one site (parents with children aged 7 to 16) costs EUR 7.16.

Which ticket to buy. Three single tickets cost exactly the same as the 5-site ticket (3 × EUR 3.58 = EUR 10.74). From 4 sites, the 5-site ticket saves money. The page excludes only the two basilicas and Irini from it, so the Ancient Theatre should count as one of the 5; confirm when you buy. Before buying "Ancient and Eternal" (EUR 30.68), compare it with the 5-site ticket plus the three-basilica ticket (EUR 10.74 + EUR 12.78 = EUR 23.52).

A price to check at the till. For the Bishop's Basilica, the page lists "15 лв. / 7.57 EUR". At the fixed conversion rate, BGN 15 is EUR 7.67. One of the two figures is a typo, and we cannot tell which. Expect to pay between EUR 7.57 and EUR 7.67.

Opening hours. The Ancient Theatre opens every day: 9:30–18:00 from April to October and 9:00–17:30 from November to March, with a lunch break from 12:30 to 13:00 (Old Plovdiv, as of October 2026). The Balabanov and Hindliyan houses close on Mondays; the Nedkovich and Stambolyan houses close on Sundays.

You can buy tickets at the sites or at the two tourist information centres: 1 Dr Stoyan Chomakov St in the Old Town and 1 Rayko Daskalov St by the Roman Stadium. Both open 9:00–17:30 every day, with a 30-minute lunch break (Visit Plovdiv, as of October 2026).

Getting around Plovdiv

For the city buses, Plovdiv Municipality lists these fares (Plovdiv Municipality, as of October 2026):

TicketPrice
Single paper ticket, no transferEUR 0.50
Single ticket with transfers within 1 hourEUR 0.77
Day ticket, all lines (calendar day)EUR 2.05
24-hour ticket, all linesEUR 2.56
10 journeys, all linesEUR 4.60
Weekly card, all linesEUR 6.39

A day ticket pays off from your fifth single ride.

Eating and drinking prices

On 9 October 2026 we could not find a Plovdiv restaurant publishing its own menu with euro prices that we could read. Blogs and delivery apps are not primary sources for menu prices, so we are not giving a "typical meal" price.

Where to check instead:

  • Supermarket basics. The Consumer Protection Commission runs kolkostruva.bg, an official portal that compares daily prices of a basket of basic goods across retail chains. Choose Plovdiv as the municipality.
  • Restaurants. Read the menu at the door or on the restaurant's own site before you sit down.

Money: euro prices, cards and cash

Bulgaria joined the euro area on 1 January 2026 at a fixed rate of EUR 1 = BGN 1.95583. Showing prices in both currencies was compulsory until 8 August 2026 (European Commission). Lev notes and coins stopped being legal tender one month after the switch. If you see a price only in leva, divide it by 1.95583 and round to 2 decimals, the official conversion rule (evroto.bg). Several official price lists in Plovdiv, including the Old Town tickets and the city bus fares, still show both.

We found no official statement on how widely cards are accepted, so we make no claim. Carry some euro in cash for small purchases and the walking-tour tip. The money section of our Bulgaria eSIM guide covers leftover leva and staying online.

Sources

Checked on 9 October 2026.

City guides in this post