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 dazzling is the weighty Thracian gold work, part of the Panagyurishte collection, Bulgaria's biggest-ever haul of ancient gold. The museum's most arresting space is a corridor flooded with natural light, which houses Roman-era statues and mosaics. Its enormous centrepiece is a 3rd-century mosaic of a river god encircled by geometric designs.
Archaeological Museum
Plovdiv
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
15.41 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…
0.44 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…
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0.36 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…
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13.16 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…
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0.41 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…
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0.38 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…
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0.68 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 …
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Church of Sveti Konstantin & Elena
0.42 MILES
This is Plovdiv’s oldest church and one of its most beloved. Dedicated to Emperor Constantine the Great and his mother, Helena, it was built on the spot…
Nearby Plovdiv attractions
1. Center for Contemporary Art
0.25 MILES
A stocky 16th-century Turkish bathhouse now features irregular, rotating displays of contemporary art. Free entry on Thursdays.
0.3 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…
0.31 MILES
While the once-huge 2nd-century Roman stadium is mostly hidden under a pedestrian mall, there are stairways from different sides allowing for exploration…
4. Tsanko Lavrenov & Mexican Art Exhibitions
0.32 MILES
For something completely different, this time-warp 1846 house has displays of 1970s Mexican woodcuts, serigraphs and copies of pre-Columbian art…
0.33 MILES
Once owned by merchant Stepan Hindlian, this opulent house was built between 1835 and 1840. It’s full of exquisite period furniture and walls painted with…
0.35 MILES
This small private gallery, attached to Philippopolis restaurant, features exhibitions of 19th- and 20th-century Bulgarian art.
0.36 MILES
Some 203m high in the old town, a hill with spectacular views reveals sparse ruins of Eumolpias, a Thracian settlement in 5000 BC. The fortress and…
0.36 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…