I did it! Or as close to doing it as I could get. I climbed and hiked up all 6 hills in Plovdiv. Originally, there were 7 hills, however one was used to create most of the roads in the older parts of town. My last one to conquer was the climb up to the clock tower at Sahat Tepe.
The Six Hills
Of the six hills, 3 constitute ‘Old Town’ today. These are the most ancient part of the city. If you have walked up the streets in Old Town to the top for a view, you have most likely crested Dzhambaz and/or Taxim Tepe. (Tepe means hill in Bulgarian)
Nebet Tepe, home to the earliest settlements dating back to 4000BC. An archaeological site undergoing construction and temporarily closed. I tried my darnedest to get as close to this as I could. It is completely fenced off in all directions.
Dzhambaz Tepe in old town, contains the ancient Roman Theatre at its base on the southern side.
Taxim Tepe, the western side of the three hills in Old Town.
The remaining three hills are much more distinctive and stand out in the otherwise flat landscape. They are:
Dzhendem Tepe or Youth Hill, the tallest and topped by the swimming pool.
Bunardzhik Tepe, the most manicured and topped with the soviet soldier Alyosha.
Sahat Tepe, closest to the pedestrian walkway and topped with a clock tower.
Sahat Tepe
This is the closest to the tourist zone outside of Old Town and is easy to climb, only taking about 20 minutes. There is a wider cobblestone path, however it is difficult to find at the base.
Instead, head up the stairs that have the ‘Together 2019’ sign. Once at the top, cross the street and start climbing. It really is that easy. Just keep moving upwards. You will pass some pretty grim looking derelict buildings covered in graffiti, but once past those it starts to look better.
Near the top is a plateau with a statue, and benches to sit and enjoy the view. Look for a path climbing again. There are two. One will take you to the TV and radio broadcast building covered in antennas.
The other path will lead you to the clock tower. A clock of some fashion has been on this peak since the 1600’s. The current one standing today was built in 1809. It chimes every hour. I didn’t know this, and was standing under it at precisely 10:00am. Nearly jumped out of my skin!!
The Views
Lovely 360 views of the city of Plovdiv. This hill is not nearly as high as some of the others, so you won’t see as far, however the views are still absolutely beautiful.
So yay! I had decided I would get to the top of all of the hills while here in the city and mission completed. I was super disappointed that I could not see Nebet Tepe.
This one was the most important to me for the archaeological significance it holds. Alas, I will just have to return to Plovdiv one day in the future, to climb this sacred hill.
