After the Plovdiv Marathon: Starosel

The Route: Plovdiv → Starosel → Plovdiv → Plovdiv Airport (PDV) Logistics: About 45 km each way by private transfer or rental car, two nights in one base, then back to Plovdiv. Marathon Month: April Duration: 2 nights

Plovdiv ──(about 45 km, 1 to 1.5 hours)──> Starosel
   ▲                                          │
   └──────(same road back, day three)────────┘
          Plovdiv Airport (PDV) from Plovdiv

The Plovdiv Marathon finishes on a Sunday in April. Starosel is the choice if you would like the next two days to involve something older than the race. Two Thracian temples stand here under burial mounds, the Chetinyova Mogila found in 2000 and the Horizont Mogila found in 2002. The municipal guide also lists a grand staircase and a wine bath.

April at Starosel: site opening hours, ticket prices and the wine bath's booking rules have not been confirmed for April. Check them directly. Spring weather in the hills can be cool and damp, so pack a waterproof layer.

Municipal pages give the distance from Plovdiv as about 45 km, and a general distance table gives 50 km. Treat it as about 45 km and allow one to one and a half hours by road. No public timetable was verified. Book a private transfer or a rental car, and carry your luggage in the vehicle.

Nights one and two: Starosel

The staircase is the thing to think about. A site reached by a grand stair is a poor match for legs that ran 42.2 km the day before, and going down is harder than going up. Plan the visit for the second day, when the soreness has begun to ease, and ask at the entrance which parts of the site can be seen without the full flight. If you cannot manage the stair, the setting still repays the drive, and the mounds can be seen from the lower ground.

The wine bath is a lead and not a plan. The municipal guide lists it but gives no hours, price or booking conditions, so confirm whether it is open and whether it takes day guests. Like any hot soak, it is a question for a doctor if you have a heart or blood-pressure condition.

Use the first afternoon to do nothing. Sit outside if the weather allows. Walk slowly on level ground, and save the temples for tomorrow.

Where to stay: choose a hotel or guesthouse close to the site, with a lift or a ground-floor room, and book a refundable rate. No hotel was verified for April, so check with the property before you pay.

Where to eat: eat near where you sleep, and ask the host to recommend somewhere that takes bookings.

Getting home

Return to Plovdiv by the same road. If you fly from Plovdiv Airport (PDV), leave a buffer before the flight and confirm the transfer the night before. Allow extra time on the final morning if you are carrying bags.