Best ancient sites in Bulgaria

Bulgaria’s ancient past is Thracian first and Roman second. The Thracians left painted tombs around Kazanlak, where the fourth-century BC Tomb of Kazanlak is shown as an exact replica, and the rock-cut sanctuary city of Perperikon in the Eastern Rhodopes. The Romans rebuilt the cities of Thrace, and Plovdiv, ancient Philippopolis, is the place to start: its marble theatre, the curved end of Hadrian’s stadium under the main street and the walls of Nebet Tepe are a short walk apart. Sofia keeps part of the Serdica amphitheatre inside a hotel lobby, Varna has the largest Roman baths in the Balkans, and near Shumen the Madara Rider, an eighth-century relief, belongs to the first Bulgarian state.