Is Plovdiv safe for solo female travelers?

Solo travel

Plovdiv was my favorite city to visit in Bulgaria. It was easy to walk around, and the old part of the city was very beautiful with a bunch of cute bars and cafes. I suggest going on a free walking tour where you get to know the area. I stayed at a hostel and made a wonderful travel companion. The taxi drives very quite rude and had a very bad experience with them. I was treated very differently when I was taking a taxi with a man companion compared when trying to take one alone.

Solo travel

I visited Plovdiv twice as a day trip from Sofia. The city has a colorful old town, nice Roman amphitheater ruins, and an alternative district full of graffiti and cafes. I always travelled there by bus. It's an amazing place with wonderful people.

Plovdiv is rather safe for a woman. However, I prefer to warn that for non-white people it is unfortunately much more complicated. My boyfriend is black, and we face a lot of stares that we mostly interpret as curiosity in general since we haven't seen any people of color since our arrival. On the other hand, we experienced a serious incident that shows you have to be very careful depending on who you come across (a nazi salute directed at us + insults in Bulgarian). So, for a white woman it is generally quite safe to walk around, but I give a huge warning about the pervasive racism, notably due to the rise of the far right with nazi influences in the country. From what we have seen, there are indeed groups to watch out for.

Plovdiv like all places has some bad apples, there are some right wing extremists here, people claiming to be nazis. If you are a person of colour or someone who wears religious coverings you are more likely to feel some untoward behaviour and harassment.

Plovdiv is a safe town. It is extremely easy to make good friends and hang out with them! There is night life and it's not too scary to go home if you get a taxi. During the day it feels very safe as well!

During the day in the central neighborhood Plovdiv is very safe. During the night I don't recommend walking alone even in the central areas especially in smaller streets or in the sketchier neighborhoods. There is no public transit during the night and its unreliable even during the day but theres always taxi cars available which aren't too expensive so keep that in mind.

I would say when it is light outside you are safe. After it gets dark outside, yeah no I would not recommend staying out. And if you do enjoy the nightlife, make sure to not be alone or with strangers.