Why do Turkish, Greek, and Bulgarian tourists love Haskovo?

At first glance, Haskovo is just a little town in south Bulgaria. What could possibly bring thousands of tourists from Turkiye (Turkey), Greece, and Bulgaria to this place? It turned out there are a lot of things to do in Haskovo!

Where is Haskovo?

Haskovo is located in south Bulgaria in the region of Thrace. You can go to Haskovo, in less than an hour, from the Turkish border and just under 2 hours from the Greek one. This is why it is really easy to visit Haskovo from Turkiye or Greece.

Ok, it’s is not far, but why should you visit it?

What to do in Haskovo?

There are many things to see in Haskovo. You can easily spend a weekend or even a full week in Haskovo and its surroundings, without getting bored.

Haskovo’s top attractions:

• The monument of the Virgin Mary

• Haskovo’s Bell Tower

• San Stefano Street in Haskovo

• The Monument of Envy

• The Regional Historical Museum of Haskovo

• Old Haskovo Clock Tower

• 1000 years Haskovo monument

• Kenana Park

See the monument of the Virgin Mary (Monument of the Holy Mother of God)

Haskovo’s statue of the Virgin Mary is so monumental that it holds the Guinness world record for the highest monument of the Virgin Mary in the world. It is 32.8 meters high! What is so great about it is that it is located on a hill, so when you climb on it, you can see the whole Haskovo city.
Inside the statue, there is a small chapel called “Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary”. Greek tourists like to put candles inside the chapel.
The Virgin Mary statue is located inside Yamacha Park. There you can spend the whole afternoon, having a nice picnic or just a walk. And just next to the monument of the Virgin Mary, there is the Bell Tower of Haskovo.

Climb Haskovo’s Bell Tower

Inside Yamacha Park, just next to the Monument of the Holy Mother of God, you will find a beautiful Bell Tower. From the moment we saw it, we wanted to climb it. Of all the things to do in Haskovo, this one is a must. It has the best possible view of Haskovo. But there is a catch. Haskovo Bell Tower is a working clock tower. It rings the bells every hour, and there is nothing to stop you from climbing to the bells. Only a small sign in Bulgarian saying not to climb when it will ring. We arrived 10 minutes before the next ring. This pushed us to climb the tower in a hurry. We managed to do it and have a few photos from the top. Then it was a dash to the ground. Just as we sat on one bench below the Bell Tower started ringing. It has a powerful sound. I was glad we managed to get down on time or we could easily get deaf from the loud sound. Seriously, don’t stay up when it is ringing. It could be very harmful for your ears.

Walk on San Stefano Street towards the downtown of Haskovo

Start from the monument of Kapitan Petko Voyvoda and walk toward Obshtinski Square.
There you can find plenty of coffee places, restaurants, and fast food stands. We enjoyed a lot how lively this part of Haskovo was. You see people of all ages enjoying their time. If you are into Greek gyros or Turkish doner kebab, there are many options on the street.
The walk to the center of Haskovo is short, maybe around 10 minutes, but it is really pleasant. In the end, you will see the start of Obshtinski Square and the Monument of Envy.

Rest next to the Monument of Envy in Haskovo

The people from Haskovo are really proud of this monument. They say it is the only monument of Envy in the whole world. We can’t guarantee that, but it is not common when somebody creates a monument of a negative feature.
The monument of Envy in Haskovo represents a successful man, that has spread his wings and he is ready to fly high. But there is an ugly, skeleton hand, that drags him down, in an attempt of stopping him. With his sculpture, the author Gospodin Tenev (Guspata), wanted to say that there will always be envious people trying to stop you. And actually, you should embrace it. When the “ugly” people start to bother you, you should know you are on the right path to greatness.
Why should you see it? Because it is truly inspirational. Don’t give up when envious people come into your life. Fly away and resist the negativeness.
We got an ice cream from Billa and had a nice break next to the statue. On a hot day, ice cream and the drops from the fountain were a great combination.

Visit the Regional Historical Museum of Haskovo

If you are into museums visit the Regional Historical Museum of Haskovo. Why? Bulgaria has a rich history dating back to the stone age. What is interesting about Haskovo’s history is that it is located in the geographical area of Thrace. You can find some truly ancient artefacts from the Neolithic age (between 8000 to 5000 years BC!). You can explore history through all the tools that are still well-preserved. Going from stones to primitive metal tools and finishing in the middle ages.
Greek, Turkish, and Bulgarian tourists can enjoy the Regional Historical Museum in Haskovo, and see how these countries and their cultures have been intertwined together for many ages.

The entrance costs 2 BGN (around 1 euro) for adults and half price, 1 BGN for children and pensioners. It is worth it.

Check out the Old Haskovo Clock Tower

In Haskovo, you don’t need a watch, you can see the time everywhere. The Old Clock Tower of Haskovo was built at the beginning of the 19th century and still shows the time, in the center of the city. It is a 23-meter high Clock Tower, with a recently updated mechanism and the bell, created by the same company that built the Big Ben bell in London.

Eat Bulgarian food

We can’t just walk all day without getting hungry! Enjoy some traditional Bulgarian food in Haskovo. Here, you can enjoy a great fusion between Bulgarian, Turkish, and Greek cousins. You will find Pide, Musaka, different kebabs, Lahmacun, Kiopoolu, Banitza, filled paprikas with minced meat and rice, sarma, and more. Just writing these incredible foods makes me hungry.
Of course, there are pizzas and burgers, just like anywhere in the world, but Haskovo has great local food too. Try it out! Broaden your culinary culture!

Check out the 1000 years Haskovo monument

While you are in the center of Haskovo, take pictures of the 1000 years of Haskovo monument. Here in this city, people love clock towers, so you can enjoy one more. It is a high building, 26.5 meters and it has a very cool design. It looks heavy, industrial and somehow reminds me of the Transformers.
The idea of the monument was to show the 4 directions of the world and to represent that Haskovo is on the way between the East (Asia), and West (Europe).
Sadly, tourists can’t climb on it.

Park Kenana (Lesnopark Kenana) and Haskovo Zoo (Kenana Park Zoo)

Do you fill like going into the forest? Lesopark Kenana gives you a great opportunity to do it. It is big and perfect for a walk with your family or pet. Kenana Park is both pet-friendly and kid-friendly. It is your escape from the city. It is located in the north part of Haskovo. You can easily arrive by car or public transport.
We saw many people that come to do their exercises here. Runners, cyclists, tennis players, yoga people and more.
In this forest environment, there is a small zoo too, the Kenana Park Zoo. With animals, typical for the Balkan forest like deer, rabbits, ducks, wolves, and more. The big exception is the lions. They look a bit out of place here, but the locals love them.
Bear in mind that there are no businesses inside the park. You need to prepare yourself with food and drinks.

What to visit near Haskovo?

There are a few truly interesting places you can visit near Haskovo. Some will help you discover more about the history of the region, and others, will just feel your heart with joy from the nature’s beauty.

Top attractions in Haskovo’s surroundings:

• Historical museum Dimitrovgrad
• Thracian tomb of Aleksandrovo
• The Stone Mushrooms
• Perperikon (Perperek)

Historical museum Dimitorvgrad - 14 km away

You should visit it because you can learn more about the socialist past of Bulgaria. “Brigadier Movement in Bulgaria" hall focuses exactly on this period. You will see old uniforms, flags, different signs, photos, and awards from the Brigadiers' past.
The entrance is just 2 BGN for adults and half price (1 BGN) for children and pensioners.

Alexandrovo Tomb (Thracian tomb of Aleksandrovo) – 16 km away

The Alexandrovo Tomb is an ancient Thracian tomb from the 4th century BC. The name of the ruler, resting in it remains a mystery. This is why some people speculate that it is the grave of Alexander the Great. He also died during the 4th century BC, and Macedonia is close. There are some chances this myth is true.
Even if the Tomb in Alexandrovo is not Alexander the Great’s tomb, you can still see some really unique artefacts like the Thracian frescos and amazing tomb architecture. A funny fact is that in one of the frescos, one participant in a hunt wears Greek sandals. This obviously shows how strong the Greek influence was in this region.

The Stone Mushrooms (Mushroom rocks) – 20 km away

The Stone Mushrooms is a unique rock phenomenon near the village of Beli Plast, between Haskovo and Kardzali. On our way to Kardzali, we stopped to check it out. The stones have a very extravagant form, that strongly resembles mushrooms. This is why they are called the Stone Mushrooms.
They are created from volcanic tuffs (learn about volcanos) rocks and have cool colors like pink (mineral cloinoptilolite), blue and black spots from manganese, and even green colors from the mineral celadonite.
Each stone mushroom is around 2.5 to 3 meters high, and there are more than several rocks around.

If you are into cool rock formations, you can also check Belogradchik, or Sliven, and its blue rocks.

There is no entrance fee for the Stone Mushrooms near Haskovo. They are free to visit.

Perperikon (Perperek) – 25 km away

Peperikon is another must-see landmark in Bulgaria. It is a Thracian holy place from 6 000 years BC! An ancient place! Currently, there are remains from the last middle age settlement there and a beautiful stone tower.
Thousands of tourists come to Perperikon, not only from Turkiye and Greece but also from all over the world.
Honestly, you can reach it from Haskovo easily, but it is just a bit closer to Kardzali. So if you want to know more about it, check out our Kadzali article (LINK).

Outro

So, what are you waiting for? You saw the pictures from Haskovo already.
If you are in Edirne, it is closer to come here than to go to Istanbul. It will be a whole new country with a different language and culture.

For Greeks, there are also many things to see in Haskovo. Greece is old, but Thrace has a lot of history too.
There are plenty of things to do in Haskovo. Just visit Haskovo already!

How to get to Haskovo?

From Turkey to Haskovo:

The distance between Edirne and Haskovo is just 100 km and it takes only hour and a half to get there. Check the navigation here.

The distance between Tekirdag and Haskovo is 250 km and it takes 3 hours to get there. Check the navigation here.

The distance between Istanbul and Haskovo is 345 km and it takes 4 hours to get there. Check the navigation here.

Turkish citizens must obtain a Bulgarian visa, before their trip. The process is not hard and it gives you the right to stay up to 90 days in Bulgaria. You can get a visa at the Bulgarian consulates or embassies in the following cities: Ankara, Bursa, Edirne, and Istanbul.

Check out how to get a Bulgarian visa here (LINK).

From Greece to Haskovo:

The distance between Komotini and Haskovo is just 118 km and it only takes 1 hour and 52 minutes to get there. Check the navigation here.

The distance between Alexandroupoli and Haskovo is 172 km and it takes 2 hours and a half to get there. Check the navigation here.

The distance between Kavala and Haskovo is 215 km and it takes 2 hours and 50 minutes to get there. Check the navigation here.

Greek people only need their ID cards or passports to cross.

For tourists within Bulgaria:

And of course, you can get easily get to Haskovo from different Bulgarian cities:
The distance between Kardzali and Haskovo is just 47 km and it takes only 45 minutes to get there. Check the navigation here

The distance between Stara Zagora and Haskovo is just 60 km and it takes only ah hour to get there. Check the navigation here

The distance between Plovdiv and Haskovo is 96.4 km and it takes 1 hour and 10 minutes to get there. Check the navigation here

The distance between Sliven and Haskovo is 136 km and it takes 1 hour and 40 minutes to get there. Check the navigation here!