Since Plovdiv is known as The City of Seven Hills, a very enjoyable hike is always on the cards. Most of the parks in the city are situated around the hills but some of them are not – for instance, the Tsar Simeon Garden (Central Park), the Lauta Park, or the Otdih i kultura Park, situated next to the Rowing Canal – the largest sport facility for rowing on the Balkans. The canal is 2 200 meters long, 120 meters wide and three meters deep. It is surrounded by alleys which makes it very appealing for people who want to go on a walk, go for a run or ride a bike.

Here are a few snapshots of the Rowing Canal at different times of the year.

The biggest and highest hill in Plovdiv is the Youth Hill (Mladezhki Halm). You can enjoy the park below it or get to the top of the hill via its beautiful panoramic path. This hill is also the least crowded; its nature has not been that affected by humans, so the hill and the park have been declared a natural landmark. You could go for a run or just walk up and enjoy a stunning sunset. There is also a Stage Park at the foot of the hill which is open in the summer.

A view of the hill itself and a couple of shots taken from different spots of the way to the top.

Another very popular hill is the Hill of Liberators (a.k.a Alyosha or Bunardzhika), which along with the park which surrounds it has also been declared a natural landmark. The park itself is very intriguing as there, for example, you can see the old aqueduct of the hill. In the very centre of the city is located another one of the hills –  Danov Hill (Sahat Tepe). The word sahat means clock in Turkish and the hill carries that name because of  the clock tower on top of it. The so-called Three Hills (Trimontium) consist of Taksim Tepe, Dzhambaz Tepe, and Nebet Tepe. The old town of Plovdiv is spread on these three hills. Unfortunately, Markovo Tepe hill does not exist anymore. It was partially destroyed in the 1930s for rock material, so only six hills remain in Plovdiv nowadays. Currently, in its place, you can find a shopping center called Mall Markovo Tepe.