Upper Thracian Plain

The Upper Thracian Plain or Upper Thracian Lowlands (Bulgarian: Горнотракийска низина) is a region in Bulgaria that occupies the southeastern part of the country. Together with the Rhodope Mountains, it constitutes Northern Thrace (Bulgarian: Северна Тракия), bordering Greece (Western Thrace) to the south and Turkey (Eastern Thrace) to the southeast.

Cities

 * (Димитровград) &mdash; a Communist-era "planned city", built from scratch in the late 1940s and named after the first Communist leader of Bulgaria.
 * (Хасково) &mdash; administrative centre of Haskovo Province, on the between the Upper Thracian Plain and the Eastern Rhodope Mountains
 * (Hissar, Хисар) &mdash; a nice little town north of Plovdiv, known ever since Roman times because of its mineral springs. Home to some of the best preserved Roman ruins in Bulgaria - the impressive city wall still surrounds several neighborhoods. You can easily visit the Balkan mountain range and Koprivshtitsa from this base.
 * (Пазарджик) &mdash; mid-sized city on the same Maritsa river as Plovdiv; another province centre. The Rhodope Narrow-Gauge Railway starts from the nearby town of Septemvri.
 * (Пловдив) &mdash; the nation's second largest city which boasts a lovely shopping promenade and many parks, an ancient city with a preserved amphitheater, and many houses dating back to the Bulgarian National Revival.
 * (Стара Загора) &mdash; "the city of linden trees", in the plain below the Sarnena Gora mountain. A historic city with ancient ruins, modern Stara Zagora had to be almost completely rebuilt after being burned down during the Liberation War (1877). Another province centre.
 * (Свиленград) &mdash; a border town on the Maritsa river, close to where the borders of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey meet; there are a couple of fortress ruins in nearby villages.
 * (Ямбол) &mdash; another mid-sized province centre, on the banks of the river Tundzha
 * (Елхово) &mdash; Elhovo is a town in Yambol Province, located on the left bank of Tundzha, between the Strandzha and Sakar mountains.

Go next

 * Strandzha
 * Rhodope Mountains