Koprivshtitsa Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Especially considering its significance as a tourist destination, Koprivshtitsa seems rather poorly served by public transport. The train station is some 9km north of the village itself, thus necessitating a shuttle bus (1 lv, 15 minutes). These buses are theoretically timetabled to meet incoming trains, while bringing passengers from Koprivshtitsa to meet outgoing ones. However, if the shuttle bus doesn’t come, as has been known to happen, there are no taxis, and the incredibly unhelpful station masters have no phone. With no mobile phone coverage in this remote area, you’re left to soldier on to the narrow main road and walk the 8km to town. Good luck!

If you do decide to come by train, there are services from Sofia (5 lv, 2½ hours, four daily) and connections can be made there or in Karlovo for Plovdiv and other points in the country. There’s also a daily train to Burgas (11 lv, five hours).

Alternatively, in the centre of Koprivshtitsa the little bus stop has a posted list of train times, as well as connecting buses and long-distance bus routes. Five daily buses go to Sofia (7 lv, two hours), the first leaving at 6.45am, while the bus to Plovdiv (7 lv, two hours, daily) departs at a similarly ungodly hour (6.30am). However, note that on Sundays the Plovdiv bus leaves at a more reasonable 2pm.