Plovdiv Entertainment

  1. Art Bar Maria Luisa

    Too pretty to be just a dive bar, the Maria Luiza has dedicated owners who keep adapting the décor to suit their whims. The colourful downstairs is particularly stylish, vaguely reminiscent of 1920's Paris. This little place has a dedicated local following.

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  2. Caligula

    Plovdiv's only gay club is, Bulgarian men only half-jokingly say, a nice place to meet girls. Whatever the case, the mixed crowd comes not only for the greased-up male pole dancers, but for the live music, DJs and neighbouring facilities (the Sky Bar is in the same complex).

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  3. Enjoy Club 69

    This scantily-clad chalga club somehow combines brick-wall décor and plasma video screens, attracting students and wanna-be mafiosi as well.

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  4. Escada

    The smooth modern look of this café/bar/restaurant with striped couches, a long bar and canopied outdoor seating is reminiscent of the smart Grecian cafés of Thessaloniki. It's good for a light lunch and has an upstairs nightclub. It's 2km west of the train station.

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  5. Fashion Café

    Fashion Café in the shopping centre west of Dzhumaya Mosque, this popular place offers mixed musical styles and is popular with students, especially by night.

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  6. Makalali

    While the African tribal theme is somewhat less obvious than the owners might think, Makalali is still a good, and often busy place, with a big cocktail menu, cool lighting and Fashion TV aspirations to go with its ambient house music.

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  7. Naylona

    They say that the owners of this Kapana dive bar purposefully didn't fix the roof, so that the rain would trickle in; whatever the story, this damp, bare-bones place usually playing classic (and other) rock remains the unwashed, long-haired antithesis of Plovdiv style.

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  8. Palmite

    Translated as 'the Palms', this pumping chalga club shares its entrance with a fitness club and features male strippers (Thursday) and student nights (Sunday).

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  9. Paparazi

    Plovdiv's longest-running nightclub, Paparazi has three big halls for DJ-driven house music, Bulgarian chalga and hip-hop.

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  10. Planet Club

    Don't be put off by the black windows on the big black Jeeps out front; the Planet is not really a mafia bar, just a slick, fashionable place with an ultra-modern interior and occasional wild excess (see the photos upon entry).

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  12. Plazma Light

    A very, very chic new bar with a nightclub behind, Plasma Light is one of the prime places to chill out to house music, with detached, island-like bars set in a sea of cream-and-black décor. Shiny screens and shiny people complete the mesmerizing effect.

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  13. Remix Music Club

    This very chic new place is a chill spot for a daytime coffee, but gets loud at night when the beautiful people show up. It's full of colour and plasma screens, and smooth seats from some postmodern hair salon.

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  14. Simfoniya

    At the western end of the park, Simfoniya is a busy bar-café with drinks (and cakes).

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  15. Sky Bar

    You can't beat the Sky Bar, located atop one of Plovdiv's tallest buildings, for panoramic evening or nighttime views in the company of a cold drink.

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