Thermal Destination
Good to Know
Hisarya · Bulgaria
Founded as Diocletianopolis by the emperor Diocletian, Hisarya pairs 22 healing mineral springs with the best-preserved Roman fortress walls in Europe — a calm, sun-blessed spa town in the heart of Bulgaria.
Getting there
Hisarya sits in central Bulgaria, just off the A1/E80 motorway — take the Hisarya exit and follow routes 64 and 642 into town. The nearest airport is Plovdiv (PDV), roughly 40 km away, while Sofia (SOF) is about 165 km via the same motorway. Further afield, Burgas (BOJ) lies around 260 km and Gorna Oryahovitsa (GOZ) about 195 km. A private transfer from Sofia airport costs around €130 per car; transfers from other airports can be arranged on request.
Best time to visit
Thanks to its sheltered position in the Sub-Balkan valleys, Hisarya enjoys a mild, pleasant climate with an average of some 280 sunny days a year. Spring through autumn — April to October — is the most rewarding window, when the town’s many parks and rose gardens are in full bloom and long walks between the springs and ruins are at their finest. The mineral waters and indoor pools, of course, make Hisarya a soothing year-round retreat.
What to see
The town is an open-air museum of Roman Diocletianopolis. Its great fortification wall runs 2,327 m and still stands up to 11 m high — the best-preserved of its kind in Europe — pierced by the monumental southern gate known as the Camels. Within and around the walls lie Roman thermal baths, an amphitheatre and a richly decorated tomb, scattered between the leafy “Lily of the Valley” and “Orpheus dol” archaeological parks. Day trips reach Plovdiv (40 km), one of the world’s oldest cities and European Capital of Culture, Karlovo (26 km) and the Rila Monastery (235 km).
Roman Diocletianopolis
Walls that have stood for seventeen centuries
From the towering Camels gate to the baths where citizens once took the waters, Hisarya wears its Roman past in stone — all of it within an easy stroll of the modern spa.
Twenty-two springs beneath an ancient town
Hisarya rises above some twenty-two mineral springs, their waters surfacing between 37 and 51 °C and so gentle they can be drunk straight from the source. Channelled by Rome and prized for the digestive cures they still draw visitors for today, they make the little town one of Bulgaria’s most rewarding spa retreats.
Plan your stay
Heal in the same waters the Romans prized — find your spa hotel in Hisarya.Where to stay