Istanbul → Perushtitsa

Thursday – Saturday

Istanbul to Perushtitsa

Kartal → Edirne → the Rhodopes → Plovdiv → a wedding

Checklist

Book now (sells out)

• Hostel Kyosheto, Kardzhali — Night 1, private room, confirm late check-in + parking
• Saborna 25 Guest House, Plovdiv — Night 2, confirm ~10pm check-in + parking

Reservations

• Pavazh, Plovdiv — table ~8:30pm Day 2 (note you may run 15–30 min late)
• Call Complice to confirm real opening hour; else default to Turtles

Tickets & entry (mostly pay-at-gate, cash useful)

• Plovdiv combined Old Town ticket — buy at Balabanov's House on Day 3
• Cash on hand: Turkish lira (Day 1) + Bulgarian lev (Days 2–3)
• Note: Bachkovo parking + several sites are cash-only

Car & border (the make-or-break items)

• Rental: written permission to cross TR→BG + green-card insurance extension
• Buy Bulgarian e-vignette (online before crossing, or border kiosk)
• Turkey HGS/motorway toll tag fitted for Istanbul→Edirne
• Passports + visa/Schengen check for your nationality

Night-before each leg

• Weather check before Day 2 — wet = trim Wonderful Bridges to 2h, drop Asen's if needed
• Download offline maps for the Rhodope section (patchy signal)
• Fuel up in Kardzhali on Day 2 morning

Reminders & timing traps

• Kapıkule border: Thursday is far better than a weekend. The Edirne dinner is your buffer if the queue runs long.
• Çiğerci Kazım closes 6pm and is closed Tuesdays — this is an early dinner.
• Bayezid II Health Museum (Edirne) is closed Mondays.
• Plovdiv museum-houses are closed Mondays. (Saturday is fine.)
• Bachkovo Monastery closes 7pm; Asen's Fortress closes 8pm — hence the early Day 2 start.
• Devil's Bridge → Wonderful Bridges is the slowest, most scenic leg. Budget 2–2.5h and don't rush the curves.

Drive safe — and enjoy the wedding. Edit trip.yml and rebuild to change anything.