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

Houses in the Old Town of Plovdiv

The Southern Gate at Hisarya

• 1 Dimitrovgrad (Димитровград) — a Communist-era "planned city", built from scratch in the late 1940s and named after the first Communist leader of Bulgaria.
• 2 Haskovo (Хасково) — administrative centre of Haskovo Province, on the between the Upper Thracian Plain and the Eastern Rhodope Mountains
• 3 Hisarya (Hissar, Хисар) — 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.
• 4 Pazardzhik (Пазарджик) — 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.
• 5 Plovdiv (Пловдив) — 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.
• 6 Stara Zagora (Стара Загора) — "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.
• 7 Svilengrad (Свиленград) — 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.
• 8 Yambol (Ямбол) — another mid-sized province centre, on the banks of the river Tundzha
• 9 Elhovo (Елхово) — 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