Bulgaria · Central Bulgaria · Premium route guide
Shipka Pass and the Rose Valley
Rose fields, a mountain pass full of history and the old capital on its river cliffs.
Plovdiv, Karlovo, Kalofer, Kazanlak, Shipka, the Shipka Pass, Buzludzha, Etara, Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo. Built from our own track.
- Distance
- 236.5 km
- Peak elevation
- 1,421 m
- Elevation gain
- 2,431 m
- Best months
- May–Oct
- Bulgaria · Central Bulgaria
- One-way
- 100% paved
The route
North from Plovdiv to the foot of the Balkan Range, then east along the Rose Valley through Karlovo, Kalofer and Kazanlak. From the village of Shipka the road climbs to the Shipka Pass and its freedom monument, with a side trip up to the Buzludzha monument, then drops north past the Etara open air museum to Gabrovo and on to Veliko Tarnovo.
2 verified stays within 30 km of the route. Click a stay pin to see details. Know one that should be here?
Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route, how to load this into your GPS
What you are downloading is a GPX track, a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It is not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zumo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner, new trip from track) if you want turn by turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive, it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it does not re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour, Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these do not read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line, pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~137 m at the base to 1,421 m at the top, 2,431 m of total climbing across the route.
Our track is 237 km with about 2,430 m of climbing, roughly 6 to 7 hours of riding without stops. The side trip to Buzludzha is ridden out and back from the Shipka Pass. Heading north from the pass you reach Etara before Gabrovo, so our track visits them in that order.
Why ride it
Rose fields in late May and early June, the golden domes of Shipka church, smooth curves up to the pass at about 1,185 m, the Buzludzha monument on its summit, and the medieval fortress of Tsarevets in Veliko Tarnovo.
Hazards
Uneven asphalt and potholes on minor roads, fog and wind at the pass, slow trucks on the climb, and stray dogs in villages.
Fuel
Fuel in Plovdiv, Karlovo, Kazanlak, Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo. None at the pass or at Buzludzha.
Best months and difficulty
May to October, with roses in late May and early June. Difficulty: moderate.
What to see along the way
- Plovdiv - Old town and Roman theatre, start of the route.
- Karlovo - Birthplace of Vasil Levski.
- Kalofer - Mountain town under the Balkan Range.
- Kazanlak - Rose capital and Thracian tomb.
- Shipka - Village with the golden-domed memorial church.
- Shipka Pass - Freedom monument and battle site.
- Buzludzha - Monument viewpoint, the building is closed and unsafe.
- Etara - Open air crafts museum.
- Gabrovo - Town on the Yantra river.
- Veliko Tarnovo - Old capital and Tsarevets fortress.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Shipka Pass and the Rose Valley
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Kazanlak - change it if you're basing elsewhere.
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Verified stays within 30 km
Automatically selected by proximity to the traced route, no editorial cherry-picking. Sorted by how close they are to the road.
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This whole directory grows one rider recommendation at a time. Add a stay and it will appear on this guide automatically if it is within 30 km of the route.
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