site.btaSofia: the Partenza's Final Destination
In 2026 Bulgaria is hosting the Grande Partenza event of the 109th Giro d'Italia. Running through key centres of culture and wonders of nature, the route is divided into three stages, each taking one day from May 8 to 10.
Stage 3: Plovdiv – Sofia (May 10, 2026)
The last stage of the race (175 km) passes through Plovdiv (Europe's oldest urban settlement, dating back to 4000 BCE), the high-altitude part of Mt Rila, and the capital Sofia. The route runs across or past Plovdiv, Stamboliiski, Malo Konare, Pazardzhik, Zvanichevo, Septemvri, Belovo, Momina Klisura, Kostenets, Dolna Banya, Raduil, Borovets, Samokov, the Iskar Dam, Dolni Pasarel and Pancharevo and finished in Sofia.
Cultural and historical landmarks
In Plovdiv, the Ancient Theatre and the Roman Stadium are among the world's best preserved monumental ancient structures. In the mountain resort of Borovets, the entrants will cycle past the Tsarska Bistritsa Palace (a Bulgarian royal residence between 1898 and 1946), and in Sofia their route will take them alongside the St Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral and the St Sophia Basilica, the Sofia Regional History Museum, and the Serdica Ancient Complex, excavated beneath the capital city centre and featuring one of the two main streets of ancient Serdica, the decumanus maximus, and remains of the Roman city.
Natural landmarks
In its final part, the cycling tour goes through the Rila National Park, at the foot of the Musala Peak (the Balkans' highest elevation, 2,925 m). The Vitosha Nature Park (designated in October 1934 as the first such protected area in Bulgaria and in the Balkan Peninsula) frames the conclusion of the race in Sofia.
/LG/
Additional
news.modal.image.header
news.modal.image.text
news.modal.download.header
news.modal.download.text
news.modal.header
news.modal.text