The city is the most dynamically developing center in Southern Bulgaria. Its economy is based on a wide range of industries, services, tourism, and information technologies.

Numerous cultural events are also held in Plovdiv: an international fair, an international theater festival, Stage at the Crossroads, Kapana Festival, Plovdiv Night, Music Forum, Voices of the Ages, an international folklore festival, etc.

Plovdiv was chosen as the 2019 European Capital of Culture together with another European city, Matera in Italy. In February 2022, Plovdiv was ranked fourth in the ranking of the best European destinations by the tourism website European Best Destinations, ahead of Amiens, Marbella, and Ljubljana, and Forbes USA magazine declared Plovdiv the best destination for cultural tourism in Europe.

Plovdiv is located in the western part of the Upper Thracian Plain. The Maritsa River, Bulgaria's largest river, flows through it. Therefore, the city is naturally divided into two parts: northern and southern. To the north of the Meriç River lies the Northern district, formerly known as Karşıyaka, while to the south lies the main part of the city, which includes the remaining five districts. It is 15 km north of the Rhodope Mountains and 50 km south of the Balkan Mountains. The city is 150 km from the capital Sofia, 381 km from Varna and 255 km from Burgas.

The climate is temperate transitional continental, typical of most of Central and Southern Europe. The average annual temperature is 12.3 °C. The average maximum temperature in July is 30.3 °C, with an absolute maximum of 45 °C measured on 5 July 2000. The average annual minimum temperature is 6.5 °C, and the absolute minimum is -31.5 °C, measured during a temperature inversion on the morning of 24 January 1942. The average annual relative humidity is 73%, highest in December (86%) and lowest in August (62%). Average annual precipitation is 540 mm, with the highest in May and June (69.2 mm) and the lowest in August (31 mm). The average annual number of snow-covered days in Plovdiv is 33. The average snow cover ranges from 2 to 4 cm, with a maximum height of 6 to 13 cm. The city, situated at the base of the hills, experiences weak winds (0–5 m/s), reaching speeds of up to 1 m/s up to 95% of the year. Fog is common during the colder months, with an average of 33 foggy days per year.