Classical highlights tour of Bulgaria

Arrive in Sofia and meet your guide. From the airport we make a transfer to the hotel, which is in downtown Sofia. Your hotel gives you the chances to explore the city on foot. If your arrival allows and if you wish we can make a stroll in the central part of Sofia. Welcome dinner in a traditional restaurant.

Transfer: 0.30 hours

Night stop: Sofia

Accommodation: 3* Hotel

Included Meals: none

A morning visit of Dragalevtzi Monastery situated on the foot of Vitosha Mountains Nature Park. We offer an optional two-hour hike in the surrounding area. Our next site is the famous Boyana church, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which preserves valuable frescoes from 1259. After lunch, we drive to the biggest Orthodox sanctuary of Bulgaria – the Rila Monastery 14th, listed as a UNESCO Heritage.    Worth visiting is the main church with exceptional murals, the history and icon, and ethnographic museums, the medieval tower etc. The tour of the balconies with the richly depicted guestrooms provides a deep understanding of the significance of that sanctuary for Bulgarians. Afternoon transfer to Bansko.

Transfer: 3.50 hours

Night stop: Bansko

Accommodation: 3* Hotel

Included Meals: breakfast and dinner

After breakfast we walk in the Old Town where traditional houses can be seen. The symbol of Bansko is the medieval church, which we will also visit. In the afternoon we make a short transfer to Dobarsko set on the foot of Rila Mountains. There we visit a fascinating church from the 17th century. The village offers options for short walks in the surrounding areas.

Afternoon transfer to Plovdiv.

Transfer: 3.00 hours

Night stop: Plovdiv

Accommodation: 3* Hotel

Included Meals: breakfast and dinner

After breakfast we drive through the vast Rodopi Mountains and head to the second largest Bulgarian monastery – Bachkovo Monastery. It was founded in the 11th century and is very renown because of its miraculous icon in the main church, which attracts hundreds of pilgrims each year. We offer an optional short hike above the monastery. We walk to the sacred spring called “Aiazmo” and the rock hewn chapel above it. In the afternoon we drive to Plovdiv. It is the second largest Bulgarian city but it is the most beautiful one – no doubt! In Plovdiv we will explore the Old Town with numerous cultural monuments from different historical periods. Among them are the Roman Theatre, the Great Basilica Roman mosaics, The Roman Stadium awith standing behing Cami Cumaia mosque from 15th, the Ethnographical Museum, the East Gate from the 4th century, , mansions from the 19th century,  and more. The modern town is doted with shops and bars – a pedestrian street crosses from one end to the other. 

Transfer: 1.30 hours

Night stop: Plovdiv

Accommodation: 3* Hotel

Included Meals: breakfast and dinner

An Early morning transfer to the north. We drive through the so-called Rose Valley, which is where millions of roses blossom from mid-May to mid-June. We visit a private rose garden of Encho Bonchev which will reveal the secrets of the Rosa Damascena.

The region is also known as the valley of the Thracian Kings and therefore is dotted with many Thracian tombs. We visit the most spectacular one – the Kazanlak tomb, included in the UNESCO heritage list. Optional is the Tomb Goliamata Kosmatka.

In the afternoon, we drive further north and cross the Balkan Mountains at the historical Shipka Pass. It is the place where the final battle against the Ottomans took place (1877-8). It is the place where the Bulgarian Liberation was won. After a break on the top of the hill with the monument we continue and soon reach the pretty little town Tryavna set at the foot of the Balkan Mountains.
Optional drive-stop at the gigantesque Bouzloudzha communist-era monument on the central Balkan mountain ridge,

Transfer: 3.00 hours

Night stop: Tryavna

Accommodation: Family-run hotel

Included Meals: breakfast and dinner

We begin the day with a walk through the Old Town of Tryavna - architectural masterpiece. It is a town where traditions are kept alive and we can benefit from this! The local woodcarving museum is a real treasure. Towards lunchtime we drive to Etara. It is the only Bulgarian open-air museum, which shows traditional life, architecture and crafts from the Revival Period – 18-19th century. After a visit there we drive to Sokolski Monastery, a nunnery peacefully set in hills above Etara and overlooks the valley. The monastery church is a good example of local architecture from the 19th century. Afternoon transfer to Veliko Tarnovo.

Transfer: 2.00 hours

Night stop: Veliko Tarnovo

Accommodation: Family-run hotel

Included Meals: breakfast and dinner

Short drive to medieval Arbanassi village. We walk in the village, which preserves several mansions and churches with traditional architecture. A visit to the tiny but very impressive church “Nativity of Jesus” is a must. This colourfully painted church is has also a valuable iconostasis. The nearby house-museum Konstanzalieva Kashta shows traditional crafts and lifestyle in Arbanasi from the 18th century. In the afternoon we drive to Veliko Tarnovo. The town was the medieval capital of Bulgaria (12-14th century).

Places of interest in Veliko Tarnovo are the Tsarevets fortress (where the kings ruled and royal family lived during the Second Bulgarian Empire 12-14th century), the church of 40 martyrs, the old market street Samovodska Charshia, and the beautiful Gurko street in the Old Town.

Transfer: 0.30 hours

Night stop: Veliko Tarnovo

Accommodation: Family-run hotel

Included Meals: breakfast and dinner

Transfer to Troyan Monastery set on the foot of the Balkan Mountains. This is the third-largest monastery in the country. After the visit, we can make an optional walk in the vicinity and visit the fabulous pottery collection of Troyan Historical Museum. In the afternoon transfer to Sofia.

Transfer: 3.30 hours

Night stop: Sofia

Accommodation: 3* Hotel

Included Meals: breakfast and dinner

We will do a sightseeing walk in Sofia to see all major cultural monuments. Among them are Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Saint Sofia Basilica, the Roman ruins, the mineral springs, the markets, etc. Bania Bashi mosque (1576, the great Ottoman architect Sinan) and the Archeological Museum (former mosque) are a must-see (optional). Transfer to Sofia Airport. Tour ends here.

Transfer: 0.50 hours

Included Meals: breakfast