Grand Tour Of Bulgaria - 14 Days

Arrival in Sofia. Transfer to your hotel. Depending on time of arrival we leave this day free and no other services will be provided

Welcome to capital city of Sofia. Our tour will introduce you to all major attractions of the city. Among the most impressive sites are the Alexander Nevski Cathedral dominating the city, the Crypt Museum with its unique icon collection (13th-19th c), the round church of St. George, which is the best preserved Byzantine building, the Russian church st. Nikolas, Banya Bashi Mosque, the ruins of ancient Roman Serdica , the Parliament buildings and some more. In the afternoon we will bring you at the foot of Vitosha mountain to see the UNESCO World Heritage Site – The Boyana church. Its frescos dating back to the 13th c. painted 200 years before the Western European Renaissance are a remarkable piece of art and have outstanding artistic value. Our tour will end at National Museum of History which will give you a summarized glance on the different epochs of the Bulgarian history. Some of the most precious exhibits related to the Bulgarian history are shown in this museum. Overnight in Sofia. /B/

Our tour for today will introduce you to the Bulgarian most popular highlight – The Rila monastery. Located in the Rila mountain (the highest mountain on the Balkan peninsula) this monastery is a sanctuary of Bulgarian literature and spiritual life. Founded in the middle of the 10th century by St. Ivan of Rila it played a key role in preserving Bulgarian culture and language during the centuries. It is included in the UNESCO world heritage list. We shall see the monastery church with its amazing frescoes painted by the most famous Bulgarian finest artists from 19th c. and the monastery museum. Continue to the town of Sandasnki famous for its curative mineral water and crystal clean air. Overnight. /B /

In the morning we will visit the smallest Bulgarian town – Melnik with only 385 inhabitants. Melnik is famous for its strong red wine produced by the local sort “Shiroka Melnishka Loza” which was reportedly a favorite of Whinsten Chirchill’s. You will visit the wine cellar of the Kordopuolov house and you will be offered to taste the local red wine. Visit the nearby Rozhen monastery and continue to Bansko. The road will lead you through the marvelous scenery of the majestic Pirin Mountain. Nowadays Bansko is the Bulgarian most popular winter resort but is also an inheritor of rich history. Beautiful revival houses curve around the tiny cobbled streets, the clock tower of the local church raises up above the roofs. In the afternoon proceed to Plovdiv – Bulgaria’s second largest city. Overnight in Plovdiv /B/

Today you will have a comprehensive tour of Bulgaria’s second largest city – Plovdiv. Philipopolis, Trimonzium, Puldin, Plovdiv is a city with many names and millennium old history. It has preserved ruins from Roman, Ottoman and Bulgarian Revival period. During our city tour you will see The Trakart Museum – exhibiting the mosaics of an old Roman Residential Building, the Roman Forum and Stadium as well as the Roman amphitheater dating back to the 2nd AD. Walk along the tiny cobbled streets of the old town surrounded by beautiful Revival houses and churches. Visit the church of St. Konstantine and Elena and The House of Hindliyan. In the afternoon we will visit Bachkovo monastery, which is the second in size in Bulgaria and lies picturesquely embraced by the green forests of the Rhodopi Mountains. Overnight in Plovdiv. (B)

Our journey today will be dedicated to the heritage left on our lands by The Thracian tribes. Our first stop will be the village of Starosel which gained fame with the nearby excavated underground temple under Chetyova Mogila tumulus from the 4th c BC reported the largest on the Balkans. We will also visit the winery complex of Starosel where you will enjoy a professional guided tour presenting the process of wine production. optional wine tasting of local production. Go on to Kazanluk, the major town in the valley known as “The Valley of the Roses” and “The valley of The Thracian Kings”. On the way you will see a Rose Distillery where we will show you the process of distillation of the famous Bulgarian oil-yielding rose used for the production of rose oil and exported to some of the most famous French perfumeries. Finally arrive in Kazanluk to see two examples of The Thracian Tumulus – The replica of The Old Tharian Tomb under UNESCO protection and the recently discovered Goliama Kosmatka Thracian Tomb. Overnight in Kazanluk /B/

Head on to The Black Sea. Today you will visit the town of Nessebar – an old fisherman´s settlement Nesebar is picturesquely located on a rocky peninsula. Rich in history the old town hosts numbers of churches from Byzantine and Revival period. Visit the most remarkable of them – the church of St. Steven, the church of St. Spas. Walk along the cobbled stone and pass by the Old Metropolitan church. Overnight in Nessebar. /B /

Our road runs parallel the coast line – sometimes opening a vast panorama over the sea, sometimes hiding among the shades of the Balkan Mountain forests. We reach the town of Varna – the largest administrative, business and cultural center on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. In the afternoon we will introduce you to the town’s treasures – The Roman Thermal baths, The Cathedral “Assumption of Virgin Mary”. Overnight in Varna /B/

In the morning we head northwards up the way to cape Kaliakra. Visit the cape and the fortress built on it. Transfer back to the town of Balchik which in the beginning of 20th c was a Romanian territory. Visit the summer residence of the Romanian Queen Maria as well as the botanical garden with its unique cacti collection Overnight in Varna /B/

We leave the Black Sea behind. Our first stop of the day will be The Monument of Madara included in UNESCO World Heritage List – a figure of a majestic horseman thrusting a spear into a lion is cut into the cliffs above the Shumen Plato, dated back to 710 AD. Next stop will be The Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari interesting for its architectural decor of ten female figures considered unique example of this type found so far in the Thracian lands. Late in the afternoon arrive in Russe. Overnight in Russe. /B/

Today we will start with a simple walk in Russe city center. The city is the largest on the Bulgarian Danubean bank. Due to its location the town maintained close connections with West European cities and its architectural outlook created mostly in the end of 19th – 20th centuries is seriously influenced by the Austro-Hungarian style. Depart to the nearby village of Ivanovo to see the Rock Churches hewn out of solid rock included in UNESCO World Heritage List. The complex is known for its beautiful and well preserved medieval frescoes. Continue to Veliko Turnovo – the Medieval capital of Bulgaria. Overnight in Veliko Turnovo /B/

Have a tour in the medieval capital of Bulgaria. Visit Tsarevets fortress where the remains of the former capital’s glory can still be seen. Be sure to walk along the Samovodska street where various workshops have opened doors and owners are inviting you to visit them. Visit the nearby village of Arbanassi – another jewel of Bulgarian Revival architecture. Visit the Konstancalieva house and the church of Nativity. The tour will end up with a visit of the nearby Transfiguration monastery. Overnight in Veliko Turnovo. /B /

We are coming closer to an end of this tour. Traveling back to Sofia we will see The Troyan monastery – the third in size in Bulgaria after Rila and Bachkovo. In the afternoon we will visit the mountainous town of Koprivshtica – a birth place of many Bulgarian revolutionaries and poets. Visit local museum houses and the local church. Overnight in Sofia. /B/

After breakfast depart to Sofia airport for your flight back home. /B/