DAY 01: Sofia Airport – Sofia
Arrival in Sofia.
Meet your guide and transfer to your hotel.
Dinner and overnight in Sofia
DAY 02: Sofia – Veliko Tarnovo
After breakfast you will enjoy a comprehensive city tour of Sofia. Among the most impressive sites are the Alexander Nevski Cathedral dominating the city, St. Sophia Church, St. George Rotonda, National Theatre, The Parliament, The Presidency and Saint Nicholas Russian Church.
Bus transfer for Veliko Tarnovo. Take a walk along Samovodene market with its original workshops from the National Revival.
Dinner and overnight in Veliko Tarnovo
DAY 03: Veliko Tarnovo – Arbanassi – Etara – Kazanlak – Plovdiv
After breakfast, sightseeing tour of Veliko Tarnovo – the medieval capital of Bulgaria. Follow the route to the old museum town Arbanassi – a monument architecture from the 17th-18th century.
Visit the Nativity Church Etara ethnographic complex – an open-air museum with lovely old houses with flowers on the windows, small shops with wooden shutters where master craftsmen fashion beautiful gold, silver, copper, leather and wooden articles right before your eyes.
Continue to the town of Kazanluk known as the capital of the Rose Valley. Trace the Thracian culture by visiting the Thracian Tomb in Kazanluk (4th century BC, UNESCO Heritage Site).
Continue to Plovdiv.
Dinner and overnight Plovdiv
DAY 04: Plovdiv – Starosel – Sofia
After breakfast at the hotel, City tour of Plovdiv – Bulgaria’s second argest city, an ancient crossroads between East and West and Bulgaria’s second largest city. Bus transfer to Starosel. Wine tour with wine tasting of 3 types broached wine in Starosel wine complex nearby, which degustation hall is constructed as a copy of the Starosel sanctuary.
Visit Starosel Thracian complex with Chetinyova hill (recently discovered 5th c. BC Thracian sanctuary once used as a temple as well as a Thracian tomb).
Continue to Sofia for dinner and overnight
DAY 05: Sofia – Rila Monastery – Sofia
Today after breakfast at the hotel, we will drive to Rila Monastery, a sanctuary of Bulgarian literature and spiritual life. It is included in the UNESCO Heritage list. 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 centuries. We shall see the monastery church with its amazing frescos painted by the most famous Bulgarian finest artists from 19th century c. and the monastery museum housing a rich collection of exhibits connected with history of the monastery and the spread of Christianity of the Bulgarian lands.
Time for optional lunch and drive back to Sofia
Dinner and overnight in Sofia
DAY 06: Sofia – Sofia Airport
Breakfast at the hotel. Check out
Free time until departure.
Transfer to the airport.
End of service