HIGLHLIGHTS OF BULGARIA - 6 Days

Arrival to Sofia. Transfer from the airport with an assistant and accommodation in 3* hotel Sofia Place or similar. Overnight. B.

After breakfast – meet your tour guide for panoramic tour around the Bulgarian capital (a 8500 years old city!) and visit to the most interesting historical sights: the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the St. Sofia Church, which had given the name of the city, and the historical and cultural center of the capital.
Departure to Veliko Tarnovo – the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. Free time for orientation tour around the city. Accommodation and overnight in 3* hotel Gurko or similar). B.

After breakfast – panoramic tour of Veliko Tarnovo with visit to the historical hill Tsarevets with the Fortress, the Patriarchal church and the Emperor Baldwin’s Tower. You will also have a walk along the old Trade Street – “Samovodska charshia”.
Departure to Etara – a unique open air museum, recreating the way of life of the Bulgarians in the 19th c. It is a great attraction for tourists, one of the most visited places in the country.

Set off to Kazanlak – the capital of the Rose valley. Visit of the Historical Museum, which houses collection of bronze and gold treasures, and the replica of Thracian Kazanlak Tomb as well, dating back to the 4th C. B.C. It is listed in the world natural and historical heritage of UNESCO.
Accommodation and overnight in hotel Palace 3* in Kazanlak (or similar). B.

After breakfast – we continue exploring the Valley of the roses with visit of Skobelevo village. Here is located the Ethnographical Complex “Damascene”, which works also as a family run rose oil distillery from more than 20 years. The hosts will show you how the famous Bulgarian rose oil (used in the perfumery) is produced.
Departure to Plovdiv – the city of the seven hills. Visit to the old part of the town, built in IV century B.C. from King Philip of Macedonia, with the some of the museum houses, the Antique Theatre and the Roman Stadium.
Optional: wine tasting in the boutique wine-cellar “Todoroff”, near to the village of Brestovica, where a red wine of high quality is produced.
Accommodation and overnight in Plovdiv – hotel Expo 3* or similar. B.

After breakfast – take off to the Rila monastery. Founded in 10th c., it was the biggest Bulgarian medieval spiritual centre with rich collection of icons, wall-paintings, old-printed books – some 15 000 volumes. Guided tour around the monastery. The monastery is a monument in the UNESCO list of world heritage and is situated in the highest mountain on the Balkans – Rila Mountain, with its top peak “Moussala” at 2925 m.
In the afternoon – return to Sofia. Accommodation and overnight in 3* hotel Sofia Place or similar.
Optional: Dinner at a typical Bulgarian folk style restaurant. Excellent cuisine, great selection of wines and folklore show.
B.

After breakfast – free time. Transfer to the airport and flight back home.