Exclusive Bulgaria round tour
The itinerary for this intimate tour of Bulgaria includes all Bulgarian UNESCO sights, the most significant Roman and Thracian heritage, major cities as well as small villages, monasteries, churches and shrines, museums and art galleries. You will have the chance to go "off-the-beaten-track", meeting local families, visiting lost mountain villages and enjoying road-side markets . . .
Geographically, you will be all over Bulgaria - Central Balkan mountains, Danube planes, Black Sea coast, Valley of Roses, Thracian lowlands and the mountains in the South-West.
Day 1: Sofia city tour - including Al. Nevski cathedral, Boyana church, National museum of history, etc.
Day 2: Drive to
Koprivshtitza - one of the few Bulgarian towns preserving the typical features of the original Revival architecture. Continue the trip to the village of
Oreshak close to the legendary
Troyan Monastery. Drive through one of the most beautiful mountain passes in Bulgaria - Beklemeto or also Via Traiana (an ancient Roman road). Accommodation in
"Papa Bear" guest house - local place, where you can enjoy some typical home cooked food and home made drinks.
Same day we will visit the
Troyan Monastery (the third largest and most significant monastery in Bulgaria) and the
museum of ceramics in Troyan
Day 3: Departure to
Veliko Turnovo - the medieval Bulgarian capital. En route we will visit the small village of
Gumoshtnik (known for being the only place in Bulgaria with a monument of Titanic), where we will meet my friend Angelina. She will show us the local village library and take us to her century old house to drink some mountain tea and enjoy the breathtaking views of the Central Balkan mountains.
We will also visit
Ethnographic complex "Etara" (open air museum featuring typical Bulgarian crafts), the small picturesque town of
Tryavna (famous for the authentic Revival architecture, the Clock tower and the wood-carved sun-ceilings of "Daskalova" house) and the heroic
Dryanovo monastery (the Bulgarian Alamo).
In the evening we can enjoy the unique
"Sound and light" show over the Tzarevetz hill ....
Day 4: Morning visit to
"Tsarevets" the hill of the Bulgarian kings and a walk around the
Old Crafts street. Tour of
Arbanassi where you can see some of the most exquisite monuments of Bulgarian art like "Nativity" church, "St's Archangels Michael and Gabriel" church, "Konstancialieva" house, etc.
Drive to the well exposed Roman forum of
Nicopolis ad Istrum and then to
Ivanovo Rock Monastery - impressive XIV century frescoes. Overnight in
Ruse - once called the little Vienna!
Day 5: Morning drive to the
Thracian Tomb in Sveshtari (the most impressive ancient site in Bulgaria),
Demir Baba Teke (the tomb of the Alian saint Demir Baba) and the Roman town of
Abrittus. Visits to
Madara Horseman (one of the most popular Bulgarian monuments included in the World Register of Historical Sites since 1979) and
"The Stone Forest" (incredible natural phenomena over 40 000 000 years old) on our way to
Varna.
Day 6: Varna city tour in the morning including the imposing Cathedral, the Archaeological museum - showing the oldest Golden treasure in the world (over 6000 years), the mysterious "Panagia" church, the Roman baths, etc.
In the afternoon we will visit
The Romanian Queen Castle in Balchik (the summer residence of the Romanian Queen Maria) and
Cape Kaliakra (revealing splendid views over the Black Sea)
Day 7: Departure to
Nessebar (town museum included in World UNESCO heritage). Old town tour.
Continue the trip to the quaint and lovely village of
Jeravna, where, if you get up early enough you can watch the goats and the sheep being taken out to the fields, and jostle with the cows who are coming into the main square for a morning drink.
Overnight in a typical
300 years old house in Jeravna
Day 8: Departure to
Plovdiv. On the way we will visit some of the tombs in the
Valley of Thracian Kings including the famous
Kazanlak tomb (part of the UNESCO heritage).
Pleasant afternoon walk along the labyrinth of cobbled streets shaded by charming overhanging buildings in
Old Plovdiv, including the Roman theater and the stadium, the Archaeological museum, "Trakart" private museum (where you can see the famous Millefiori glass work technique applied on Thracian ritual phials and Roman mosaics "in situ"), Nedkovich house (typical Revival period house, influenced by the European classicism and preserving the original furniture and mural paintings), etc.
Day 9: A great mountain drive through the back roads of South-Western Bulgaria on our way to
Doabrsko village, where we will visit the Old church and enjoy a private concert by the
world-known "Singing Grandmothers"
Day 10: Morning visit to
Rila Monastery (regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments). Departure to Sofia.