Itinerary

Day 1

ROUTING: SOFIA
- Arrival to Sofia airport
- Enjoy a half day sightseeing tour of the Bulgarian capital, including the
central area and entrance to the National History Museum, exhibiting the
Thracian gold and silver treasures; visit to Boyana Church, located at the foot
of the Vitosha mountain, built in stages, the oldest part, probably in the 11th
c. Later enlarged and decorated again in the 13th c. by the local land lord
Sebastocrator Kaloyan.
- Dinner with folklore show
- Overnight in Sofia.
ACCOMMODATION: HOTEL***

Day 2

ROUTING: SOFIA - RILA - PLOVDIV
- After breakfast drive southward along the valley of Struma river to Rila
Monastery - the largest and one of the oldest Bulgarian monasteries, hidden
within the recesses of Rila mountain, build in the 10thc. The monastery has been
destroyed by robbers and by fires several times, but always rebuilt again, each
time larger and better constructed and decorated. The nowadays complex was built
in the first half of the 19th c. There is a medieval defensive tower in the
middle of the monastery yard, which has survived from the 14th c. It is known as
The Hrelyo Tower, after the name of the feudal lord who built it and was buried
in the yard of the monastery.
- Drive to Plovdiv
- Dinner and overnight in Plovdiv
ACCOMMODATION: HOTEL****

Day 3

ROUTING: PLOVDIV - KAZANLAK
- Breakfast
- Sightseeing tour of Plovdiv - the second biggest town in Bulgaria with
monuments from Thracian, Roman and medieval periods; walking tour in the old
part of the town with typical Bulgarian houses from 18th and 19th c. and
visiting the Roman Theatre (2nd c AD) and the Ethnographic museum. Drive further
into northeast direction to the centre of the Rose Valley - the town of Kazanlak.
Visit to the Thracian tomb. The tomb (4th-3rd c BC) was obviously prepared for
the local Thracian ruler and decorated with great mastership, following the
characteristics of the Hellenistic painting art
- Dinner and overnight in Kazanlak
ACCOMMODATION: HOTEL***

Day 4

ROUTING: KAZANLAK - NESSEBAR - VARNA
- Breakfast
- Drive to the Black Sea Coast to stop at Nessebar - museum town, situated on a
small peninsula, connected to the main land with a narrow isthmus only. The
settlement was founded in the 3rd c. BC and was an important fortress during the
ages. It was flourishing during the medieval period and ruins from its fortress
walls and several quite well preserved churches, dated back from the 8th to the
14th c. could be seen. The town has typical old houses and is a resort centre as
well.
- Late in the afternoon drive along the Black Sea coast to the town of Varna.
- Dinner and overnight in Varna
ACCOMMODATION: HOTEL****

Day 5

ROUTING: VARNA - SHUMEN
- Breakfast
- Morning sightseeing of Varna - the capital of the Bulgarian Riviera with visit
to the History museum to see the oldest gold treasure in the world (5 th
Millenium BC).Drive to the village of Madara to see the oldest monumental
sculptural bas-relief in Europe (8th-9th c. AD). The composition made of the
face of the rock, 23 m above the ground consists of the figure of a horseman, a
lion and a dog, placed in triangle of each other and depicted in motion. There
is an inscription, carved in the rock. Probably it was the figure of the
Bulgarian monarch in a state of a triumph.
- Drive to the town of Shumen
- Dinner and overnight in Shumen
ACCOMMODATION: HOTEL****

Day 6

ROUTING: SHUMEN - ISPERIH - SVESHTARU - RUSSE
- Breakfast
- Drive to the town of Isperih to reach the village of Sveshtari and visit the
Thracian tomb there. Although built in the same period as the tomb in Kazanlak
(3rd c. BC) the two complexes are entirely different. The one at Sveshtari is a
unique multifigural complex, decorated with ten dancing "caryatids" dressed in
exquisite costumes. Each figure's face is with its own character and expression.
- In the afternoon drive to the town of Russe, the largest Bulgarian town,
situated on the Danube River.
- Dinner and overnight in Russe
ACCOMMODATION: HOTEL***

Day 7

ROUTING: RUSSE - SOFIA
- Breakfast
- Short sightseeing tour of Russe and drive to the village of Ivanovo to visit
the Rock monasteries cut out in the rocks of the canyons of Russenski Lom River.
The monastery used to have more than 300 rock premises in the period between the
9th and the 14th c. and was one of the biggest rock monastery groups in Europe.
- Drive to Sofia
- Dinner and overnight in Sofia
ACCOMMODATION: HOTEL***

Day 8

ROUTING: SOFIA
- Breakfast
- Transfer to Airport and Final good-bye from your Bulgarian Driver
B
This tour can also be adjusted to start or end in Romania.

Extra Information

Inclusions -

Local guides upon request

Exclusions -

Not Included: - Airfare - Entrance fees - Alcoholic drinks - Gratuities - Extra charges of hotel, eg. Laundry, telephone or fax charges, room service, etc.. - Insurance

Extras -

Bulgaria is a small European country, but it is rich in natural diversity, history and cultural monuments. Some of them are of a great importance to the world heritage and are under the protection of the Convention for the Preservation of World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites.

There are nine sites in Bulgaria - two natural and seven cultural, which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage Register. Bulgaria UNESCO Tour - Rila MonasteryThis tour will acquaint you with all seven cultural monuments. The itinerary we offer will acquaint you with all the seven Bulgarian cultural monuments; Boyana Church, Rila Monastery, Thracian Tomb at Kazanlak, the museum town of Nessebar, Madara Horseman, Thracian tomb at Sveshtari and Ivanovo Rock Monasteries.

This is a great tour to discover the most important cultural sights of Bulgaria. Along the way you will also have a chance to experience the country's local life and traditions. For more details please refer to the "Day by Day Itinerary"


Discover the UNESCO Sights of Bulgaria!!!