Description
CLIENT: MRS DARILYN AND MR MAX
OFFER DESIGNER: PAVLINADOCHEVA DATE: JANUARY 7, 2025
AUTHENTIC BULGARIA
TEHNICALITIES:
Travel Date: May 18 – May 28, 2025
Number of days: 11 days / 10 nights
Starting location: The Rila monastery, Bulgaria
Ending location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Tour pace: moderate to intensive in some days
Number of people: 2 people
Brief itinerary:
Day 1 – May 18 – Sofia – the Rila monastery – Dobrinishte
Day 2 – May 19 – Dobrinishte – Banichan – Kovatchevitsa – Leshten
Day 3 – May 20 – Leshten – Shiroka laka
Day 4 – May 21 – Shiroka laka – Pamporovo – Plovdiv
Day 5 – May 22 – Plovdiv
Day 6 – May 23 – Plovdiv – Zheravna – Nessebar
Day 7 – May 24 – Nessebar – Varna – Provadia – Kuylevtcha village
Day 8 – May 25 – Kuylevtcha – Madara – Sveshtary – Ruse – Mechka
Day 9 – May 26 – Mechka – Veliko tarnovo
Day 10 – May 27 – Veliko Tarnovo – Shipka pass – Buzludzha pass – Kazanlak – Hissarya
Day 11 – May 28 – Hissarya – Koprivshtitsa – Sofia
DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
Day 1 – May 18 – Sofia – the Rila monastery – Dobrinishte village
Meet your guide in the Rila Monastery – the richest historical and architectural monument of the Orthodox enclave, founded in 10th century and transformed to the most important spiritual and cultural center of Bulgaria. The Monastery’s unrivalled architecture and murals will captivate you. In the monastery visit the Ethnographic Museum – very rich with its carpets and rugs exhibition, jewelry, customs, buckles. Also, you will visit four rooms decorated according to the typical styles of decoration of four regions of Bulgaria. Departure to the village of Gorno Draglishte where you will enjoy late home hosted diner. Free afternoon to enjoy the SPA facilities of the hotel. Overnight in the village of Dobrinishte.
Breakfast and Dinner – Accommodation in Dobrinishte village
Day 2 – May 19 – Banya – Banichan village – Leshten village – Kovatchevitsa
In the morning departure to the Rhodopi mountain. Drive to the Avramovo train station. At 10:48 take the narrow-gauge train from Razlog and enjoy the ride until the village of Belitsa The guide will pick you up from the train station in Belitsa village at 11:51. Proceed to the village of Banichan. In the village of Banichan get acquainted with a craft practiced here for centuries: socks knitting and embroidery. Proceed to the village of Leshten. Visit the Kavkova house. Proceed to Kovachevitsa declared architectural and historical reserve. Walk around the village and admire the beautiful houses preserved from the 18th and the 19th century. Have diner in a local house.
Brkfst and Dinner Accommodation in the village of Kovachevitsa or Leshten
Day 3 – May 20 – Leshten– Sarnitsa village (lunch) – Dospat dam – Trigrad gorge –Shiroka laka village
In the morning attend demonstration of making yoghurt and salty pastry in a local house. Proceed to the village of Sarnitsa and have lunch in a local family`s house (subject of further confirmation). Continue to the village of Trigrad where is the Devils throat cave located. Drive through the magnificent Trigrad gorge before reaching the cave. The gorge itself is 6-7 kilometres long. At its bottom flows Trigrad River, which high waters created the vertical walls of the gorge, between 100-300 meters high, millions of years ago. At the foot of the highest cliffs of the gorge is the artificial entrance of Devil’s Throat Cave. It is famous with the 42 meters high underground waterfall inside it. An artificial tunnel leads to the so called Noisy Hall, where the waters of Trigrad River drop down through the natural entrance of the cave. The hall itself is impressive with its size. Waters of the river disappear through some small cracks inside the hall and flow as a karst spring on the surface again 500 meters away, at the bottom of the gorge. The gorge itself is 6-7 kilometers long. At its bottom flows Trigrad River, which high waters created the vertical walls of the gorge, between 100-300meters high, millions of years ago. Proceed to the village of Shiroka laka. Take a walk around the village and admire it traditional architecture.
B L D Accommodation in Shiroka Laka in Gaytana guest house
Day 4 – May 21 – Shiroka laka – Pamporovo – the Bachkovo monastery – Plovdiv
Today you will admire the beauty ofthe Rhodopi Mountain. After breakfastdeparture to Pamporovo – the most beautiful ski resort of Bulgaria. Take the chair lift and get up to the Snezhanka television tower (1926 m). Take the elevator and get at the level of the restaurant where you will admire a breath-taking 360 degrees view. Continue to Plovdiv. Before getting to the town stop at the Bachkovo monastery – the second largest in Bulgaria, dated to 1983. Most interesting is the Refectory where still one can admire the marble table from 1604.
Proceed to Plovdiv. Arrive in your hotel and check-in. Evening at leisure. Stroll on the main street of Plovdiv and indulge in the ambience of hundreds of local people coming here to walk and to have a drink in one of the numerous bars and cafes in the neighborhood of Kapana, very close to the location of your hotel.
B Accommodation in Plovdiv in Hill House Guest house (two nights)
Day 5 – May 22 – Plovdiv
In the morning take a sightseeing tour of Plovdiv – the second largest town of Bulgaria, an area since the time of Philip, King of Macedonia, father of Alexander The Great. Its unique location on these ancient crossroads has stimulated cultural and political influences from East and West civilizations and yet maintained its unique cultural identity. The most impressive building of Roman time that has come to us rising above the city is the Antique Amphitheatre by Emperor Mark Avrelii during the 2nd c. A.D. Its magnificent arcade adorned with marble statues is simply breath-taking. The Roman Stadium is also constructed during the II century and reproduces the layout in Delphi, Greece. Within the centre of the ancient major town of the Roman province of Thrace remains of stone paved streets, foundations of buildings and columns and ancient fortress walls and gates reside. In the afternoon visit the Bishop`s Basilica with its beautifully preserved 2000 sq. meters mozaic floor dating to the 4th – 6th century. Evening at leisure.
B Accommodation in Plovdiv in HillHouse Guest House
Day 6 – May 23 – Plovdiv – Zheravna – Nessebar
After breakfast departure to the village of Zheravna where you will admire 200 years old houses, cobble stone streets, stone walls surrounding yards with beautiful flowers and fruit trees. Today the village is an architectural reserve. It has been used as a natural decor for many Bulgarian and foreign movies. Visit the building of the school, constructed in 1867, houses a picture gallery that comprises more than 450 paintings of Bulgarian and foreign artists. Every year it hosts travelling exhibitions of artists and ethnographical exhibitions from museums around the country. Visitors of the House of Rusi Chorbadzhi (House of Master Rusi) can see an interesting exhibition where the different crafts practiced in Zheravna during the Bulgarian Revival Period are demonstrated. The enormous hand loom and the skillfully-weaved delicate linen fabrics produced by the women of Zheravna are particularly impressive. In Zheravna was born and raised one of the most renown Bulgarian writers – Yordan Yovkov. His books have been translated in more than 20 languages. Proceed to Nessebar – an undoubted jewel of Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, historical and archaeological reserve withancient archaeological remains of various periods, original churches from the 5th – 17th centuries and more than hundred authentic Revival houses.
B Accommodation in Nessebar in Aphrodita Beach Hotel
Day 7 – May 24 – Nessebar – Varna – Kuylevtcha village
In the morning departure to Varna. In the Archaeological Museum admire the Oldest Man worked Gold in the world discover in Varna in 1972 datedbetween 4600 – 4200 BC. Next visit is the Roman bath complex – the fourth biggest batch complex in the entire Roman empire situated on 7000 sq.meters.
Departure to the town of Devnya. Departure to the town of Devnya, see the museum of the Roman mosaics, an extremely interesting and beautifully preserved Roman mosaics, some of them “in situ”. Proceed to the village of Kuylevtcha.
If time permits: Stop in the town of Shoumen. Visit one of the biggest communist monuments in Europe near the town dedicated to the 1300thanniversary of Bulgaria erected in 1981.
The monument consists of two groups of concrete blocks separated from one another by small spaces. The biggest outdoor mosaic-triptych in Europe can be seen here. Together with 21 sculptures they symbolize the establishment, development and progress of the Bulgarian state in the period 7th – 10th centuries. The concrete panels on which the mosaic-triptych is laid are arranged at different angles, so as to demonstrate the gradual development of the state.
A granite lion weighting 1000 tons is placed on the top of the memorial.
B Accommodation in the village of Kuylevtcha in Eco Bulgaria complex
Day 8 – May 25 – Kuylevtcha – Madara Horseman (UNESCO) – Sveshtari tomb (UNESCO)
Ruse – Metchka
In the morning departure to the Madara Horseman (UNESCO) – a bas-relief cut in a rock some 23 meters above the ground dating to the beginning of the 8th century. The relief depicts a horseman in a natural pose with a sword in his hand. At the feet of the horse is a lion, and behind the rider is depicted his hunting dog. One legend has it that a Roman emperor was hunting on the plateau when he fell off the cliff and died. His relatives memorialized him by engaging a master to carve his image on the cliff.
Continue to the Sveshtary Thracian tomb (UNESCO) dating to the 4th – 3rd century BC (closed on Mondaysand Tuesdays). The tomb has a unique architectural decor, with polychrome half-human, half-plant caryatids and painted murals. It is a remarkable reminder of the culture of the Getes, a Thracian people who were in contact with the Hellenistic and Hyperborean worlds, according to ancient geographers. Continue to the town of Ruse. Stop at the Danube river promenade to enjoy the beautiful views towards the river. Proceed to the Seven Generations winery in the village of Mechka 22 km from Rousse wit ha beautiful view toards the Danube river.
B Accommodation in the Seven Generations Winery **** -https://sevengenerations.bg/page/homepage
Day 9 – May 26 – Mechka – Ivanovo (UNESCO) – Veliko Tarnovo
First visit today is the near complex of the Ivanovo rock church (UNESCO). Admire
beautifulpaintings fromthe 14th century. Arriving inVeliko Tarnovo you will be captured by thebeauty of thesetting of the town. Old houses perchedon the rocks andtwo Mediaevalfortress preservethe glorious past of the SecondBulgarianKingdom (1186– 1396). Visit
the Tsarevetsand the Trapezitsafortresses. In the
village of Arbanassi is situated the richest decorated church in Bulgaria of « The Nativity of Christ » called the Sistine Chapel on the Balkans. In the evening enjoy a home hosteddinner in the village of Arbanassi. Accommodation. Overnight.
B D Accommodation in Veliko Tarnovo in hotel Gurko *** http://www.hotel-gurko.com/index_en.php
Day 10 – May 27 – Veliko Tarnovo – Kazanlak – Hissarya
In the morning departure to Kazanlak.
Stop at the Shipka monument on the top of the mountain where the decisive battles for the Liberation of Bulgaria took place in 1877 and 1878. The monument was erected in 1934 to commemorate the soldiers who fought and died for the Liberty of Bulgaria. After you cross the Shipka pass get into the vast and beautiful rose valley. Drive to the Buzludzha monument, the place where the first by the Bulgarian communist government and inaugurated in 1981. It commemorated the events of 1891, when a group of socialists assembled secretly in the area to form an organized socialist movement that led to the founding of the Bulgarian Social Democratic Partly, a forerunner of the Bulgarian Communist Party, itself a forerunner of the current Bulgarian Socialist Party. Visit Damascena rose distillery.Continue to Hissarya. Accommodation. Overnight.
B Accommodation in Hissarya
Day 11 – May 28 – Hissarya – Starosel – Koprivshtitsa – Sofia
In the morning visit the town of Hissarya where you will see absolutely well-preserved fortress wall dating to the Roman period – 4th century. Visit the Roman tomb dating to the same period. Hissarya is also one of the most popular balneology resorts renowned for its more than 20 springs of curative mineral water. Continue to the Starosel Thracian tomb – one of the biggest of its kind, discovered only in 2004 and dated to the 5th – 4th century BC. Continue to the village of Koprivshtitsa. It boasts a large number of architectural monuments from the Revival period, 383 in all, most of which have been restored to their original appearance. Collections of ethnographical treasures, old weapons, National Revival works of art, fine fretwork, household weaves and embroidery, national costumes and typical Bulgarian jewelry has also been preserved. Continue to Sofia.
Drop off in your hotel. End of service.
Price per person: 2742 euro pp
Price is based on a tour of a private group of two travelers accommodated in double or twin room with a private vehicle and a private English speaking tour guide.
PRICE INCLUDES:
ACCOMMODATION IN TOTAL 10 OVERNIGHTS
- In Banya – Dobrinishte in Ruskovets complex
- In Shiroka Laka – a local guest house
- In Mechka village – the Seven Generations Winery
- In Hissarya – hotel 4*
- In Plovdiv – HillHouse (two nights)
- In Kuylevtcha – Eco Bulgara complex
- In Veliko Tarnovo – hotel Gurko ***
- In Nessebar – Aphrodita beach
- In Kovatchevitsa – Guest House
TRANSFERS ANDTRANSPORTATION
- All transfers and transportation with private vehicle according to program
- Transfer from the Sofia airport on arrival and departure
- Fuel costs, parking fees TOURS / GUIDES /FOOD
- 10 Breakfasts, 4 diners
- Chair lift tickets to the Snezhanka tower (if open) and elevator in the tower
- Professional Private Tour Guide (to drive) throughout
- All sightseeing tours and cultural connections
- Admission fees for sites and museums as per program
- Organization, VAT
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
- Additional private expenses
- All that is not mentioned in section “Price includes”
- Travel insurance package
- Other meals than stated
- Photo/video fees at sites and museums
- Bank, credit card and pay pal fees
The above stated price is based on cash payment.
Using another method of payment: All taxes and fees are at the expense of the customer: supplement for paying by Visa card – 2%,
Master card – 2%,
pay pal – 4%,
Our vehicles:
Our company is owner of the vehicles that we provide for the tours of our clients. All of them are very comfortable and fully insured. We are aware that your safety is most important, that is why we regularly renovate our car park. Our vehicles pass technical check every month and all of them have perfect air conditioners.
You can see our fleet here: Our Vehicles | New Mercedes Mini Vans | Bulgaria Private Tours (easybulgariatravel.com)
Confirmation
The travel arrangement and full-day or half-day tours will be officially booked once we have received a 30% deposit payment. After that you will receive a booking confirmation via e-mail. We kindly ask you to pay the balance not later than 7 days prior to your arrival, unless the booking is made 1 week prior to your arrival or if there is not an agreement for paying cash upon arrival.
Once we have received the payment, we will send the following to your e-mail address: the invoice, the vouchers (if you have booked self-guided tour), and all the other necessary travel-related documents and information.
Cancellation Policy
The customer can cancel the travel arrangement and full-day or half-day tour at any moment; however, Easy Bulgaria Travel shall keep a certain portion of the paid amount which will depend on the cancellation period, and which is specified as follows:
40 days prior to departure – no cancellation fee
39 to 31 days prior to departure – 30 % of the price of a travel arrangement or tour
30 to 21 days prior to departure – 50 % of the price of a travel arrangement or tour
20 to 14 days prior to departure – 80 % of the price of a travel arrangement or tour
13 to 0 days prior to departure – 100 % of the price of a travel arrangement or tour
After the departure or no-show – 100 % of the price of a travel arrangement or tour
In cases of extraordinary circumstances (flood, fire, earthquake or other), Easy Bulgaria Travel Ltd reserves the right to change itineraries. Easy Bulgaria Travel Ltd will certainly always try to meet customers’ requests and return all the funds that were not spent for the purpose of same travel arrangement or a tour.
Easy Bulgaria Travel Ltd wishes you a very pleasant stay in Bulgaria! We will be extremely happy to be your host and to show you the beauty of our region!
Regards,
Pavlina
