Discover Bulgaria in 4 days - 4 Days

Arrive at the Sofia airport. Meet and greet by your professional guide. Transfer to the hotel. Check in and short time for refreshment.

Sightseeing tour of Sofia – the Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – the biggest and the most impressive on the Balkan Peninsula, the Saint Sophia early Christian basilica, which has given the city its name, the Council of Ministers, the Presidency, the National Theater, the Roman Ruins of Serdica and St. George Rotunda Church dating to the 4th century, the Russian Church, the Mosque, the Synagogue, the Parliament square and the Monument of King Alexander II the Liberator.

Overnight.

Accommodation in Thracia Premier Best Western ****

Departure to the Bachkovo Monastery /20km from Plovdiv/ – the second largest after the Rila Monastery. The complex and its neighborhoods have grown into a developed tourist sight where dozens of small shops, stalls, and restaurants stand on both sides of the walkway to the gates and appeal with their variety to visitors. Here you can buy rare herbs, home made honey and products made of buffalo’s and sheep’s milk. Continue to Plovdiv. Visit to the Old Town. It is declared an architectural museum reserve with over 150 monuments of culture. Its magnificent houses are turned into museums, galleries, workshops, restaurants. There are also parlors and studios of painters and wood-carvers. Visit the Ancient Roman Amphitheater (2nd century A.C) and the Roman Stadium.

Optional: Dinner in a traditional restaurant with folklore program. Overnight.

Accommodation in family hotel Renaissance or hotel Odeon ***

Departure to Veliko Tarnovo. On our way we will pass by the town of Kazanlak where will visit the Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak – the monument dates back to the 4th century BC and has been on the UNESCO protected World Heritage Site list since 1979. Visit the Russian Church (12 km of Kazanlak) in the foothills of the Balkan range. Its golden domes and the green and pink colored façade loom against the mountains and attract the attention of the travelers in the Shipka pass.

Next stop is to the other side of the pass where we will visit “Etara” – an open air museum. It is the first museum presenting the historic past, economic development and the way of living of the population in 18 – 19th c. The shopping street represents the way crafts were practiced locally in the mid-19th century.

Continue to Veliko Tarnovo – capital city of The Second Bulgarian Kingdom. Overnight.

Accommodation in hotel Gurko ***

After breakfast – tour of the city. Visit to “Tsarevets” – a mediaeval stronghold located on a hill with the same name. It served as the Second Bulgarian Empire’s primary fortress and strongest bulwark from 1185 to 1393, housing the royal and the patriarchal palaces. 47 churches and 400 residential houses have been discovered in the whole complex. Fortified walls and defensive towers surround the city. The tower of Baldwin is the most famous and is an evidence for the power of the Bulgarian Kingdom.

We will continue our tour by visiting the old Marketplace Samovodska Tcharshia. Only 4 km from Veliko Turnovo is Arbanassi, a charming village with an eventful history and fascinating architecture. Thirty six of its 80 houses and the five local churches have been declared for national monuments of culture.
Departure to Sofia.

Drop off at the airport or in your hotel. End of service.