Arrival in Sofia. The cost of the flight is not included in your program. You will be met by your private
driver for the transfer to your deluxe and centrally located hotel. You will check in and have the
rest of your afternoon at leisure.
Exeter Services: Arrival Transfer Only
Hotel: Sense
Day 2
Sofia, Bulgaria
Hotel:
Sense
Meals:
Breakfast
This morning, your guide will meet you in the hotel lobby to take you on a tour of Sofia. You will see
Sofia’s signature gold onion-domed landmark, the Alexander Nevski Memorial Cathedral, built as a
tribute to the Russians who liberated Bulgaria from the Turks at the turn of the 19th Century.
The St. Sofia Church stands just across from the Alexander Nevski Church and is in rather modest
contrast to the cathedral’s Russian flamboyance. The current building dates as far back as the 6th
Century, but excavations have revealed that it stands on the remains of an even older church. The
Ottomans who used it as a mosque added minarets to the church in the 16th Century. This graceful
monument has inspired the city of Sofia’s coat of arms.
You will continue your exploration of the Bulgarian capital at the famous Rotunda Sveti Georgi (St.
George), which was built in the 4th Century as a Roman temple. Later, it was consecutively used as
both a church and a mosque, and recent restoration works have revealed magnificent medieval
frescoes. The rotunda is considered to be the oldest preserved building in Sofia.
In the afternoon, you will the head to the outskirts of Sofia, where you will stop at the small Boyana
Church. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its rich collection of medieval murals,
some dating back to the mid-13th Century and considered to be among the finest examples of religious
art. The east wing of the two-storey church was originally constructed in the late 10th or early 11th
Century. Later, the central wing was added in the 13th Century during the period of the Second
Bulgarian Kingdom. The whole building was finally finished with a further expansion to the west in the
middle of the 19th Century.
Today, your guide and driver will take you to the majestic Rila Monastery. It is believed that the
monastery was founded by the hermit St. John of Rila (Ivan Rilski), whose name it bears, in the 10th
Century. The hermit lived in a cave not far from the monastery's location, while the complex was built
by his students, who came to the mountains to receive their education. Ever since its creation, the Rila
Monastery was supported with large donations by the Bulgarian rulers, gradually turning the monastery
into a cultural and spiritual center throughout the centuries under Ottoman authority.
The monastery museum houses a rich collection of valuable ancient manuscripts, coins, and weapons.
After visiting the museum’s historic treasures, you will visit the main church.
In the afternoon, you will be transferred back to Sofia. Upon arrival, you will enjoy the remainder of
the evening at leisure.
Exeter Services: Guide-Driver & Vehicle (8 Hours)
Hotel: Sense
Day 4
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Hotel:
Residence City
Meals:
Breakfast
Today, after check out, you will continue east to Plovdiv - the second largest city in Bulgaria after
the capital Sofia.
After your arrival in Plovdiv, you will check in at your small and charming hotel located in the
historic Old Town. After some time to drop off your luggage, your guide will take you on an
overview tour of the city.
The first settlement on this place was founded by the Thracians, and was later conquered by Philip
of Macedonia – the father of Alexander the Great, who named it after himself – Philipopolis (the
town of Philip). The Romans came here around the turn of the first millennia and further fortified
the city, also building streets, towers and aqueducts. You will have a chance to see the famous
Roman amphitheater and the Roman Stadium, which were also built in that period (2nd Century
AD). The amphitheater could seat at that time 6,000 spectators and was probably the site of bloody
gladiator fights. It is still used today for performances and cultural events.
You will stroll along the cobble-stoned streets of the Old Town and admire its beautifully restored
Baroque houses. Mostly built in the 19th Century, these houses typically feature overhanging upper
floors with jutting eaves, porticos with colonnades, and brightly colored facades. The interiors
usually include a salon, one or more drawing rooms, and bedrooms featuring finely carved
woodwork, wall decorations, ornamental niches, and mid-19th-Century European furniture.
Exeter Services: Guide-Driver & Vehicle (8 Hours)
Hotel: Residence City
Day 5
Kazanlak, Bulgaria
Hotel:
Residence City
Meals:
Breakfast
This morning, you will transfer to the second largest Bulgarian monastery – Bachkovo, which is
situated in a narrow river valley in the Rodopi Mountains. Bachkovo is known for its miraculous icon of
the Virgin Mary with Jesus, because of which the monastery has been a pilgrimage site for centuries.
The frescos in the monastery’s medieval refectory are fabulous examples of 17th Century art.
Later, you will head north towards Kazanlak, the town of the Bulgarian Rose Damascene and the
Capital of the Valley of the Thracian Kings.
Kazanlak is located at the foot of the Balkan Mountains and at the eastern end of the famous Rose
Valley which has been a center of rose cultivation and rose oil extraction for centuries. It is believed
that the type of rose used for rose oil extraction was introduced to this region from Asia Minor in the
18th - 19th century and, thanks to the favorable climate and soil, rose oil production soon became a
major industry with plantations stretching for miles and supplying over half of the world’s supply of
rose oil. T
You will first visit a rose distillery where a rose expert will introduce you to the ancient technique of
extracting the oil from the roses. There you will also have the chance to taste some liquor and rose
jam. You will have the chance to visit the famous Thracian Tomb located just north of Kazanlak. The
Kazanlak Tomb is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and dates to the 4th Century BC.
Discovered in 1944, it is located near the ancient Seutopolis - the former capital city of the Thracian
king Seutes III, and is part of a large Thracian necropolis. The tomb’s interiors include a narrow
corridor and a round burial chamber, both decorated with murals representing Thracian burial rituals
and culture. These paintings are Bulgaria’s best-preserved artistic masterpieces from the Hellenistic
period.
Exeter Services: Guide-Driver & Vehicle (8 Hours)
Hotel: Residence City
Day 6
Nessebar, Bulgaria
Hotel:
The Mill
Meals:
Breakfast
Early this morning, after having checked out of your hotel in Plovdiv, your driver and guide will
take you to the Black Sea Coast and to Nessebar (the journey will take about 4 hours).
After check-in, and after some time to freshen up, your guide will meet you for a walking tour
of this historic and charming fishermen coastal town, which was originally a Thracian
Settlement.
Exeter Services: Transfer; Guide in Nessebar (3 Hours)
Hotel: The Mill
Day 7
Burgas, Bulgaria
Hotel:
Grand Hotel Yantra
Meals:
Breakfast
Today you will continue the exploration of the area with a visit to Burgas, the main port in the
country, and a vibrant city that has been recently ranked as the best place to live in Bulgaria!
Your guide will take you through the historic center, where you will see the Church of SS Kiril and
Metodii. This temple was designed by Ricardo Toskanin, the Italian architect who strongly influenced
Burgas’ architecture in the early 20th century. If you are interested, you can step into the Ethnographic
Museum – located in a 19th century house, it contains an interesting collection of traditional costumes
and it provides a glimpse into life during the 1800s.
In the afternoon, your driver-guide will take you to Sozopol, another picturesque fishing port located
south of Nessebar and Burgas. The cobbled streets of this town are densely lined with attractive old
houses and you will have time to enjoy a stroll along.
Later in the day, you will be transferred back to your hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at
leisure.
Exeter Services: Guide-Driver & Vehicle (8 Hours)
Hotel: The Mill
Day 8
Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
Hotel:
Grand Hotel Yantra
Meals:
Breakfast
After checking out, you will continue your journey with your guide and driver back West, through the
Shipka Pass, which was the scene of an epic battle during the Russo-Turkish War in 1877, when some
7,000 Russian soldiers and Bulgarian volunteers died while successfully fending off the attacks of some
27,000 Turkish troops trying to cross the mountain range and enforce the Ottoman army in the
northern part of the country. Today, 900 steps lead to the mountain top, dominated by the impressive
Freedom Monument, dedicated to the fallen soldiers and offers magnificent vistas.
This evening, you will arrive in Veliko Tarnovo – the former capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom.
You will check in at your hotel and meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel for an overview walking
tour of the city.
The Old Town of Veliko Tarnovo boasts some beautiful examples of 19th Century architecture and a
cobbled street with some charming craft shops. The Sarafkina House is a local museum on the pleasant
Gurko Street, which is worth visiting. Your guide will point out some of Tarnovo’s numerous medieval
churches, mostly situated between the Tsarevets and the Trapezitsa Hills where once the nobles and
courtiers used to live, there are two which are not to be missed.
Exeter Services: Guide-Driver & Vehicle (8 Hours)
Hotel: Grand Hotel Yantra
Day 9
Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
Hotel:
Grand Hotel Yantra
Meals:
Breakfast
Today, you will start with a morning tour of the Tsarevets Royal Hill, where Bulgaria’s tsars and other
distinguished gentry had their royal residences and mansions. Y ou may also visit the Baldwin T ower ,
where Baldwin of Flanders – one of the leaders of the Fourth Crusade and conqueror of
Constantinople, was imprisoned and found his death in the 13th Century. You can climb the stairs up
to the main church for splendid views over the city, and also see the Execution rock, from where
traitors and enemies of the royal family were once pushed into the abyss of the Yantra river canyon.
This afternoon, you will transfer to the picturesque village and architectural reserve of Arbanassi,
where some 90 churches, homes, and monasteries are protected as cultural monuments. Walking
along Arbanassi’s cobble stoned streets; you will visit the oldest remaining church in the village – the
Church of Nativity. Its interiors are completely covered with distinctive 16th and 17th Century
frescoes, featuring over 3,500 figures in some 2,000 scenes.
Transfer back to your hotel for an evening at leisure.
Exeter Services: Guide-Driver & Vehicle (8 Hours)
Hotel: Grand Hotel Yantra
Day 10
Bucarest, Romania
Hotel:
None
Meals:
Breakfast
Early this morning, after meeting your guide and driver, you will transfer from Veliko Tarnovo
to Bucharest, Romania’s capital.
If you are interested, your guide and driver will take you to the Ivanovo Rock Monastery - a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. On this site, several caves were used for religious purposes in
as early as the 13th Century. Later, a monastery was built under the sponsorship of the
Bulgarian tsars and was linked to the royal court, thus becoming a regional center of the arts,
culture, and religion. The monastery is beautifully decorated with 14th Century murals,
depicting portraits of saints and religious scenes.
Later today, your Bulgarian driver and guide will transfer you along the massive steel bridge, the
longest in Europe, which crosses the Danube and the Romanian- Bulgarian border, to the town
of Giurgiu – a major river port and the main gateway to Romania from Bulgaria.
Arrival in Bucharest and remainder of the day at leisure.
Alternatively, you can continue your journey with a transfer back to Sofia for an overnight or
for your departure flight.
Exeter Services: Transfer
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