Tour plan
Arrival to Sophia in the afternoon. Check into hotel and have a few hours rest. Today in the capital we will visit the 13 Century Boyana Church which is a UNESCO protected church and boasts 90 murals of medieval Bulgarian artwork. Later we will visit a quirky museum called the Museum of Socialist Art. If you have ever wondered where all those unwanted statues of Lenin went, well some ended up here. There is a gallery of paintings and also old communist propaganda films. We will later have a stroll along the Vitosha boulevard known for its shopping district and settle in for a nice Bulgarian dinner. Back to the hotel.
B,L,D Today we will travel to Trigrad which is located in the Rhodope Mountain Range. The mountain range is home to small villages that are like stepping a bit back in time. Our first stop on the way will be the famous Rila Monastery. Founded in the 10th century, and held in high esteem as being an important historic and cultural monument, the Eastern Orthodox Rila Monastery is an architectural icon. Labelled as the Jerusalem of Bulgaria, it is the biggest monastery in the country and is home to compelling religious iconography,
including wall paintings, carvings and historical artifacts. The ancient monastery is still active and is home to around 60 monks who still live and work in the tranquil peace of the monastery inside its ornate buildings. We will have lunch at the monastery and then continue to Trigrad. We will check into our Horlog Castle Hotel where we will spend the next two nights. You are free to walk around the quaint village and dinner will be at 20:00.
Accordion Co
B, L, D Breakfast at 8am and we will be picked by Jeeps at 0900. The Rhodopian Mountain Range is very remote and the roads are tough. We will start our tour and head to the village of Jagodina where we will climb the mountain by jeep and visit Eagles Nest look out. From here you can see Greece which is not too far. After this, we will visit Yagodinska Cave. The cave has over 10km of trails, but we will have a guided tour and stick to the main trail. The tour lasts an hour. There are local vendors selling neat souvenirs and Bulgarian Treats. We will have a local lunch at the nearby restaurant. Heading back to Trigrad, we will visit another fascinating cave called Devils Throat. Upon return to the hotel, we have a very special treat for dinner. Tonight we will experience a traditional Bulgarian Lamb Roast.
Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria, and the oldest continuously settled city in Europe. It is located on the Maritsa River in the historical region of Thrace. Plovdiv has a beautiful old town which will will spend time visiting, and it has more than one ancient Roman Amphitheaters. Plovdiv was an ancient Thracian settlement, but has been conquered by the Persians, Ancient Macedonians, Byzantines, Goths, Huns, Celts, Bulgarians, and Ottoman Turks. The Ottoman Architecture is seen throughout the old town. Different Religions have left the city with many different churches including Eastern Orthodox Church, Armenian Church, Synagogue, Roman Catholic Cathedral, Protestant Church and Mosque, all worth visiting. We will walk to dinner tonight to a traditional very nice restaurant called Megdana. We stay at the 5 star Gallery 37 Hotel Located in the Old Town.
After breakfast we will start out for Tryavna a beautiful historical town. We will be taking advantage of the SPA at our hotel. Along the way we will stop at Shipka Monument on top of one of the mountains. This is the monument of Bulgarian Freedom. Our next stop is close by, we will stop at the open air museum ETAR. We will check in to Chukara Hotel where you can enjoy the SPA which includes various Saunas, Jacuzzi, Swimming Pool and it is possible to book various massages. ( we will pre book). After some hours in the Spa, we will have a wine tour and tasting followed by a delicious dinner.
B, L, D Today after dinner we will have a little bit of free time to walk through Tryavna and visit the shops and museum, perhaps get a coffee. Then we are moving on to yet one other part of the country. As we head slowly back in the direction of Sofia, we will stop half way for this in the Lovech region which has many caves and waterfalls. We will visit the Prohodna cave. For those who are a little more active and adventurous you can also hike to the St. Marina Monastery, but it is a tough hike. We will be staying in a wonderfully restored guesthouse in Lovech.
Today is time to leave Bulgaria. We hope that the tour met all of your expectations and wishes
and was a nice combination of good food, culture, and wildlife and nature. Today after breakfast we will be ltravelling to the Sofia international Airport for your departures. Departures should be early afternoon.
The trip is all inclusive. Transportation with professional guide, all accommodation and meals are included in the price of the trip. All monuments and extra guided tours are included. All caves and monasteries and museums are included in the price of the tour. Please bring comfortable clothes for outdoors, hiking boots, and one nice outfit if you would like to dress up for dinner. Bathing suit for the spa.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:
Alcohol , except for the wine tasting and occasional Rakiya that might be thrown in with dinner. Massage costs extra. (35-65EUR ). Tips. Recommended to tip your
day tour guides about 5 to 10 dollars a person, and your tour guide 20USD per day per person.
We will try our hardest to stick to the itinerary, but weather could effect some plans or change them, or rearrange our trip. Roads in Bulgaria may be different to what you are used to. Bulgaria is a very mountainous country and roads are very twisty and windy, so if you are prone to get car sick, please bring motion sickness meds with you for the bus rides.
