HIGLHLIGHTS OF BULGARIA

After breakfast – meet your tour guide for a panoramic tour around the Bulgarian capital (an 8500-year-old city!) and visit the most interesting historical sights: Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the St. Sofia Church, which gave the name of the city, and the historical and cultural center of the capital.
Departure to Veliko Tarnovo – the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. Free time for an orientation tour around the city. Accommodation and overnight in Veliko Tarnovo.

After breakfast – a panoramic tour of Veliko Tarnovo with a visit to the historical hill Tsarevets with the Fortress, the Patriarchal church and Emperor Baldwin’s Tower. You will also have a walk along the old Trade Street – “Samovodska charshia”.
Departure to Etara - a unique open-air museum, recreating the way of life of the Bulgarians in the 19th c. It is a great attraction for tourists, one of the most visited places in the country.
Set off to Kazanlak - the capital of the Rose valley. Visit the Historical Museum, which houses a collection of bronze and gold treasures and the replica of the Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, dating back to the 4th c. B.C. It is listed in the world natural and historical heritage of UNESCO.
Accommodation and overnight in Kazanlak.

After breakfast – we continue exploring the Valley of roses with a visit to a small village. Here we will discover a family-run rose oil distillery. The hosts will show us how the famous Bulgarian rose oil (used in the perfumery) is produced.
Departure to Plovdiv – the “City of the seven hills’’. Plovdiv is the oldest city in Europe still in existence today. It was called Philippopolis in the IV century B.C. after King Philip II of Macedonia. Today Plovdiv is the cultural centre of Bulgaria and was deservedly selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2019.
Walking tour of the Old Town, which impresses with the houses-museums from the Revival period. The Ethnographical museum, the Ancient Theater, the Fortress walls, the oldest church in the city – “St. St. Constantine and Helena” and many more are there to capture your imagination. We will see the Muslim temple Dzhoumaya Mosque and the Roman Stadium on the main street of Plovdiv.
Optional: wine tasting near Plovdiv
Accommodation and overnight in Plovdiv – hotel Expo 3* or similar.

After breakfast – take off to the Rila monastery. Founded in the X century, it was the biggest Bulgarian medieval spiritual centre with rich collections of icons, wall-paintings and old-printed books – some 15 000 volumes. Guided tour around the monastery. The monastery is an UNESCO – monument and it is situated in the highest mountain on the Balkans – Rila, with its top peak “Moussala” standing at 2925 metres above sea level.
In the afternoon - return to Sofia for accommodation and overnight.

After breakfast – free time. Transfer to the airport and flight back home.