Vacation and tour among the beauties of Bulgaria

Arrival in Sofia airport, transfer and accommodation in the hotel.

Private tour on foot of the capital city's historic center. You'll visit St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Church of St. George and the Russian Church of San Nicholas, etc. Sofia is the capital city and the largest city of Bulgaria, it is inhabited by more than one million people.

Sofia is located in the western part of Bulgaria, at the foot of Vitosha Mount, and approximately at the center of the Balkan Peninsula. Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast. Departure for Rila and visit to its monastery. The Monastery of Rila is the largest in the country. It was founded by the most venerated saint of Bulgaria, the hermit Saint Ivan Rilski (876 - 946). Its collection is one of the richest of the entire Balkan Peninsula. The monastery is also part of the Unesco World Heritage Sites. Lunch on the bank of Rilska river.

Departure to Plovdiv. Plovdiv is located in the south of Bulgaria. It is the second city of the country and is inhabited by 350.000 people. Plovdiv boasts a particular charm, thanks to the ruins of its ancient temples, the Roman evidence, Medieval and National Renaissance monuments and the dynamism of a modern city. Its most important sights are for sure the Roman Ancient Theater and the beautiful cities in the old town. Visit of the old town of Plovdiv. Accommodation in the hotel. Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast and departure for Kazanlak. Kazanlak is the main city of Rose Valley, located between Stara Planina and Sredna Gora mountain ranges. Here, roses are cultivated, they provide their essential oil, very appreciated as perfume. Visit the Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak.

This latter, listed in Unesco World Heritage Sites since 1979, is a Thracian artistic and architectural masterwork dating back to the end of the IV century. The tomb, causally discovered in 1944, is the best well-preserved Thracian monument and boasts amazing frescoes inside. Lunch in a characteristic restaurant.

Departure for Nessebar, located on the Black Sea. Nessabar is one of the most ancient cities in Europe, it is situated in a picturesque place on a little peninsula of the western coast of the Black Sea. Unesco protects the architectonic heritage, including the medieval houses and the typical houses, of the old city on Nessebar. Arrival and accommodation in hotel. Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast. Visit on foot of the old city of Nessebar. Lunch. Departure for Varna, the most important city of Bulgaria located on the shore of the Black Sea. Upon arrival, visit to the historical center and the Cathedral of Varna. Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast and departure for Veliko Tarnovo. En route stop at Madara Rider. Madara Rider, located 16 km away from Shumen, is the only rock relief in Europe and one of the most enigmatic monuments of Unesco. This carved sculpture is situated on the rock around 23 meters from the ground and symbolizes the triumph of some of the first Bulgarian Khans. It represents a rider who pierces a lion (the enemy) and is followed by a dog, symbol of loyal people. In 2008 Madara Rider was chosen as National Symbol of Bulgaria.

Lunch in Madara, a typical Bulgarian village where tourists have the possibility to discover the actual rural life. Upon arrival, you'll be welcomed with the traditional Bulgarian bread, before enjoying lunch you'll take part in a short folkloric program.

Departure for Arbanasi, a museum-village, founded during the XV century by a Christian population coming from the southern-western part of Balkans. During the following centuries, it has become a flourishing commercial and handicraft center. Its rich inhabitants built characteristic fortified houses and seven churches. Today, the churches are completely painted and around 60 houses are well-preserved.

The tour continues to Veliko Tarnovo. This city is also known as city of tzars, Bulgarian medieval sovereigns. It is located on a hill on the side of Yantra River, where the capital city of the Second Bulgarian Empire was situated(XII - XVI century). Nowadays, the city attracts several tourists thanks to its amazing natural environment, the ruins of its medieval city and the unforgettable houses set on the hills of Tsarevets.

Long ago, Tsarevets hosted the city of sovereigns and that of patriarchs, the head of Bulgarian church. The hill was chosen to be the home of political and spiritual powers due to its naturally fortified position. From here, it is possible to see the ruins of the royal palace, the imposing walls enclosing the complex, and the patriarchal church rebuilt at the end of the XX century.

Accommodation in the hotel, free time at leisure in Veliko Taranovo. Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast. Visit to Dryanovo Monastery. The Monastery of Dryanovo was founded during the Second Bulgarian Empire. During the Ottoman domination, it was ransacked and destroyed three times. The Monastery was re-built in the current place in the 1845. In this place many revolutionaries and organizers of the April Uprising in 1876 found shelter. In the courtyard there is a monument with the ossuary of people who died when the Turks besieged the Monastery.

The tour continues to Etara. The open-air Etnographic Museum "ETAR", created in 1964, covers an area of 7 hectares on a tributary of Yantra River, occupying a special place. Indeed, here many years ago some devices worked thanks to hydraulic power. Two mills, one sawmill, one fulling mill and other mechanisms moved by water have been preserved until now. This is why the waterwheel is the symbol of Etar. The artisan street, studded by typical local houses, shows the economic activities and the ancient daily life of a typical village located in the mountain ranges of Stara Planina. Visit to the open-air museum "Etar". Lunch.

Departure for Koprivshtitsa. Arrival. Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast. Tour on foot of Koprivshtitsa. Koprivshtitsa is a fascinating city located 1050 m a.s.l. in the heart of the mountain range Sredna Gora. The city has preserved the original aspect of the National Renaissance: it is a maze of cobble alleys studded by several characteristic houses painted with gaudy colors.

Koprivshtitsa was also a revolutionary center where the most important rebellion against the Ottomans started in April 1876. Lunch. Departure for Sofia, arrival and accommodation in the hotel. Afternoon free at leisure. Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast. Transfer from the hotel to the airport of Sofia.