BULGARIA UNKNOWN

DAY - 1: Sofia & Sightseeing Tour of Sofia
Arrival in Sofia. Meeting, welcome and assistance by a tour guide. Transfer to the hotel. Lunch. A half day sightseeing tour of the central part of Sofia - "St.Sofia" basilica, "St. George" Rotunda, the Russian Church, the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the National Theatre, the Tsar Osvoboditel Monument, the House of Parliament etc. Dinner. Overnight.

DAY - 2: Rila Monastery - Blagoevgrad
Breakfast. Departure for the Rila Monastery, one of the Europe's largest monasteries, a rare monument of the Bulgarian Revival period, under the protection of UNESCO. The Monastery fascinates its visitors with the pure and harmonious line of the buildings' exquisite colonnades, arches and vaults and spacious rooms richly decorated with murals and fretwork. The monastery's most treasured historic and artistic monuments include the 14th century Hrelyo Tower, the five-domed The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Church and the original monastery kitchen from the 19th century.The monastery also houses a rich museum col-lection of valuable old manuscripts and documents, charters and icons, an ethnographic exhibition of fabrics, jewellery, carpets and wrought iron objects, and a rich library. Sightseeing of the Monastery. Then a visit to the Varosha ethnographic complex in the town of Blagoevgrad, situated at the foothills of the southern slopes of the Rila mountains, in the valleys of the rivers Struma and Bistritsa. Dinner in the town of Blagoevgrad at a folkstyle restaurant. While trying the delicious Bulgarian dishes and sampling the famous Bulgarian wines you will be admiring the beau-tiful Bulgarian dancers and folklore. Overnight in Blagoevgrad.

DAY - 3: Bansko
Breakfast. Departure for the town of Bansko - a lovely little town, huddled at the foothills of the most picturesque part of the majestic Pirin mountains. A stopover at the village of Dobersko to visit an unique 17thC church. Then arrival at Bansko followed by a sightseeing tour featuring some of the well preserved old buildings, samples of the 18th,19thC architecture, numerous monuments of culture, churches, museum-houses etc. Lunch. Then departure for the town of Plovdiv, via the town of Velingrad - a well-known spa treatment resort in southern Bulgaria. It is located in one of the most picturesque part of The Rhodope Mountains - the Chepin valley. Dinner and overnight in the town of Plovdiv - the second largest city in Bulgaria.

DAY - 4: Plovdiv
Breakfast. Then a sightseeing tour of Plovdiv and the fascinating "Old Town", an original living museum. A visit to the Roman amphi-theatre, the Ethnographic museum housed in one of the picturesque old houses, the church of "St.St. Konstantin & Elena", "Virgin Mary’s Cathedral, etc. Lunch fol-lowed by a visit to the Bachkovo Monastery, founded in 1083. The oldest preserved buildings are: the Ossuary with frescoes from 12th & 14th C, and the church "St. Archangels" (12-13th C.). The church of St. Nicholas (1834-37) was painted by Zachari Zograph in 1840. He also de-corated the open atrium beneath the "St. Archangels" church in 1841. The murals in the monastery dining-room, built in 1604, decorated in 1643, are believed to be a masterpiece of the European Renaissance Art. Bachkovo Monastery is a cultural monument of an international signi-ficance under the protection of UNESCO. Sightseeing tour of the Monastery. Dinner. Overnight in Pamporovo.

DAY - 5: Rhodope Mountains - Shiroka Luka Village
Breakfast. Then departure for Shiroka Luka village, built on a narrow and steep valley of the Ludja river, flanked on all sides by the magnificent pastoral and sunny landscape of the Rhodope Mountains. Lunch. Then a visit to the school for national instruments and singing. Here you will have the chance to enjoy the performance of the students of the school - melodious tunes and beautiful voices, lively dances and brightly coloured costumes - Bulgarian folklore has to be seen, felt and experienced! Then you continue to Stoykitte village - a cosy Rhodopian village. Dinner and overnight in Stoykitte village.

DAY - 7: Museum Town - Koprivshtitsa
Breakfast. Departure to the museum town of Koprivshtitsa - white stone walls, overgrown with ivy and wild geranium and gardens full of flowers. Vaulted stone bridges run across the bubbly Topolnitsa river. Heavy, iron-studded gates hide blue, yellow and red houses with verandas, bay windows and eaves and the spacious rooms are lit up by brightly coloured rugs and cushions, carved ceilings and cupboards, copper vessels and ceramics. Specialists say that every house in Koprivshtitsa is a work of art. The Oslekov, Kableshkov and Lyutov houses are fine examples of this. Lunch. Then departure for the town of Sofia. Dinner and overnight in Sofia.

DAY - 8: Departure
Breakfast. Time at leisure and shopping. Transfer to the airport.

Please Note: Depending on the time of arrival/departure in/from Sofia on the first/last day, there is a possibility of visiting the Museum of National history in Boyana district and the Boyana church - a rare monument under the protection of UNESCO. The most remarkable features of the church are its 13th C frescos, painted by an unknown Bulgarian artist in the style of the Veliko Turnovo School of Art and are among the best achievement of the Bulgarian medieval art.

"DM TRAVEL" Ltd.

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