|
DAY - 1:
Arrival in Sofia. You’ll be met & welcome by a tour guide.
Transfer to the hotel. A sightseeing tour of the central part of Sofia - "St.Sofia" basilika, "St.
George" Rotunda,
the Russian Church, the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the National Theatre,
the Tsar Osvoboditel Monument, the House of Parliament etc. Dinner at
a folk style restaurant. Overnight in Sofia.
|
|
DAY - 2:
Breakfast. Then departure for the Rila Monastery, the unique monument of the
Bulgarian Revival period, under the protection of UNESCO. A tour of the
monastery, lunch, and departure for Bansko. A sightseeing tour of the town,
dinner at a local tavern, and overnight there.
|
|
DAY - 3:
Breakfast. Then departure for Velingrad, a town well known for its mineral
springs and spa holidays. Lunch. Then you depart for the second largest
town in Bulgaria - Plovdiv. A sightseeing tour of the Old Town, and dinner
at a local tavern housed in one of the typical National Revival period
houses. Overnight in Plovdiv.
|
 |
DAY - 4:
Breakfast. Then departure for the town of Kazanlak, the main town in the Valley
of Roses, where the famous Rose Festival is held annually. The picturesque
Valley of the Roses is tucked between the Balkan Range and Sredna Gora
Mountains, where hundreds of thousands of roses are in bloom in May and
beginning of June - "a feast for the eye and soul…" Then
follows a visit to the Museum of the Roses, the only one of the kind worldwide.
As
an inseparable piece of the Bulgarian history and culture the famous oil-yielding
Bulgarian rose became the country’s symbol since the 18th century. There
are a lot of people from all over the world coming here, knowing that they
will experience something different and unusual, because the beautiful environment
makes them forget the trivial daily life and prepares them to experience new
sensations. Among the heady aroma of the roses you will have the chance to
observe the unique rose boiling ritual and taste the unique rose brandy and
rose jam. Dinner and overnight in the town of Kazanlak.
|
|
DAY - 5:
After breakfast a visit of the remarkable Russian church in the Shipka village.
Then departure for Etara Ethnographic complex, a place where the time seems
to have slipped away. An excellent opportunity to learn more about Bulgaria
and her people in the authentic atmosphere of that place. The smell of freshly
baked bread drifts across from an old bakery, while the nearby pastry shop
offers you delicious home-made cookies and cakes. While all around are the
lovely old houses with flowers on their window sills, small shops with wooden
shutters and gas lanterns on the street corners. Lunch, then a visit of Bojhentsi,
an old museum-village well known for the unique architecture of its houses
dating from the period of the National Revival. Then departure for Kmetovtsi
village for dinner and overnight.
|
|
DAY - 6:
Breakfast and you depart for the town of Veliko Turnovo, the former capital of
Bulgaria. The town seems as if perched on the hills, with the Yantra river
flowing around them. A sightseeing tour of the town, then lunch at a local
restaurant, followed by a trip to the nearby village of Arbanassie. The houses
there resemble minor fortresses from outside, with high, solid walls and heavy
gates, iron grids and secret hiding-places, but spacious and comfortable, richly
decorated inside.
Dinner and overnight in Arbanassie. |
|
DAY - 7:
Breakfast and departure for the Troyan Monastery, known for the creative work
of Zahari Zograph who painted both the exterior and the interior (a rare
practice for the time) of the main church built in 1835. It is a fine example
of the impact of the popular conception of the world and the influence
of housing architecture on religious construction. The Troyan Monastery
belongs completely to the Bulgarian National Revival period. The altar
of the main church made in 1839 is a masterpiece of woodcarving. Amazing
in its originality, is the much earlier (1794) carving of the holy altar
gates in the St. Nikola Chapel. Particularly valuable among the multitude
of manuscripts and incunabula are the so-called Troyan Homilies of the
17th century. Then a visit to an artistic craft exhibition in the Oreshak
village. Lunch at a local tavern in 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, while the spacious rooms are lit up by brightly
coloured rugs and cushions, with wood carved ceilings and cupboards, copper
vessels and ceramics. Experts say that every house in Koprivshtitsa is
a piece of art. The Oslekov, Kableshkov and Lyutov houses are fine examples
of that.
Then departure for Sofia. Dinner and overnight.
DAY - 8:
Breakfast. Departure for the airport for your flight home.
"DM TRAVEL" Ltd.
THE MONASTERIES IN BULGARIA
WINE TOUR
THE BEST OF BULGARIA
BULGARIA UNKNOWN
WEEKEND TOURS AROUND SOFIA
COMBINED TOUR BULGARIA - GREECE
|
