Day 1: Sofia ( D )
Arrival and transfer from Sofia Airport to your hotel. Panorama tour of the city en route. Dinner and overnight at a 4* hotel.

Day 2: Sofia – Rila Monastery – Bansko ( B, L, D )
Morning sightseeing in Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria, which Constantine the Great once called “My Rome”. Visits include the  Alexander Nevski Memorial Cathedral, St. George Rotunda from the 4th Century being the oldest building preserved in Sofia. Other stops include the St. Sofia 6th Century basilica, the remains of the Roman fortification walls, the Presidency, the National Theatre, the Old City Garden, and the Parliament square. We will leave south towards Rila Mountain National Park. Lunch at a family-run restaurant close to Rila Monastery UNESCO site. Afternoon visit of the largest monastery in Bulgaria – visit the monastery’s yard and main church. Proceed to Bansko museum town, located at the foothills of Pirin Mountain ( National Park, UNESCO site ). Dinner at a traditional Bansko Mehana. Overnight.

Day3: Bansko – Ustina – Plovdiv ( B, D )
We will have a walking tour of the Old Bansko, including St. Trinity church and the complex of National Revival houses with their typical architecture: thick stone walls, narrow and dark loop-holes, iron wires on the windows, and heavy doors.
Traveling via the western Rhodope mountains, we will enjoy small villages and picturesque spots, leading us to Ustina village. There, we will stop for a visit to Villa Ustina local winery and taste some local wines. In the late afternoon, we will arrive in Plovdiv, check-in at the hotel, and have evening free. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 4: Plovdiv – Brestovitsa – Plovdiv ( B, L )
After breakfast, we will tour Plovdiv, the 2nd largest city in Bulgaria, once the capital city of Philip the 2nd of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great. The city is much older than in Athens and Rome. The tour includes the Roman Amphitheatre, the Stadium, the Old Plovdiv Architectural reserve with the Ethnographic museum, and the National Revival Houses
complex. Plovdiv was the European capital of culture in 2019. We will have lunch in the Old Plovdiv at a restaurant built over roman fortifications. The place was famous as the only dervish center on the Balkans at the period of the Ottoman Empire.
In the afternoon we will depart south to visit Todoroff Boutique wine cellar. Wine tasting and tour of the winery, established in 1945. It is specialized in the production of high-quality red wines of “Mavrud”, “Merlot” and “Cabernet Sauvignon” grape varieties in boutique series of limited quantity. Return to Plovdiv for the second night at the hotel.

Day 5: Plovdiv – Karlovo – Skobelevo – Kazanluk ( B, L )
Early breakfast and departure to Karlovo, where the Rose Festival starts today! Arrival at the rose fields, rose picking, depart to the center of Karlovo wherein open stage perform folklore teams, welcoming Queen of Roses at the main square of Karlovo, presentations of traditional songs and dances, demonstration of the rose distillery and tasting of rose products and the History Museum of Old Karlovo. Lunch and some free time.
Afternoon departure to Kazanluk. En route we will stop to Damascena family-run distillery for rose products, which gardens are home to about 150 types of roses. Check-in at your hotel. Free evening to rest. Overnight.

Day 6: Kazanluk – Shipka – Etura – Veliko Turnovo ( B, D )
Breakfast and visit the Kazanluk Thracian Tomb ( UNESCO site, copy ). Departure north towards Shipka memorial church ( stop for pictures ) and Etura Open Air Ethnographic complex. Here, we will have a break to taste traditional coffee prepared on the hot sand. Free time for lunch. Afternoon departure towards Veliko Turnovo – the medieval capital city of Bulgaria, picturesquely located on 4 hills above the Yantra river. Check-in at your hotel.
Late afternoon walk in the old part of Veliko Turnovo – Gurko Street, the Monument of Asenevtsi, Samovodska Charshia ( the old marketplace ) with the many traditional workshops, the House with the Monkey, Hadjinikuli Inn, etc, where we will taste some local wines. Dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Veliko Turnovo – Arbanassi – Sofia ( B, D )
Morning visit of Tsarevets Royal Hill – the medieval citadel of Veliko Turnovo with the Patriarch’s complex and Baldwin tower ( the leader of the 4th Crusade, who was imprisoned here ). A lesson of preparation of Bulgarian yogurt and tasting of banitsa – traditional Bulgarian pastry with cheese in Arbanassi museum village, located on a hill above Veliko Turnovo. Free time for lunch and departure to Sofia. Arrival in Sofia, check-in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Sofia – departure
Free time and departure transfer ( no services of the tour guide ).

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Kutrubes Travel also offers a variety of other tours throughout this region. Contact us for detailed itineraries and descriptions.