Duration
8 days / 7 nights

Model Program
DAY 1 SOFIA
Arrival in Sofia. Accommodation at the hotel. Overnight.

DAY 2 SOFIA - KOPRIVSHTIZA - HISSAR - PLOVDIV
Departure to Koprivshtiza - a small picturesque city rich in history and culture. It is the native town of many famous Bulgarian revolutionaries from the National Revival Period. One of the most lyrical poets in Bulgarian literature Dimcho Debelyanov was born there as well. In 1876 the April Uprising broke out first in Koprivshtiza. This uprising played an important role for the Liberation of Bulgaria. There are many samples of Bulgarian Renaissance houses in Koprivstiza today. The city is an architectural and historical reserve and keeps the spirit of past times.
Afternoon departure to Hissar - a city famous since Antiquity with its mineral springs. Walking tour of the town and see the best preserved fortress wall from the time of the Roman Empire.
Departure to Plovdiv. Accommodation and overnight.

DAY 3 PLOVDIV - KAZANLAK
Walking tour in the Old Town of Plovdiv to admire the beautiful Renaissance houses, the Roman Theatre and the “St. St. Konstantin and Helena” Church. Departure to Kazanlak. Afternoon sightseeing tour with visits of the copy of the Thracian Tomb from 4th c.B.C., an UNESCO monument, and the Historical museum Iskra, where the golden treasures discovered in the Valley of the Thracian Kings are exhibited. Overnight.

DAY 4 ETARA - BOZHENTZI - TRYAVNA - VELIKO TARNOVO
Departure to the open-air Ethnographic Museum Etara which represents the traditional Bulgarian crafts. Visit Bozhentzi village, an architectural reserve from the Bulgarian Renaissance period. Traveling to Tryavna- this small town keeps the spirit of the city life from the Renaissance with the Clock tower, the church, the square with the work-shops of the craftsmen. Visit the Icon Painting Museum. Proceed to Veliko Tarnovo. Overnight.

DAY 5 TRANSFIGURATION MONASTERY - ARBANASSI - VELIKO TARNOVO
Departure to the Transfiguration Monastery situated near the city of Veliko Tarnovo. The monastery is built in an almost unaccessible place and impresses with its unique mural paintings of the famous Bulgarian painter Zahari Zograf. Traveling to Arbanassi. Walking tour in the village with visit of the “Nativity of Christ” Church. Back to Veliko Tarnovo. Afternoon walking tour in the Old town, the street of old crafts Samovodska Charshiya and the Tsarevets fortress. Overnight.

DAY 6 SOFIA
Departure to Sofia. In the afternoon sighseeing tour of the Bulgarian capital. Walking in the city center with numerous historical and architectural monuments from different periods. See the St.George Rotunda, the ruins of Serdica, the National theatre, the former Royal Palace /presently the National Art gallery/, the Russian Church, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the Icon museum. Overnight.

DAY 7 SOFIA - RILA MONASTERY - SOFIA
Excursion to the Rila Monastery/10th c./, included in the UNESCO List of World Cultural Heritage, the largest and the most impressive Bulgarian monastery. Tour of the monastery complex, church and museum with its lavish collection of precious old manuscripts, icons, jewelry, masterpieces of woodcarving, an ethnographic exhibition of fabrics and carpets.
Back to Sofia. Dinner with Bulgarian folk show. Overnight.

DAY 8 SOFIA
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure.