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Bulgaria Tour History and Traditions
Day 1 – Arrive in Sofia. Transfer to your hotel. The reminder of the day – time at leisure. Overnight.
Own Accommodation in Sofia (three nights)
Day 2 – Sofia – Sightseeing tour of Sofia
In the morning visit the Boyana Church (Unesco site). Admire its beautiful freascoes dating to 1259. In the National Museum of History you will get acqueinted with the rich history of Bulgaria. Here is the Gold Thracian Treasure dating to the 4thc. BC. Return to the central part. Continue with a walking sightseeing tour of Sofia. Visit the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – the biggest and the most beautiful on the Balkan Peninsula, the Monument of Alexander II – Tzar Liberator, the Parliament, The Statue of St Sofia – the symbol of the city, the Presidency, the National Theater, the Ruins of Serdica and the Rotonda St George 4th c. AC, the Synagogue, the Russian Church, the St. Sophia early Christian basilica, which has given the city its name, the Banya Bashi Mosque, the St Nedelya church, the St Petka church and the St Sedmochislenitsi church. Finish the tour at around 3 pm at your hotel. Afternoon at leaisure – time to enjoy the central part of Sofia.
Day 3 – Sofia – Belogradchik – Sofia
In the morning departure to the Belogradchick rocks. Visit the fort of Belogradchik and take a one and a half hour jeep that will take you aroud the rocks where otheriwe you would not have a way to reach. Occupying about 90 sq km or 35 sq miles, near the town of Belogradchik, it is Bulgaria’s only landmark nominated for the global New Seven Wonders of Nature Campaign. The monumental red rocks, some them 200 m high, or 650 ft, in 1841 they inspired French Traveller Jerôme-Adolphe Blanqui to declare that the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Tyrolean mountains in Switzerland insipid in comparison. It is almost impossible to imagine these unearthly formations being shaped only by the prosaic effect to wind, sun, ice and tectonic movements of the dried-up water basin 230 million years ago.
The imagination creates legends, though, and some of the peculiarly-shaped stone pillars boasts their own name and some even their own history. Among the best known heroes in the thick fairytale book of the Belogradchik Rocks are the Schoolgirl, the Dervish, the Bear, the Madonna, the Monks, the Horseman, Adam and Eve, the Mushrooms, the Wedding….
Have lunch in a guest house. Return to Sofia.
Day4 – Sofia – the Rila monastery – Razlog – Avramaovo (by train) – Velingrad
Departure to the Rila Monastery – the richest historical and architectural monument of the Orthodox enclave, founded in 10th century and transformed to the most important spiritual and cultural center of Bulgaria. The Monastery’s unrivalled architecture and murals will captivate you. In the monastery visit the Ethnographic museum – very rich with its carpets and rugs exhibition, jewelry, customs, buckles. Also you will visit four rooms decorated according to the typical styles of decoration of four regions of Bulgaria. Departure to Razlog. At 14 :43take the narrow gauge train from Razlog to Avramovo – the highest train station in Bulgaria – 1400 meters above sea level. The train passes through the picturesque pass of Yundola. The guide will pick you up from Avramovo and you will continue to the town of Velingrad. Arrive in Velingrad in the late afternoon. Overnight.
Day 5 – Velingrad – Dorkovo – Kosatndovo – the Assen’s fortress –the Bachkovo monastery – Plovdiv
At noon departure to the nearby village of Dorkovo. Visit the Pliocene museum that has on display offossils ollected from the Pliocene geological epoch of about five million years ago around the village of Dorkovo, a life-size model of a gomphothe related to elephants, and a diorama. Next stop is teh village of Kostandovo. Visit the carpet factory Hemus. The company’s carpets are housed in some of the most prestigious buildings in Europe. From the accuracy of his work, the following editions were written: Interiors UK, Architectural Digest, Houses and Gardens and many others. Few orders were made by the administration of the Buckingham Palace.
Head to the Assen’s fortress -a medieval fortress in the Rhodope Mountains, on a high rocky ridge on the left bank of the Asenitsa River. Asen’s Fortress is 279 metres (915 ft) above sea level.
The earliest archaeological findings date from the time of the Thracians, the area of the fortress being also inhabited during the Ancient Romanand early Byzantine period. The fortress gained importance in the Middle Ages, first mentioned in the statute of the Bachkovo Monastery as Petrich in the 11th century. The fortress was conquered by the armies of the Third Crusade.
It was considerably renovated in the 13th century (more precisely 1231) during the rule of Bulgarian tsar Ivan Asen II to serve as a border fortification against Latin raids, as evidenced by an eight-line wall inscription.
Next visit is the Bachkovo monastery, the second largest in Bulgarian founded in 1083. Visit the refectory of the monastery and admire extremely interesting paintings from 1643. Head to Plovdiv. Arrive in the late afternoon. Accommodation. Overnigt.
Day 6 – Sightseeing tour of Plovdiv and afternoon at leisure
In the morning take a sightseeing tour of Plovdiv. Visit the most impressive building of Roman time that has come to us rising above the city is the Antique Amphitheatreby Emperor Mark Avrelii during the 2nd c. A.D. Its magnificent arcade adorned with marble statues is simply breath-taking. Visit the Ethographic museum housed in the biggest and the most beautiful house of the Old town – the Kuyumdzhioglu’s House. The Roman Stadium is also constructed during the II century and reproduces the layout in Delphi, Greece. Within the centre of the ancient major town of the Roman province of Thrace remains of stone paved streets, foundations of buildings and columns and ancient fortress walls and gates reside. In the Old town you will visit the St St Constantine and Helena church dating to1832, the St Dimitar church, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary church dating to 1844, The Mevlevi Hane, a former Turkish monastery where Dervishes used to practice their dances and rituals, the nebet Hill where from you will admire a beautifil view towards to Old town and teh Kapana neighborhood, the Clock towr, one of the oldest in Europe dating to the end of the 16th century, the Dzumaya mosque, one of the two mosques in Plovdiv today.Reminder of the day – time to explore the art quarter « Kapana » and have coffee in one of its little cafés.
Day 7 – Plovdiv – Kazanlak – Buzludzha monument – Veliko Tarnovo
After breakfast departure to the town of Kazanlak called also the Rose valley and the Valley of the Thracian kings. Visit the Golyamata Kosmatka Thracian tomb dating to the 4thcentury BC. Drive to the Buzhludzha peak where you will visit the Buzhludzha monument – one of the biggest communist monuments in the world – today a ruin, but still very impressive. Drive back to Kazanlak and visit the Kazanlak Thracian tomb (UNESCO). Visit the copy as the original has been closed for visitors. Drive back to Plovdiv.
Day 8 – Veliko Tarnovo
In the morning take a tour of Veliko Tarnovo. Start exploring the city with the Tsarevets Royal hill. Located on the hills above the meandering river Yantra, this city, once a glorious mediaeval capital (1186 – 1393), is now attracting thousands of romantic travelers with its irresistible atmosphere. Mixing the legends of the past with bursting joy of hundreds of young students – this is Veliko Tarnovo today, the second most important University City after Sofia. In the village of Arbanassi visit the church of Nativity – extremely valuable with its paintings, called the Sistine chapel on the Balkans.
Day 9 – Veliko Tarnovo – Madara – Varna – Sunny Beach
In the morning departure to the Madara Horseman (UNESCO) – a bas-relief cut in a rock some 23 meters above the ground dating to the beginning of the 8th century. The relief depicts a horseman in a natural pose with a sword in his hand. At the feet of the horse is a lion, and behind the rider is depicted his hunting dog. One legend has it that a Roman emperor was hunting on the plateau when he fell off the cliff and died. His relatives memorialized him by engaging a master to carve his image on the cliff.
Proceed to Varna. Visit the Archaeological museum where has been displayed the oldest manworked gold in the world discovered in Varna in 1972 and dated to 4600 – 4200 BC.
Head to Sunny Beach. Drop off in your hotel. End of service.