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Bulgaria Romania Tour “The Historian”
Sofia – the Rila Monastery – Plovdiv – the Bachkovo Monastery – Kazanlak – Veliko Tarnovo – Bucharest – Brasov – Sighisoara – Sibiu – Bucharest
Brief itinerary:
Day 1 – JUNE 6 – Arrive in Sofia. Transfer to your hotel. Check in.
Day 2 – JUNE 7 – Sightseeing tour of Sofia including the Historical museum and the Boyana church
Day 3 – JUNE 8 – Sofia – the Rila monastery – Plovdiv
Day 4 – JUNE 9 – Plovdiv – the Bachkovo monastery – Veliko Tarnovo
Day 5 – JUNE 10 – Veliko Tarnovo – Bucharest
Day 6 – JUNE 11 – Bucharest – Snagov lake – Peles – Bran – Brasov
Day 7 – JUNE 12 – Brasov – Sighisoara
Day 8 – JUNE 13 – Sighisoara – Sibiu
Day 9 – JUNE 14 – Sibiu – Bucharest
Day 10 – JUNE 15 – Transfer to the Bucharest airport. End of service.
DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
Day 1 – June 6 – Arrive in Sofia. Transfer to your hotel. The reminder of the day – time at leisure. Overnight.
B Accommodation in Sofia in hôtel Premier Best Western Thracia ****(two nights)
Day 2 – June 7 – ofia – 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 4th c. 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. Finish the tour at around 2 pm at your hotel. Afternoon at leaisure – time to enjoy the central part of Sofia.
Day 2 – June 8 – Sofia – the Rila monastery – Plovdiv
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 Plovdiv. Overnight.
B Accommodation in Plovdiv in family hotel Renaissance
Day 4 – June 9 – Plovdiv – The Bachkovo monastery – Veliko Tarnovo
PLOVDIV: The second largest town of Bulgaria, an area since the time of Philip, King of Macedonia, father of Alexander The Great. Its unique location on these ancient crossroads has stimulated cultural and political influences from East and West civilizations and yet maintained its unique cultural identity. The most impressive building of Roman time that has come to us rising above the city is the Antique Amphitheatre by Emperor Mark Avrelii during the 2nd c. A.D. Its magnificent arcade adorned with marble statues is simply breath-taking. Theatre and opera performances are still staged here on warm summer nights. The Old Plovdiv nowadays is an original living museum, an architectural phenomenon with many of the houses of those times’ most prominent Bulgarians turned into museums, galleries hosting various art exhibitions and festivals.
Departure direction the Bachkovo Monastery situated 25 km after Plovdiv. You will admire beautiful frescoes in its Refectory dating to 1623 and will get acquainted with the long and rich history of the monastery. Leave to Veliko Tarnovo. In the evening enjoy a home hosted diner in a local family’s house.
B D Accommodation in Veliko Tarnovo in hotel Gurko *** – http://www.hotel-gurko.com/index_en.php
Day 5 – June 10 – Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria – Bucharest, Romania
Tour of Veliko Tarnovo. 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. Start exploring the city with the Tsarevets Royal hill. Our guide can tell you more than any of the thick books will. The neighboring Arbanassi museum village is a genuine gallery of art. A must here is the 15th century Church of the Nativity, repainted in the 17th century. Because of its more than 1200 frescoes, It is also called the Sistine Chapel on the Balkans. Departure to border with Romania at Giurgiu. Meet and greet by your English speaking tour guide. Drive to Bucharest for a panoramic tour with the main sites and a voew of the former Princely Court. Check in and time at leisure.
T B Accommodation in Bucharest in hotel Berthelot **** – http://www.hotelberthelot.ro/en/
Day 6 – June 11 – Bucharest – Snagov Island – Peles Castle – Bran Castle – Brasov & Evening at Leisure
Hot and cold buffet breakfast at hotel. Morning pick up by your English speaking tour guide at your hotel in Bucharest (meeting point: lobby at 8 00 am). On the way to Transylvania visit the Lake and Island of Snagov. This is where Vlad the Impaler Dracula is burried. Cross the lake on a the new bridge and meet the Abbot of the monastery. Named after St. Catherine Monastery on Mount Sinai, Sinaia became the unofficial capital of the Kingdom of Romania toward the end of the 19th century. The Orient Express use to regularly call here and it still does once a year on its way from Paris to Constantinople. Take an orientation tour including a view of the Casino building inspired by the one in Monte Carlo and a visit to Sinaia Orthodox Monastery. Next is one of the most important tourist attractions of the country: Peles Castle and Gardens , the former royal residence of King Charles I of Romania and known as one of the most beautiful summer royal residences in Europe. Then cross the mountains into Transylvania to the village of Bran. The attraction here is the medieval Bran Castle also known as Dracula Castle. The castle was built in 1377 to safeguard the trading route between Transylvania and Wallachia to later be turned into a royal residence under Queen Marie of Romania. The connection between this place and Vlad the Impaler Dracula is still under debate, but the castle is definitely worth a visit. Enjoy cheese tasting on the premises. Continue to the nearby town of Brasov. Hotel check in. The evening is at leisure. Enjoy Brasov’s lovely pedestrian area of the Old Town with its many shops, traditional restaurants and outdoor cafes.
B Accommodation in Brasov at Hotel Bella Muzica *** (located in the Council Square) – http://bellamuzica.ro/en/
Day 7 – June 12 – Brasov Tour – Saxon Villages – Sighisoara
Hot and cold buffet breakfast at hotel. Take a morning tour of Brasov with the Gothic Black Church with its valuable collection of Anatolian prayer rugs. Brasov has one of the best preserved medieval quarter and fortifications. The tour will include the Council Square, Schei Quarter and the First School in Romanian language, the Rope Street and Catherine’s Gate. View of the Brasov 1901 synagogue. Later drive through the picturesque Transylvanian Plateau with its quaint villages and Saxon fortifications such as Saschiz. Afternoon arrival to Sighisoara, a World Heritage Site and the only still inhabited medieval citadel in Europe. It was developed by the German settlers as of late 12th century. It stands on a network of tunnels and catacombs and, according to one version of the myth; this is where the Pied Piper brought the children of Hamelin after their ungrateful parents refused to pay him his due. Sighisoara is the place where the famous Vlad the Impaler Dracula was born in 1431. The Birthplace is today a restaurant and one of the main tourist attractions. Hotel check in. Enjoy a dinner at Vlad Dracula’s House.
B D Accommodation in Sighisoara at The House with Antler ***- http://www.casacucerb.ro/en/sighisoara.php
The hotel is located in the Upper Town in a historical building. Previously used by Prince Charles on his stay in Sighisoara.
Day 8 – June 13 – Sighisoara Tour – Biertan – Sibiu
Hot and cold buffet breakfast at hotel. Before starting you walking tour attend a short informal talk on Vlad Dracula (by the tour guide). The morning walking tour of Sighisoara includes the two squares of the Citadel (Upper Town), the Scholars’ Staircase, the Ducklings’ Square, the Tinsmiths’ Tower, the House with Antler and the Venetian House, view of the Tower with Clock, the Torture Chamber. Depart Sighisoara on the way to the impressive Biertan fortification and a UNESCO World Heritage. As the former Seat of the Lutheran Bishops between 1516 and 1867, this place is proof of the important Heritage of the Transylvanian Saxons. a leisurely walking tour of Sibiu, the European capital of Culture in 2007. Visit the old surrounding defense walls and the remaining guilds’ towers. One of the landmarks of Sibiu is the Bruckenthal Museum assembled by Baron Bruckenthal, Governor of Transylvania at the beginning of the 19th century. The Evangelical Cathedral was completed in its actual shape in 1520, but inside, there is an exquisite fresco of the Crucifixion on the north wall of the choir dating from 1445. It was here that in 1510 the son of Vlad, Mihnea the Bad was stabbed to death. Continue to the Passage of Stairs linking the Upper town to the Lower town, the 1859 Liar’s Bridge and the Byzantine style Orthodox Cathedral, a replica of St. Sophia in Constantinople.
B Accommodation in Sibiu at Imparatul Romanilor Hotel ****- http://www.imparatulromanilor.ro/index.php
Hotel Imparatul Romanilor, located in the old part of Sibiu near the main square, in a 16th century building built in traditional Transylvanian Renaissance style, a former merchant’s hall transformed into hotel in the 18th century, with many famous guests: Emperor Franz Joseph II, composers Franz Liszt, Johann Strauss as well as Prince Charles and many others.
Day 9 – June 14 – Sibiu – Cozia – Poienari Fortress – Curtea de Arges – Bucharest
Hot buffet breakfast at hotel. Morning scenic drive along the Olt River Valley and Gorge.
Stop at Cozia Monastery featuring a complete Last Judgment Fresco. the way of Curtea de Arges – one of the former capitals of the Principality of Wallachia, the fief of Vlad. Brief stop at the former Princely Court in Curtea de Arges. Visit the exquisite Monastery Church where three of the Romanian Kings are burried. Continue to the famous Fortress of Poienari – the first Romanian site mentioned in the book and related to Vlad the Impaler – Dracula. This is the actual castle built by him. In the afternoon drive to Bucharest. Accommodotation. Overnight.
B Accommodation in Bucharest in hotel Berthelot ****
Day 10 – June 15 – Transfer to the Bucharest airport for your departure flight. End of service.
The trajectory of the itinerary please see here: https://goo.gl/maps/mR6tKVDgYa32
PRICE INCLUDES:
ACCOMODATION IN BULGARIA – 4 OVERNIGHTS
ACCOMODATION IN ROMANIA – 5 OVERNIGHTS
TRANSFERS AND TRANSPORTATION
TOURS / GUIDES / FOOD
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
Additional private expenses of a client
All that is not mentioned in section “Price includes”
Travel insurance package
Other meals than stated
Photo/video fees at sites and museums
Bank and pay pal fees