CTA Bulgaria Exclusive                                 • Sofia • Veliko Tarnovo • Rousse •

Duration: 12 Days / 11 Nights                                                                   • Varna • Nessebar • Plovdiv •

7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Small Group Tour

Bulgaria is a pearl in the Balkans of Eastern Europe with 8,000 years of history. Breathtaking and majestic examples of Thracian, Byzantium, Roman, Jewish, Ottoman and Slav culture are blended with European and Asian influence.

Isolated for many years behind the Iron Curtain, Bulgaria is changing rapidly and is now a member of the European Union.

Join us on this journey to a fascinating country with hospitable people

and discover the unique artifacts from their ancient heritage.

Included in your tour:

° Accommodation (11 nights) at centrally located hotels

° 10 dinners and 5 lunches on a preset 3-course menu, mineral water and coffee/tea included

° Orientation upon arrival with a glass of Bulgarian wine. Comprehensive program information package will be provided.

° English speaking tour guide throughout the tour

° Entrance fees and lectures by local experts at museums.

° Transportation by comfortable A/C coach with PA system.

° Mineral water in the bus for transfer days and excursions.

° Porterage (luggage service) upon arrival and departure at hotels.

Day 1 - September 26 - Monday

Arrive Sofia, Bulgaria

Upon arrival at Sofia Airport you will be transferred to your hotel. Welcome Dinner at the hotel. (D)

Day 2 - September 27 - Tuesday

Sofia

Full day in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital. Guided morning city tour of Sofia including the fascinating St. Alexander Nevski memorial church, St. George’s rotunda, Roman Serdica fortifications dating from the 3rd-5th century, the National Assembly, the National Theater. Afternoon trip to the Boyana Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Boyana Church is of exceptional historical and artistic significance. It is situated at the foot of the mountain of Vitosha. The oldest part of the church dates back to the early 11th century. We’ll also visit the National Museum of History, where the magnificent Thracian treasures of ancient gold are on display. Some free time in town. Dinner at a local restaurant where we will enjoy Bulgarian folk music. (B,D)

Day 3 - September 28 - Wednesday

Sofia - Veliko Tarnovo

From Sofia to Veliko Tarnovo we will make a short detour to call on two of the most interesting and picturesque architectural and ethnographic sites in the region of the Central Balkan Mountains. First we will visit the ethnographic and architectural reserve of Etara, which is a beautiful museum-village with numerous artisan workshops. It has the atmosphere of a typical Bulgarian town of the 18th -19th centuries. Then we will visit the delightful museum-town of Tryavna, which is famous for its woodworking traditions and National Revival-style houses. Lunch at a restaurant en route. Arrival in Veliko Tarnovo and dinner at the hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 4 - September 29 - Thursday 

Veliko Tarnovo

Full Day in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria’s medieval capital city in the 12th – 14th centuries. Perched on steep hills overlooking the Yantra River, Veliko Tarnovo is one of the most picturesque Bulgarian towns. This morning we will enjoy a guided city excursion through the medieval fortress on Tsarevets Hill and the Museum of the National Revival, where the First Bulgarian Constitution was adopted in 1879. In the afternoon we explore the nearby village-museum of Arbanassi, famous for its traditional architecture, and beautifully decorated churches and monasteries, dating from the 17th to 18th centuries. We will pay a visit to one of these masterpieces. Free time to explore the narrow cobblestone streets of the Old Town. Dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)

Day 5 - September 30 - Friday 

Veliko Tarnovo - Rousse

Morning transfer from Veliko Tarnovo to Rousse on the Danube River (110 km north of Veliko Tarnovo). En route we’ll see the rock-hewn churches of Ivanovo, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for their valuable wall paintings from the 11th - 14th centuries, and also the fantastic Roussensky Lom River Nature Park. Here, among the high rock verticals along the river, a wonderful and unexpected world reveals, combining beauty, history and nature. Afternoon guided sightseeing walk to explore the city of Rousse. It was founded by the Roman Emperor Vespasian was a major harbor of the Roman Empire. Ruse is also famous for its nice Neo-classicism and Secession style architecture, typical in Europe between mid 19th century and World War I. Dinner in the hotel or at a local restaurant in town. (B,D) 

Day 6 - October 1 - Saturday

Rousse - Varna

Enroute to Varna on the Black Sea coast we’ll visit some of the most remarkable sites of northeastern Bulgaria like the fascinating Thracian tomb of Sveshtari (4th - 3rd centuries BC), another UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is an amazing monument of Thracian art and architecture; the beautiful Tombul mosque in the town of Shumen (built in 1744), which is the biggest in Bulgaria; the outstanding 8th century rock-cut relief of Madara Horse Rider, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the only one of this kind in Europe. The sacred rocks of the Madara plateau and the caves inside them were a major spiritual center during the period of the First Bulgarian State (681-1085). Arrival in Varna and dinner in the hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 7 - October 2 - Sunday

Varna

Today we will visit the fabulous Archaeology Museum to see the world's oldest manufactured gold. It was excavated in a prehistoric necropolis close to the city. Archaeological explorations suggest that the people who lived in the area of Varna belonged to Europe’s most ancient civilization, which was even older than the Mesopotamian and the Egypt civilizations. We also visit the 2nd century Roman baths, the largest in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. Afternoon excursion to the nice seaside town of Balchik (50 km north of Varna). We will visit the beautiful Summer Palace of Queen Marie in Balchik. It was built in 1924-26 by King Ferdinand of Romania for his English wife, Queen Marie. The architecture of the palace, a blend of Bulgarian, Gothic and Islamic styles topped with a minaret, is unique. We will also visit the beautiful Botanical Gardens at Balchik with over 3000 species of plants.

Dinner at a local restaurant in Varna. (B,D)

Day 8 - October 3 - Monday

Varna - Nessebar

Morning transfer from Varna to Nessebar. Enjoy a guided afternoon excursion in Nessebar, ancient Messambria, which is another renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bulgaria. It is particularly beautiful both in its location, on a headland by the sea, and because of its many brightly painted 18th and 19th century traditional timber houses and cobbled streets. It is also famous for the impressive remains of fortifications and for the well-preserved late Byzantine churches (built in the period 11th - 14th centuries at the time of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom). We visit the beautiful Archaeology Museum and St. Stephan Church.

Dinner in the hotel or at a local restaurant. (B,D) 

Day 9 - October 4 - Tuesday

Nessebar - Plovdiv

We pass through the picturesque Valley of Roses, home of the exquisite Bulgarian rose oil, also known as “attar of roses.” We’ll visit a rose oil distillery to learn about centuries-long traditions of rose oil production. The area around the town of Kazanlak became famous for recent breathtaking archaeological finds dating back to the golden times of the Thracian city of Seuthopolis, and therefore has been named Valley of the Thracian Kings. Here we’ll learn about Thracian history and culture and will visit the replica site of the world-famous 4th century BC Thracian tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lunch at a restaurant en route. Next stop is Hissarya, which at the time of the Roman Empire was a famous spa resort called Diocletianopolis after the Roman emperor Diocletian. Arrival in Plovdiv and dinner in the hotel or at a local restaurant. (B,L,D) 

Day 10 - October 5 - Wednesday

Plovdiv landmarks - Wine Tasting

Full Day in Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second city and the most ancient city in Europe. It has an amazing Old Town. We take a guided city excursion to the fabulous Roman Theatre (built in the 2nd century during the time of Emperor Trajan); the Ethnographical Museum, and a 15th century mosque. Lunch at a local restaurant in the Old Town. Afternoon visit to a wine cellar in the countryside to learn about centuries-old wine making traditions in Bulgaria and to sample Bulgarian wines. (B,L) 

Day 11 - October 6 - Thursday

Plovdiv - Sofia

Scenic drive through the Rila Mountains via the town of Samokov and Borovets Mountain Resort. En route we visit the Rila Monastery, UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the majestic Rila Mountains. The monastery is an original national museum with a century-old history that dates back to the 10th century. The present building was built in mid-19th century (1816–1848). Located amidst gorgeous mountain scenery, it is considered the highest achievement of Bulgarian monumental architecture of the National Revival period. Lunch at a restaurant in the mountains. Late afternoon arrival in Sofia. Farewell Dinner in the hotel or at a local restaurant in town. (B,L,D)

Day 12 - October 7 - Friday

Sofia- Canada

Morning transfer to Sofia Airport. (B)

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