Recommended Tour(s)

Bulgaria’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites

October 6 – 18, 2024, 
13 days / 12 nights

Itinerary:

 Sofia (2n), Rila, Bansko (n), Pirin, Plovdiv (2n), Kazanluk, Burgas (n) St. Aastacia, Aque Kalide, Burgas (n) Nessebar, Varna (2) Madara, Sveshtari, Ruse (n), Ivanovo, Arbanasi, Veliko Tarnovo (n), Asenovo, Sofia (n).

Day 1, Sunday, October 6:
Arrival in Sofia. Check into the hotel. A welcome meeting followed by a group dinner. Overnight in Sofia.  (Please note that when traveling from the US, you must leave on Saturday, October 5, and sleep on the plane.) (D)

Day 2, Monday, October 7:  Sofia and Boyana church.
Today we will have a walking tour in downtown Sofia. We will visit some of the most important sites in Bulgaria’s capital, starting with St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral from the early 1900s, explore the Yellow Brick Road, and dive into the Triangle of Tolerance. In the afternoon, we will visit the Boyana church (UNESCO site). Built in the 1100s, the current murals are from 1259 and are considered one of the local predecessors of the Renaissance.  Overnight in Sofia. (B)

Day 3, Tuesday, October 8: Rila – Bansko
In the morning, we will depart for Rila Monastery (UNESCO site). It is the most significant Bulgarian monastery, founded by St. Ivan Rilski in the early 900s as a monastic society. Visit the monastery’s main church, history museum, guestrooms, and jewelry collection. After a short drive to Bansko, we will take a short walking tour to the Church of The Holy Trinity. Overnight in Bansko.  (B,D)

Day 4, Wednesday, October 9: Bansko – Pirin National Park – lunch with locals – Plovdiv
In the morning, we will drive/take a chair lift (weather permitting) to the Pirin National Park (UNESCO List). Have a short walk to enjoy the beauties of the only Alpine-like mountain in Bulgaria. Drive to a nearby village to have lunch with local women and enjoy traditional music. En route, we will stop at a carpet factory, the largest loom in Europe. Continue to Plovdiv. Overnight in Plovdiv. (B,L,D)

Day 5, Thursday, October 10: Plovdiv:
All day in Plovdiv. Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria and the country’s cultural capital. Layers of millennial civilizations reveal a rich past. We will explore the cobbled stone streets of the old town, lined with pastel-toned houses from the 1800s. We will also visit the Roman Theater and stadium from the 2^nd AD. We cannot miss the Bishop’s Basilica, a splendid museum revealing thousands of square feet of early Christian floor mosaics. Today, the site has applied to be included in UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Overnight in Plovdiv. (B)

Day 6, Friday, October 11: Plovdiv – Kazanlak – Burgas
Depart to Kazanlak and visit the local museum and two Thracian tombs, including the Thracia n tomb in Kazanlak (UNESCO site) from 4-3^rd c. BC. Drive to the Black Sea coast. Overnight in Burgas.  (B,L)

Day 7, Saturday, October 12: Burgas and around
In the morning, we will have a short boat tour and visit one of the few Bulgarian islands – St Anastacia Island. A small late medieval monastery was turned into a prison for political opponents after 1923. In the second half of the 20th c., it became one of the favorite sites for the local intelligentsia. Let’s enjoy their special dessert together! Returning to the mainland, we will have a walking tour, exploring some of the numerous pedestrian zones. In the afternoon, we will drive to Aque Kalide. This is a site of Roman thermal baths, where later, the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent built his hammam in the 1500s. We will explore the ruins from Roman times and the beautifully restored Ottoman building with a 3D mapping show. Drive back to Burgas for an overnight.  (B)

Day 8, Sunday, October 13: Nessebar – Varna
In the morning, we will drive to Nessebar (UNESCO site) and have a walking tour of  Nessebar with visits to the archaeological museum and a couple of the churches. Depart to Varna. Overnight in Varna. (B,D)

Day 9, Monday, October 14: Varna and the vicinities
In the morning, we will have a walking tour of Varna with a special visit to the Archaeological Museum, where we will see the oldest handcrafted gold in the world. Lunch with wine tasting at a local wine club.  Free afternoon to explore the Varna beachfront, the exquisite Roman Baths, or the local museums.

Drive back to Varna for an overnight.  (B,L)

Day 10, Tuesday, October 15: Varna – Madara – Sveshtari – Ruse
Depart to Madara to visit the Madara Horse-rider (UNESCO site), a bas-relief cut up in a cliff in the early 700s. We continue to Sveshtari, where we will visit the Sveshtari Thracian tomb (UNESCO site). It is the most remarkable of several burial sites in the region, which belonged to the Thracian civilization. The combination of sculptures and murals is unique for the Bulgarian lands. Our final goal for the day will be Ruse, the largest Bulgarian city on the Danube. Overnight in Ruse.  (B,L)

Day 11, Wednesday, October 16: Ruse – Ivanovo – Arbanasi – Veliko Tarnovo
We will start the day with a visit to Ivanovo rock-cut churches (UNESCO site). Today, the entire complex’s main church is open, boasting the Palaiologan Revival period murals from the 1300s.  Drive south to the village of Arbanassi, where we will visit the Church of Nativity and the house-museum of Konstantsaliev. Drive to Veliko Tarnovo, where we will stop to enjoy the scenery of Tsarevets – the King’s Hill of Medieval Bulgaria.

Overnight in Veliko Tarnovo.  (B,D)

Day 12, Thursday, October 17: Veliko Tarnovo – Asenovo – Sofia
After a light breakfast at the hotel, we will drive to the village of Asenovo,  the center of a small Bulgarian Catholic community.  We will meet the mayor, visit the local chitalishte and library,  and have brunch with the mayor’s family.  We will return to Sofia by 3pm where you can rest and pack before a goodbye dinner.  Overnight in Sofia. (B,L,D)

Day 13, Friday, October 18: Departure

The tour is over after breakfast. (B)

Please note: 

This is an active tour with walking and steps. 

Bulgaria is very friendly for vegetarians and vegans.  Please let us know if you have any other dietary restrictions.

 Cost and Amenities

Price is:

$3820 per person, sharing double / twin room, Single room supplement is $590 if paying by check.  Contact Josephine Hehnke (jo@josephinehehnke.net) for an additional fee if using a credit card.  A $500 deposit is due on May 6.  Final payment is due on July 6.

Price includes:

1. Hotel accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis as follows:
   1. Sofia – 4* hotel – 3 nights;
   2. Bansko – 4* hotel – 1 night;
   3. Plovdiv – 4* hotel – 2 nights;
   4. Burgas – 4* hotel – 2 nights;
   5. Varna – 4* hotel – 2 nights;
   6. Veliko Tarnovo – 3* family hotel – 1 night.
2. Private transportation throughout the tour, including gas, parking fees, road tolls, daily allowance, and hotel accommodation for the driver outside Sofia. No transfers airport – hotel and hotel airport are included.
3. Professional English-speaking tour guide services, including daily allowance and hotel accommodation outside Sofia;
4. Meals – 4 lunches (days 4, 6, 9, 12), one package lunch (10), and 6 dinners (days 1, 3, 4, 8, 11, 12) – 3-course meals, bread, water included). Tips for the servers are included. No alcoholic beverages are included in the tour cost;
5. All tickets for the historic/natural sites according to the itinerary;
6. Chair lift in Pirin mountains and boat tour in Burgas;
7. Private activities:
   1. Folklore show near Bansko;
   2. Visit to a factory for hand-made carpets in Kostandovo;
   3. Wine tasting in Varna;
   4. Visit to the mayor’s office in Asenovo;
   5. Visit a private home with a cooking demonstration in Asenovo.
8. Complimentary bottled water on the bus;
9. Welcome pack with maps, brochures, etc.

Price does not include:

1. Airfare;
2. Personal medical and travel insurance. We strongly recommend having one when you travel. However, Lyuba Tours 2007 has all valid insurances according to Bulgarian legislation, including General Tour Operator Liability Insurance;
3. Transfers from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport;
4. Personal expenses such as, but not limited to, phone calls, laundry services, minibar, etc.
5. Alcoholic beverages during the organized meals;
6. Meals, not explicitly mentioned in the itinerary;
7. Traditional tips for the tour guide and the bus driver.