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Classic Bulgaria
offered by supplier M14772 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 8
day(s)
Group Size: 4
- 30
people
Destination(s):
Bulgaria
Specialty Categories:
Food & Wine
Cultural Journey
Season: May
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: No
Minimum Per Person Price: 799 Pound Sterling (GBP)
Maximum Per Person Price: 899 Pound Sterling (GBP)
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Availability Period: May.
There have been many improvements in Bulgaria since the collapse of Communism and it is on course for membership of the EU in 2007.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Our scheduled British Airways flight departs from London Heathrow at 08.35 for our 3-hour flight to the Bulgarian capital of Sofia. On arrival we transfer to the hotel and check in. Short panorama tour of Sofia and welcome dinner at the hotel. Overnight. Direct flights are also available from London Gatwick. Overland travel by rail is also available. Please call us for more details. Includes: (D).
Day 2: Morning trip by slow passenger train* along Iskar river gorge and Cherepishki Monastery, founded in the 14th century and picturesquely located on the right bank of Iskar River (a deep experience, right away from the modern world). Return to Sofia. Dinner with folklore performance. Overnight stay in Sofia. If we have a large group them we will travel on a steam hauled special train. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 3: Departure by fast train Sofia Pleven (3 hours). Short stop for sightseeing in Pleven and continue with car/ minibus to Veliko Turnovo the Medieval Capital city of Bulgaria. Tour of Tsarevets Royal Hill with the fortress, Baldwin tower (the leader of the 4th crusade), visit Samovodska Charshia of crafts. Overnight. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 4: Morning tour of Arbanassi museum village located on a hill above Veliko Turnovo. Departure by road to Shipka peak, crossing one of the most beautiful parts of the Central Balkan Range. En route short stop at Etura Open Air ethnographic complex. Visit Shipka memorial church.
Arrival in Kazanluk: the cenre of the Rose Valley known as well as the valley of the Thracian Kings. We have the chance to test rose products (once 75% of the world rose attar was produced in Bulgaria). The roses should be in bloom. Visit one of the Thracian tombs in the region. Departure to Plovdiv. Overnight. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 5: Free day in Plovdiv for sightseeing. Plovdiv has 6 000 years of history and was once the capital city of Philip the 2nd of Macedonia (the father of Alexander the Great). Visit the Old Plovdiv architectural site with the Roman Amphitheater, St. Constantine and Helena Church, Hindlian House. Afternoon wine tasting at a boutique wine cellar in Brestovitsa village. Return to Plovdiv. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 6: Early morning transfer to Septemvri railway station and departure by passenger train: Septemvri Velingrad Avramovi Kolibi Jakoruda Bansko. Total duration of the journey is around 5 hours. Septemvri station was constructed in 1870 by Baron Hirsch (German entrepreneur who in the 19th century guaranteed a grandiose project to construct a network consisting of 2,500 kilometres of railway lines in the Turkish-occupied Balkans).
Avramovi Kolibi is the highest railway station in Bulgaria 1267m above sea level - crossing one of the most beautiful parts of the Rhodopes mountains, 15 tunnels, the Mesta river valley. Late afternoon arrival in Bansko museum town. Dinner with folklore performance at a typical Bansko mehana. Today is also T he Holiday of the Cyrillic Alphabet and Bulgarian Culture the best loved public holiday by the Bulgarian people with plenty of traditional festivals and celebrations. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 7: This morning we have a short trip on the narrow gauge railway from Bansko to Dobrinishte. Departure by road to Sofia. On the way: visit Rila Monastery (UNESCO site, the largest Monastery in Bulgaria). Evening arrival to Sofia and dinner at the hotel. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 8: Free time and transfer to the airport. Our flight for London Heathrow departs at 14.35 arriving back in London at 15.55. Weather Generally nice, sunny weather. So everything should be green, fresh, with full of life. During the day expect temperatures up to 18-20 degrees C (to the north of the Balkans - a bit lower, down in the region of Plovdiv maybe up to 25 degrees).
In the mountain regions (Veliko Turnovo, Bansko, Sofia) the evenings are a bit cold. Due to a special micro climate Sofia has in May (because of the winds crossing the mountain) - short rainfalls can be expected. Includes: (B).
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Bulgaria
Food & Wine
Cultural Journey
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