Highlights of Bulgaria

This tailor-made package includes coach travel in Bulgaria and from five nights’ accommodation on a half board basis at a 3* or 4* hotel to suit your group’s requirements. The content of your preferred itinerary will be discussed with you at the time of enquiry.

•Our suggested itinerary could include:
o    Guided sightseeing tour of Sofia
o    Visit of historic Koprivshtitsa
o    Master craftsmen of Samovodska Charshia
o    Walking tour of Veliko Tarnovo
o    Konstancalieva Ethnographical House and the Church of Nativity
o    Etara Open Air Museum
o    UNESCO listed Thracian Tomb and Hellenistic frescoes
o    Guided Tour of Plovdiv + Roman Amphitheatre &, Ethnographic museum
o    Valley of Roses
o    Wine tasting + Gourmet lunch
o    Bachkovo Monastery

• Group Organiser benefits
• No single room supplements (selected tours only)

To tailor-make your tour or for a personalised quotation call 01943 605999.

Sample Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive in Sofia and transfer to your hotel in the heart of the city.

Day 2 - SOFIA - Enjoy a half day city tour of Sofia. Visit the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the Church of St. Sophia, which gave the name to the city, the Round Church of St. George dating to the 4th Century, the Russian church of St. Nicholas, the impressive buildings of the National Theatre and the Parliament Drive to Rila Monastery – one of the greatest centres of scholarship and religion in Bulgaria during the National Revival Period. Founded in the middle of the 10th-century it played a key role in preserving Bulgarian culture and language over the centuries, and is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. Marvel at the monastery church with its amazing frescoes and the monastery museum.

Day 3 - SOFIA TO VELIKO TARNOVO -Today we travel to Veliko Tarnovo. Stop en route to visit Koprivshtitsa an historic town known for its authentic Bulgarian architecture, which still preserves the atmosphere of the Bulgarian National revival period of the 19th-century. Continue to Veliko Tranov and check in to your hotel. This evening we will visit the oldest merchant street in the town, Samovodska Charshia, where you can see craft masters using their traditional methods.

Day 4 - VELIKO TARNOVO TO PLOVDIV - Enjoy a morning walking tour of Veliko Tarnovo. Start on Tsarevets Hill where the Bulgarian kings once lived and continue to Arbanassi, a small Bulgarian village situated 4 km from Veliko Tarnovo to visit the Konstancalieva Ethnographical House and the Church of Nativity, whose mural-paintings are considered a real masterpiece. Leaving Arbanassi we next visit Etara Open Air Museum which proudly displays the architecture, lifestyle and economic history of the Gabrovo region during the revival period. Crossing the Balkan Mountains through the Shipka Pass we stop in Kazanlak where you will see the UNESCO listed Thracian Tomb with its Hellenistic frescoes from the 3rd century BC. Proceed through the famous Valley of Roses arriving in Plovdiv – the second largest city in Bulgaria.

Day 5 - PLOVDIV - Plovdiv is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Bulgaria. It is Europe’s oldest continuously-habited city and voted the European Capital of Culture for 2019. Wander through the cobbled streets of the Old Town and take in the beautiful architecture preserved from the Bulgarian Revival period. Visit the Amphitheatre, which dates back to Roman times, the Ethnographic museum and the Church of St. Konstantine and Elena. Stop for lunch in the nearby village of Brestovitsa where you can enjoy wine tasting and gourmet dishes prepared by a local Chef. This afternoon we continue on to Bachkovo monastery dating from the 11th-century and visit the monastery church and refectory. Returning to Plovdiv a stop will be made to see the medieval Asenova fortress.

Day 6 - Return to Sofia where this tour terminates.

With all packages we supply a tailor-made flyer to assist in the promotion of your group holiday, along with a booking form which provides us with all the details we require from each participant.

Simply Groups reserves the right to make minor adjustments to this itinerary due to circumstances beyond our control.