Treasures of Romania and Bulgaria - guaranteed departures for 2023

“Welcome to Bucharest, “The Little Paris of the East”. Transfer to the hotel. Welcome dinner at the hotel, where you will meet the rest of the group.

You wake up in the heart of Romania’s capital, and after breakfast Enjoy a sightseeing tour of one the most dynamic and cosmopolitan cities in Europe which is also the 5th largest capital city in the European Union. You will have the chance to admire the University Square, the Roman Square, the Constitution Square with the Palace of Parliament (the second largest administrative building in the World after the Pentagon) and the Victory Square with the Victory Palace. Transfer to the Bulgarian border. In the afternoon, you will reach the medieval town Veliko Tarnovo. Explore the Tsarevets Hill with its citadels and palaces and stroll through the traditional crafts shopping quarter, Samovodska Charshiya. Dinner at the hotel.

You first stop after breakfast is the open-air village museum Etar. Here you can admire traditional houses with artisan workshops, watermills, fulling mills. Continue through Shipka Pass to Kazanlak in the Valley of the Roses. In Kazanlak you will visit the ancient Thracian Tomb, which is listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. You will visit further a functioning rose distillery in the village of Skobelevo and taste the local rose jam and rose brandy. Your journey ends in the afternoon in Plovdiv. Check-in and dinner at the hotel.

Plovdiv is one of the oldest settlements in the Balkans and was designated as European Capital of Culture of the year 2019. The sightseeing tour in the old part of the city includes the very well-preserved Roman Amphitheatre, the Dzumaya Mosque and the St. Constantine and Helena Church. On the way to Sofia stop in Dobarsko and meet the singing grandmothers and taste the delicious local pastry “banitsa”. In the afternoon, visit the Rila Monastery (UNESCO). It is one of the largest Orthodox monasteries in the world and impresses with its stunning architecture and frescoes. Continue to Sofia. Check-in and festive dinner with folklore show and traditional Nestinari fire dances.

Enjoy today a sightseeing tour that starts at Sveta Nedelya square. Situated a few steps away from the square is the oldest church in the city, the St. George Rotunda, built by the Romans in the 4th century. Then admire the precious and fascinating buildings of Banya-Basi Mosque and the Presidency. The landmark of the city is the Orthodox Cathedral Alexander Nevsky. Built in the 20th century, its construction took 30 years. Next travel to Belogradchik, where you will visit the impressive Belogradchik fortress. Dinner at the hotel.

Visit today the Baba Vida Fortress, the town’s primary landmark. Cross the Danube back to Romania, and head towards Craiova, the largest city of South Romania. After the city tour, you continue towards Sibiu, one of the most idyllic places in Eastern Europe. Settled by the Germans back in the 12th century, the town preserves a wonderful medieval cobblestoned center with hundreds of historic monuments. The walking tours takes you to the Grand and Small Square, Huet Square, Liars’Bridge and Evangelic church, the town’s landmark. Check-in and overnight in Sibiu. Dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast travel to Biertan, where you visit one of the best preserved medieval fortified churches in Transylvania, listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. Continue to Sighisoara, another UNESCO site, being one of the few still inhabited medieval fortresses in Europe. During the walking tour discover the town’s landmarks such as the Church on the Hill and the Clock Tower. Continue towards Brasov and discover its Old Town with the main attraction, the Black Church. Dinner at the hotel.

Drive towards Bran, where you visit the castle of the famous count Dracula. The castle was constructed to protect the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, by the Saxons. Cross the South Carpathian Mountains, to Sinaia, where you will find the Peles Castle, a superb royal residence built above acres of green meadows, deep inside the forest. Built in German Renaissance style, the Peles Castle is probably the most beautiful castle in Eastern Europe. At noon, continue to Bucharest. Farewell dinner at local restaurant with entertainment and wine

In the morning, visit the Palace of the Parliament, the second largest building in the World after the Pentagon. Depending on the flight hours, transfer to the airport and farewell from the guide.