Bulgarian Monasteries and Mediaeval Art
12 days/11 nights cultural tour
Day 1 SOFIA
Arrival in Sofia. Our guide will meet you at the airport and assists for a transfer to hotel. Short familiarization with the city and hotel vicinity. Welcome dinner, featuring Sofia local cuisine. Overnight in Sofia.
Day 2 SOFIA –Kremikovtzi monastery – SOFIA
Sightseeing tour of Sofia, a city with 7000-year long history. Enjoy the sightseeing tour of Sofia, a pleasant city of boulevards and open spaces and see the city’s most important places of worship – Alexander Nevski Memorial Church, the Crypt Icon museum, and St. George Rotunda. Walk along the main streets and see the most important landmarks in the city centre - St.Nedelya Square and St. Nedelya Church, St. Petka of the Saddlers, the Central Baths, the National Theatre, the former Royal Palace, the Russian Church, St. Sophia Church and the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. Your guide will make you feel the atmosphere of this city which history dates back to the ancient times. Visit the Boyana Church, a UNESCO site with exceptional 13-c frescoes. Drive to the village of Kremikovtzi and visit the Kremikovtzi monastery Founded during the 14 th century, together with another 14 monasteries known at the time as the “Sofia Mount Athos”, the monastery of Kremikovtzi will capture you with its murals. On the outside, the church is small and insignificant, like all the “semi-legal” building of those dark times. As compensation, the murals (partially preserved today) turned the interior into a glittering gallery. Dinner in a tavern with folk show and drinks. Overnight in Sofia..
Day 3 SOFIA – Zemen monastery - Rila Monastery - MELNIK
After breakfast drive to the Zemen monastery. Located above the Strouma River, about 80 km south-east of Sofia, the Zemen Monastery was built completely different from both the official Byzantine style and the other official Tarnovo School in view of its architecture and interior paintings. The roof – a four-wall squashed pyramid with a cupola atop a cylindrical drum, decorated by two rows of blind arches is unique in the entire Balkan Peninsula. Tour proceeds to the Rila monastery (UNESCO 's List of Cultural Heritage). Tour of the monastery. Rila monastery is located some 120 km to the south of Sofia, in the heart of the Rila Mountain. Founded in the 10th century, it has been the biggest spiritual and cultural centre in Bulgaria for hundreds of years. The Monastery’s unrivalled architecture and murals will captivate you. The Rila monastery is the largest in the Balkans and included in the List of World Cultural Heritage. Tour of the monastery includes a visit to the Monastery Church, which is of particular artistic value, for it was adorned by the foremost 19-century masters of the Samokov, Bansko and Debar schools of painting and woodcarving.
In the afternoon - departure for the museum village of Melnik. Scenically located at the foothills of sandstone pyramids, this smallest town in Bulgaria is famous with its ancient architecture and red wine. Walking sightseeing tour, visit one of the old houses, masterpiece of early 17th c. local architecture, see the mystery of the sandstone pyramids. Sandstone is the best environment for the production and maturing of the world-famous Melnik red wine. Check in. Evening wine-tasting session, taste the famous Melnik red wine. Dinner and overnight in Melnik.Day 4 MELNIK – Rozhenski monastery – Bansko – Velingrad – Batak - PLOVDIV
Breakfast. Your day will start with a visit to the magnificent scenery of the 14th century Rozhen monastery. You will see more than 150 biblical scenes and images, some of them the only works of their kind in Bulgaria. Proceed to Bansko, a museum village and famous ski center, at the foot of the Pirin Mountains. Sightseeing tour of Bansko and experience Bulgarian culture and 19-c. architecture. We'll stroll the cobblestone streets and visit the Holy Trinity Church built in the 19th century and known for its interior wood carvings and murals painted by local artists. Tour proceeds to Plovdiv via Velingrad, a spa centre famous with numerous hot mineral waters springs. En route - visit Batak, one of the historic cities telling about the heroic National Liberation April Uprising (1876). Arrival in Plovdiv. Check in. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Plovdiv.Day 5 PLOVDIV – Backhovo monastery – PLOVDIV
Morning sightseeing of Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city and one of the oldest in Europe. City tour (mainly on foot) includes the Old city with its typical National Revival atmosphere, St. Konstantine and Helena Churchm St. Marina church and the Roman theatre. Drive to Backhovo monastery - tour of the monastery, founded in the 11th century. Batchkovo Monastery is valuable primarily for its ossuary and its church, in which 11th to 14th century frescoes are preserved. Drive back to Plovdiv. Dinner in a local restaurant in the Old Town. Overnight at hotel in Plovdiv.Day 6 PLOVDIV – Valley of Roses – Nessebar - VARNA
After breakfast tour proceeds to Nessebar museum village, picturesquely situated on a small rocky peninsula. Stop for a tour of the town, which is another UNESCO' s World Cultural Heritage site. Different civilizations have left their marks jealously guarded today on the tiny peninsula. Here historians found evidence of the existence of more than 40 churches and two monasteries. Drive north to Varna for dinner and overnight.Day 7 VARNA – Aladja monastery - VARNA
Morning city tours of Varna visit the historical museum where the earliest gold of mankind is displayed.Drive to and visit the Aladja monastery. Afternoon at leisure.Dinner and overnight in Varna.Day 8 VARNA –Shoumen – ROUSSE
After breakfast depart to Rousse (2,5 hrs), the largest Bulgarian River port on the Danube. Afternoon City tour of Rousse, one of Bulgarian cities with years-long European cultural traditions. Rousse has been even referred to as “ Little Vienna” in the past, for its Neoclassicism style of buildings. Stunning and brilliant Austrian style architecture abounds, particularly around the main square which features the Statue of Liberty, erected in honour of the Russian Liberators (1878). Dinner and overnight at hotel.Day 9 ROUSSE – Ivanovo - V.Tarnovo
Depart to Ivanovo Rocky churches near Rousse. Visit the Archeological reserve and admire the 13th-14th century wall paintings, included in the UNESCO’s List of World Cultural Heritage. Proceed to V.Tarnovo - Bulgaria's old capital city, picturesquely situated on three hills, circled by the Yantra River. Its houses, perched one above the other on the slopes of the hills, still preserve the typical 19th century architecture. City sightseeing of Veliko Tarnovo (partly on foot), including the historical Tsarevets Hill with the remains of the royal palace, the Patriarchate, fortress gates. Walk along the Samovodene Market Place with its attractive small workshops where master goldsmiths, potters, carvers, pastry cooks still pursue their crafts. Visit Preobrazenski monastery and Arbanassi museum village with its churches and monasteries. Dinner and overnight in Veliko Tarnovo.Day 10 V. TARNOVO– Etara – Sokolski monastery – Dryanovo monastery – V.Tarnovo
After breakfast depart to Gabrovo. Visit Sokolski monastery and Etara open-air ethnographic museum, where 18th-19th century crafts and lifestyle come alive in front of the visitors' eyes. En route visit Dryanovo monastery. Dryanovo monastery was founded in the beginning of the Second Bulgarian State and is one of the sacred places linked with the April uprising in 1876. Back to Veliko Tarnovo and overnight.Day 11 V.TARNOVO – Troyan monastery - SOFIA
After breakfast city sightseeing of Veliko Tarnovo (partly on foot), including the Historical Tsarevets Hill with the remains of the royal palace, the Patriarchate, fortress gates. Walk along the Samovodene Market Place with its attractive small workshops where master goldsmiths, potters, carvers, pastry cooks still pursue their crafts. Departure to Troyan. Visit Troyan monastery, the country’s third largest, founded in the 16th c in a lovely locality. Return to Sofia for dinner and overnight.Day 12 SOFIA
Time at leisure until departure. Transfer to the airport. End of service2008 TOUR PRICE:
1,950 EUR per person for 2 persons sharing. Single room supplement – 185 EUR.
1,320 EUR per person for a group of 4.INCLUDED:
- Accommodation at:*
- 3 overnights at a 4-star hotel in Sofia, Rodina or similar,
- 1 overnight at a 3-star hotel in Melnik, Despot Slav or similar,
- 2 overnights at a 3-star hotel in Plovdiv, Metropol, or Dafi,
- 2 overnights at a 3-star hotel in Varna/region,
- 1 overnight at a 3-star hotel in Rousse, Anna Palace, or similar,
- 2 overnight at a 3-star hotel in V.Tarnovo, Gurko or similar,
- 11 breakfasts,
- 8 dinners,
- 1 dinner with folklore show & drinks,
- transfers upon arrival and departure,
- transportation by car/van, according to above programme,
- entrance fees to museums and sites, as per programme,
- English or French-speaking guide-escort throughout the tour;
EXCUDED:
air fare, additional meals, items not specially mentioned above and/or in the itinerary, insurance, porterage at airport and hotels; tips.
Recommended period: April – June and August 25 – October 2008.Note: Supplement for hotel accommodation during the International Plovdiv’s Fair (May 11-17 and September 28 - October 4, 2008) – 70 EUR per person, double sharing.
