Last modified: December 31, 2024

10-day Bulgaria Romania Tour: Fiction, Legends and More

10-day Bulgaria Romania Discovery and Adventure Tour

You'll visit 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites:Boyana Church, Rila Monastery, Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, Ivanovo Rock Churches,Historic Centre of Sighisoara, Sibiu Historic Centre

Itinerary - 10 days Bulgaria - Romania

  • Starting Day: Tuesday through Saturday in Winter (September 14,2024- April 15,2025)
  • Starting Day: Monday through Saturday in Summer (April 16 - September 15,2025)

Day 1: Arrival in Bulgaria/ Sofia

We will meet you at Sofia airport and assist for a transfer to your hotel.You will enjoy a panoramic city tour en route to your hotel And our guide will help you familiarize with hotel’s neighbourhood. Check in,followed by an evening at leisure to overcome jet lag.

T, Accommodation at the 4* hotel Coop for 2 nights.

Day 2: Sofia –Boyana church - Rila monastery – Sofia (250 km)

To start with, today you will visit 2 UNESCO cultural sites. The first one is Boyana church. It is located at the foot of Vitosha mountain,only 15 min drive from  downtown. The second one - 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 visitor's first sight of Rila monastery huge towering walls gives the impression of a fortress. However, a step through the archway produces a wonderful surprise. Rila monastery is ncluded in the List of World Cultural Heritage. Tour of the monastery includes a visit to the Monastery Church, which is of particular artistic value. In the Monastery's museum you can see the famous wood carved Raphael's cross.This is a masterpiece of woodcarving.

B, L, Overnight in Sofia.

Day 3: Sofia -  Plovdiv (160 km)

Following breakfast, you will leave Bulgaria’s capital and head to Plovdiv. Its location astride the river Maritsa, and its six hills, indicates the strategic significance of the city. It is one of the oldest and most colourful towns in Bulgaria. No one can tell exactly when the foundation stone was laid here, although it must have been over 5000 years ago. Old Plovdiv on Trimontium hill is the centre of Bulgarian national revival architecture. You will enjoy a walking  city  tour including a visits to the Old Town, the 2000yrs old Roman Theater, the Byzantine and medieval fortifications, the 15th century mosque. Walk along the narrow cobbled streets and admire the silence and tranquillity of this historic town.  Stop for lunch at the famous “Paldin” restaurant in the Old city.

B, L, Overnight in Plovdiv at the 3* hotel Dafi, or similar.

Day 4: Plovdiv-Kazanlak-Shipka Pass - Etara - Veliko Tarnovo (220 km)

Leave Plovdiv after breakfast and drive to the Valley of Roses and Kazanlak. (Roses are in full bloom from mid-May to mid-June). Your sightseeing tour includes: the Thracian Tomb (replica), the Tyulbe, Museum of the Rose and Rose Oil. The Kazanlak Tomb is a Thracian Tomb from the late 4th - early 3rd century B.C. and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The funeral objects and frescoes depicting hunting scenes suggest that a Thracian king was probably buried here.

              Day 4: 10 days Bulgaria - Romania Tour: Crossing the Balkan Range

Next, a pleasant quick stop in Shipka. This place commemorates a dramatic moment of Bulgarian history. Here, in 1877-1878, the most decisive battles were held for the liberation of Bulgaria. There is a monument on the top and you will enjoy a wonderful panorama of the Central Balkan Range Mountains.
Stop over to visit Etara open-air Ethnographic Village museum. Craftsman work in numerous workshops using traditional instruments and techniques.You can talk to the craftsman, watch them work and can even try to make something yourself.

B, Overnight in Veliko Tarnovo at 3* hotel Gurko, or similar ( 2 nights) 

Day 5: Veliko Tarnovo

First thing in the morning, following breakfast, is sightseeing tour of Veliko Tarnovo, the capital city of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12-14th c.). Visit the fortress on Tsarevets Hill, the hill where Baldwin's Tower still rises, and Patriarchal Church. Enjoy walking downtown in Samovodene market place, brought back to life by artists and craftsmen, who create and sell exquisite items in their small workshops. Enjoy having lunch in an old inn, restored and made one of the most popular gourmet places in Veliko Tarnovo. In the afternoon, drive to the mediaeval museum village of Arbanassi. This small village is rich in churches, monasteries and old Bulgarian houses, dating back to XVII century and decorated with unique paintings and wood carvings.

B, L, Overnight in Veliko Tarnovo.

Day 6: Veliko Tarnovo - Ruse - Bucharest (220 km)

After breakfast you leave to Romania, en route visiting yet another UNESCO site. The archaeological reserve Ivanovo rock-hewn churches (13th-14th c) was listed in the UNESCO 's List of World Heritage in 1979. Six of the monastery churches and chapels preserve frescoes from 13th-14th C. Admire the famous frescoes at the "Holly Mother" church, created in the middle of the 14th c by an anonymous Bulgarian author.

Enjoy a short walking tour of Ruse, the largest river port in Bulgaria and one of the cities with years-long European cultural traditions. Ruse 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 city's main square which features the Statue of Liberty, erected in 1906 in honour of the Liberation (1878).

                                         10 days Bulgaria - Romania

Following a lunch break, cross the Danube border into Romania and meet your local Romanian tour guide in Giurgiu (Petrom gas station). Proceed to Bucharest. After check in, enjoy a panoramic city tour of Bucharest: you'll see among others the Athenaeum, the former royal palace, the Patriarchal Cathedral, the Stavropoleos church and other religious buildings, but also Ceausescu's megalomaniac legacy, nowadays known as the Parliament Palace. The ruins of the old royal court remind us of Vlad Tepes, a model for the literary character Count Dracula. The controversial Wallachian prince is rumored to be the founder of Bucharest.

B, Overnight at a 4* Capitol or similar in Bucharest.

Day 7: Bucharest  Cozia Sibiu   (280 km)

Following hot & cold breakfast at hotel, drive to Sibiu. En route you stop to visit the Cozia Monastery with its beautiful frescoes from the 14th and 16th century . Proceed driving along the picturesque Olt River gorge, one of the oldest passing routes in the Carpathians.

An afternoon walk through the city centre of Sibiu (UNESCO site) will take you along narrow alleys, old bargain houses, palaces, churches and towers. Among others you'll visit the following sights in the historical centre: the Evangelical Church, the Council Tower, the Large and the Small Square, the Liars' Bridge, the Peasants' Market etc.

Dinner is in one of the best restaurant in Sibiu where you will taste local cuisine with traditional Romanian dishes.

B, D, Overnight at a 3* hotel Ibis in Sibiu, or similar.

Day 8: Sibiu -   Sighisoara -  Brasov (215 km)

Following breakfast, you will continue your journey to Sighisoara. Here you'll admire the most beautiful mediaeval cityscape in Romania (UNESCO site). You'll see the Clock Tower, the Church on the Hill, the Citadel, the former defensive towers and walls of the city and also the birthplace of the Wallachian leader Vlad Dracul. Vlad Dracul later became known as Count Dracula in the Gothic literature and film. Proceed driving to Brasov.

                   Day 8: 10 days Bulgaria Romana: Brasov

During your city tour in Brasov you'll visit the market place and the historic monuments of the city. The main attraction is the Black Church, built in the 14th century in the Gothic style. Here you'll also find a large collection of Oriental carpets, which is quite unusual for a Protestant church.

There are often organ concerts in the Black Church in Brasov. You may elect to attend such a concert optionally (extra fee) should there be one during your visit. Dinner in Brasov.

B,D, Overnight at a 3* in Brasov - Curtea Brasoveana, or similar.

Day 9: Brasov -   Bran -   Sinaia  -  Bucharest (220 km)

Start your day with a visit to the famous Bran Castle.  The Bran Castle Museum is located on the border between Transylvania and Walachia. Also known as Dracula Castle, it was built in 1377 to safeguard the trading route between Transylvania and Walachia, enlarged and restored a few times since then. This castle is known as the homestead of Vlad Tepes/Vlad the Impaler and it's the most visited site in Romania. The writer Bram Stoker brought the fame of the Dracula myth in our country at the beginning of the 20th century.

                                      Day 9: 10-day Bulgaria - Romania tour > Sinaia

Proceed to Sinaia. In the Southern Carpathians, at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains, you'll find Romania's finest ski and health resort. Here you visit the Peles Castle, the magnificent summer residence of the royal family of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. The castle was constructed by order of the Hohenzollern prince and later King Carol I by the Viennese architect Wilhelm von Doderer, and it is reminiscent in its style of late medieval castles. The elegant rooms also house a fresco by Gustav Klimt.
You will reach Bucharest in the evening and enjoy a dinner with folklore show.

B, D,Overnight at a 4* hotel Capitol or similar in Bucharest.

Day 10: Bucharest

Breakfast, followed by time at leisure and saying “Good Bye” to Bucharest. Our driver  will escort you to the airport (drop-off transfer). End of services.

Recommended period:   April – October, valid for minimum 2 persons per booking. Prices are quoted in US$.

Supplements: Accommodation in Plovdiv (1 night) during the periods of the Trade Fair: September 23 September- 28 September 2025:
Per person in single room – 55 US$
Per person in double room – 50 US$

Note: Tour is available with upgraded hotels. Please ask for a custom quote.

4 thoughts on “10 days Bulgaria – Romania: Fiction, Legends and More

  1. We will arrive Sofia on Sept 13 at 4:50 p.m. and depart on Sept 23 at around 12:30 p. from Bucharest.
    We like to add an extra in Sofia, making it 11 days and 10 nights to your tour. We can join with other travelers
    if the days work out. We are both over 60 for senior discount and need knowledgeable English speaking tour guide and must be mini van for transportation.

    1. Dear Ms.Khan:
      We have responded with details in an email to you. Kind regards from sunny Sophia.

    1. Hello,
      Thank you for your interest. We have sent a response to your query via email yesterday, April 17.

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