10-Day Bulgaria & Romania Private Tour: Fiction, Legends & UNESCO Sites

Quick Facts

• Duration: 10 days / 9 nights
• Countries: Bulgaria & Romania
• Tour style: Private or small-group guided cultural & historical tour
• Start: Sofia, Bulgaria
• End: Bucharest, Romania
• Main destinations: Sofia, Plovdiv, Kazanlak, Veliko Tarnovo, Ruse, Bucharest, Cozia, Sibiu, Sighișoara, Brașov, Bran, Sinaia
• Transportation: Comfortable sedan or minivan with driver/guide
• Language: English-speaking local guides
• Recommended period: April – October
• Package Rate starts at 1855€ per person for a group of 8.

Itinerary at a Glance

Starting days:

• Winter (September 14, 2026– April 15, 2027): Tuesday through Saturday
• Summer (April 16 – September 15, 2026): Monday through Saturday

Day 1: Arrival in Sofia/Bulgaria

Summary
Arrival in Sofia, airport transfer, panoramic city tour and time to relax.

Quick facts

• Distance: Airport → hotel (short city transfer)
• Main activities: Airport meet & greet, panoramic city tour of Sofia, orientation walk near hotel
• Overnight: 4* Hotel Coop, Sofia (2 nights)

We will meet you at Sofia airport and assist with a private transfer to your hotel. On the way, enjoy a panoramic city tour as you pass some of Sofia’s main sights, and let our guide help you get familiar with the hotel’s neighbourhood. After check‑in, the evening is at leisure so you can rest and overcome jet lag.

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

Summary
Two UNESCO sites in one day: Boyana Church and Rila Monastery, Bulgaria’s most important spiritual centre.

Quick facts

• Distance: Approx. 250 km round trip
• Main visits: Boyana Church (UNESCO), Rila Monastery (UNESCO), monastery museum
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
• Overnight: 4* Hotel Coop, Sofia

Today you visit two UNESCO cultural sites. First is Boyana Church, located at the foot of Vitosha Mountain, only about a 15‑minute drive from downtown Sofia. Then you continue south through scenic mountains to Rila Monastery, founded in the 10th century and for centuries Bulgaria’s largest spiritual and cultural centre.

Your first sight of the towering monastery walls gives the impression of a fortress, but as you step through the archway you find one of Bulgaria’s most beautiful courtyards. Rila Monastery is listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site. The tour includes the Monastery Church, noted for its artistic value, and the museum where you can see Raphael’s Cross, a famous masterpiece of woodcarving.

Day 3: Sofia - Plovdiv (160 km)

Summary
Travel from Sofia to Plovdiv, one of Europe’s oldest cities, and explore its colourful Old Town and Roman heritage.

Quick facts

• Distance: Approx. 160 km
• Main visits: Plovdiv Old Town, Roman Theater, fortifications, mosque, city walk
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
• Overnight: 3* Hotel Expo (or similar), Plovdiv

After breakfast you leave Bulgaria’s capital and head to Plovdiv. Located on the Maritsa River and surrounded by hills, Plovdiv is one of the oldest and most colourful towns in Bulgaria, with history going back over 5,000 years. Old Plovdiv on Trimontium Hill is the heart of Bulgarian National Revival architecture.

On a walking city tour you visit the Old Town, the 2,000‑year‑old Roman Theater, the Byzantine and medieval fortifications and the 15th‑century mosque. Stroll along narrow cobbled streets and enjoy the silence and tranquillity of this historic quarter. Lunch is at the well‑known restaurant in the Old City

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

Summary

Valley of Roses, Thracian Tomb (UNESCO), Shipka Pass, Etara ethnographic village, arrival in Veliko Tarnovo.

Quick facts

• Distance: Approx. 220 km
• Main visits: Valley of Roses, Kazanlak, Tyulbe,  Thracian Tomb UNESCO World Heritage site, Shipka Pass,Etara Ethnographic Village museum
• Meals: B, L
• Overnight: 3* Hotel Gurko (or similar), Veliko Tarnovo ( 2 nights)

After breakfast, leave Plovdiv and drive to the Valley of Roses and Kazanlak, where roses are in full bloom from mid‑May to mid‑June. Your sightseeing tour includes the Tyulbe, the Kazanlak Thracian Tomb (replica) and the Museum of the Rose and Rose Oil. The original tomb, dating to the late 4th–early 3rd century B.C., is on the UNESCO World Heritage List; its frescoes and funeral objects suggest that a Thracian king was buried here.

Next, a short stop in Shipka, where decisive battles for Bulgaria’s liberation were fought in 1877–1878. Visit the monument on the summit and enjoy a panoramic view of the Central Balkan Range.

Then explore Etara, an open‑air Ethnographic Village museum, where craftsmen work in traditional workshops using historic instruments and techniques. You can talk to them, watch their craft and even try making something yourself. Afterward, continue to Veliko Tarnovo for your overnight stay.

Day 5: Veliko Tarnovo

Summary  Fortress and medieaval capital, traditional crafts market, and Arbanassi village with historic churches and houses.

Quick facts

• Distance: Approx. 20 km
• Main visits:Tsarevets Hill, Samovodene market place/Samovodska Chrshiya/, Arbanassi museum village
• Meals: B, L
• Overnight: 3* Hotel Gurko (or similar), Veliko Tarnovo

Following breakfast, enjoy a 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

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

Summary: 
Travel from Veliko Tarnovo to Bucharest via the UNESCO Ivanovo Rock‑Hewn Churches, a short city walk in Ruse on the Danube, and a scenic crossing into Romania, followed by a panoramic tour of Bucharest. Includes seamless border crossing logistics with local guide handovers at the Danube bridge.

Quick facts

• Distance: Approx. 220 km
• Main visits: UNESCO Ivanovo Rock‑Hewn Churches, short Ruse city walk, cross Danube, panoramic Bucharest tour
• Meals: Breakfast
• Overnight: 4* Hotel Capitol (or similar), Bucharest

After breakfast you leave the old capital of Veliko Tarnovo and head north to the remote and beautiful Ivanovo Rock‑Hewn Churches, a UNESCO site located in a scenic gorge. These 12th‑ and 13th‑century medieval chapels and monastic cells are carved into the rock and decorated with rare frescoes, giving a vivid glimpse of Bulgaria’s spiritual past.

Next, you travel to Ruse, the cleanest and most elegant city in Bulgaria, with a charming 19th‑century architecture along the Danube. A short walking tour lets you see the main streets and squares before the cross‑border private transfer to Romania: local guide handover at the Danube bridge.

After crossing the Danube, you continue through the Romanian countryside to Bucharest. On arrival, enjoy a panoramic city tour highlighting the Palace of the Parliament, Arcul de Triumf, the National Theatre and other key landmarks, then settle into your hotel for two nights.

Day 7: Bucharest - Cozia - Sibiu (280 km)

Summary:Visit Cozia Monastery, scenic drive through Olt River gorge, explore Sibiu’s UNESCO historic centre

Quick facts

• Distance: Approx. 280 km
• Main visits: Cozia Monastery, Olt River gorge,Sibiu (UNESCO site)
• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Overnight: 3* Hotel Ibis  (or similar), Sibiu

Following 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.

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

Summary: UNESCO Sighișoara and Dracula connections, Brasov city tour and Black Church.

Quick facts

• Distance: Approx. 215 km
• Main visits: Sighișoara UNESCO site, Brasov and the Black Church (14-th c.)
• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Overnight: 4* hotel Casa Cranta(or similar),Brasov.

After breakfast, travel to Sighișoara, Romania’s best-preserved medieval city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the Clock Tower
Church on the Hill , the Citadel, former defensive towers and walls, and the birthplace of  Vlad Dracul, later associated with Count Dracula in Gothic literature and film. Continue to Brasov for a city tour of the market square and historic landmarks. The highlight is the Black Church , a 14th-century Gothic church known for its remarkable collection of Oriental carpets. Optional organ concert attendance may be available during the visit (extra fee). Dinner in Brasov.

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

Summary: Bran (Dracula) Castle, Peleș Castle in Sinaia, farewell dinner with folklore show in Bucharest.

Quick facts

• Distance: Approx. 220 km
• Main visits: Bran (Dracula) Castle, Peleș Castle Sinaia
• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Overnight: 4* hotel Capitol

Day 10: Bucharest

Summary: Spend some free time exploring Bucharest before your private transfer to the airport for your connecting flight home.

Quick facts

• Distance: Hotel → Bucharest airport (approx. 15–20 km, depending on airport and hotel)
• Main activities: Free morning in Bucharest, Private transfer from your hotel to Bucharest airport for your departure flight
• Meals: Breakfast
• Overnight: Tour ends (no overnight)

Enjoy a free morning in Bucharest at your own pace (optional: coffee, last walk, or short souvenir shopping).Our driver will escort you to the airport, where your tour comes to an end.

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

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