Last modified: January 5, 2024

Bulgaria - Romania Guaranteed Departures

Highlights of Bulgaria Romania Guaranteed Departures

Sorry to advise we will not operate this tour in 2024.

Itinerary - 12 days Bulgaria - Romania: Bulgaria Romania Guaranteed Departures

Dates:

18.05.2022 – 29.05.2022

08.06.2022 – 19.06.2022

13.07.2022 – 24.07.2022

10.08.2022 - 21.08.2022

14.09.2022 – 25.09.2022

28.09.2022 - 02.10.2022

Arrival in Bulgaria/ Sofia: Day 1 of Bulgaria Romania Guaranteed Departures tour

We will meet you at Sofia airport and assist for a transfer to your downtown hotel. , Panoramic city tour en route to your hotel, followed by familiarization with hotel’s neighbourhood. Check in and evening at leisure to overcome jet lag.
T, Accommodation in Sofia (3 nights).

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

Following breakfast, you will enjoy a walking city tour of Sofia and see the landmarks of the city – St George’s Rotunda, the National Theater, walk along the yellow brick road to visit the basilica of St Sophia and Alexander Nevski Memorial Cathedral. Proceed to the famous Rila monastery.

Day 2: Rila monastery UNESCO site

Located some 120 km to the south of Sofia, in the heart of the Rila Mountain, it has been the biggest spiritual and cultural centre in Bulgaria for hundreds of years. Visiting the Monastery is a must. The Monastery's unrivaled architecture and murals will captivate you. Rila monastery is the largest in the Balkans and included in the List of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. Tour of the monastery starts with a visit to the Monastery Church. In the Monastery's museum you can see the famous wood carved Raphael's cross. It took monk Raphael 12 years to finish the cross with its 140 biblical scenes and 1500 human figures, not larger than a grain of rice.
Bulgarian welcome dinner, featuring national cuisine, will mark the end of the day.
B, D, Overnight in Sofia.

Day 3: Sofia - Koprivshtica – Plovdiv - Sofia (350 km)

After breakfast, leave for Koprivshtica. It is a museum town of Bulgarian National Revival architecture.Situated at an altitude of some 3,000 feet above sea level amid lovely meadows and pine forests, the town has long had a magnetic appeal for tourists. Every single house here is part and parcel of Bulgaria’s history. It was here that the first shot of the April Uprising against Ottoman rule rang out in 1876. Although drenched in blood, the uprising resounded in all of Europe. It is a miracle that Koprivshtica itself was spared destruction and survives in its original appearance. Your sightseeing tour (mainly on foot) includes a visit to the beautiful old town and the house of Kableshkov.

Day 3 Plovdiv  > First among The Best Cultural Destinations in Europe 2022

Following a lunch break, proceed to Plovdiv. It is one of the oldest and most colourful towns in Bulgaria. You will enjoy a walking city tour including a visit to the Old Town, the 2000yrs old Roman Theatre, 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.

B, L, Overnight in Sofia.

Day 4: Sofia – Veliko Tarnovo ( 220 km)

Leave Bulgarian capital Sofia and drive to Veliko Tarnovo. You will stop for a visit to a natural phenomenon Saeva Dupka Cave. Here you can see some of the most beautiful cave formations, formed some 145 million years ago.

Check in your hotel in Veliko Tarnovo and after a short break for lunch and refreshment; enjoy an afternoon tour of Veliko Tarnovo. Tarnovo used to be the capital city of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12-14th c.). You will visit the fortress on Tsarevets Hill, the hill where Baldwin's Tower still rises, and the 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.

B,L, Overnight in Veliko Tarnovo, 4* hotel Bolyarski, or Grand hotel Yantra or similar.( 2 nights).

Day 5: 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.

Day 5: Cross the Danube river en route to Bucharest

Following a lunch break, cross the Danube border into Romania and drive to Bucharest. ( 1,5 hrs) Arrival in Bucharest and meeting with the Romanian guide. Welcome dinner and accommodation in Bucharest.

B,D, Overnight in Bucharest.

Day 6: Bucharest – Bran – Brasov (190 km, ~ 3h 30min)

Drive from Bucharest towards the mountains. Arrival at Bran Castle. The Bran Castle Museum is located on the former 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 Țepeș (Vlad the Impaler) and it’s the most visited attraction in Romania. The writer Bram Stoker brought the fame of the Dracula myth in our country at the beginning of the 20th century.

Day 6: Brasov city tour

During our city tour in Brașov we’ll see 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 we'll also find a large collection of Oriental carpets, which is quite unusual for a Protestant church.
B,D, Overnight in Brașov.

Day 7: Brasov – Voronet (380 km, ~ 5h 30min)

Today we leave Transylvania behind and we arrive at the Red Lake (Lacul Rosu), where we take a hike around the lake. Afterwards we drive along the Bicaz Gorge, an impressive natural canyon with hundreds of meters of limestone-walls, towards Piatra Neamt. We then visit the Agapia monastery with 500 nuns and novices, one of the largest monasteries in Europe. Then we drive to Gura Humorului for a 2-night stay.
B,D, Overnight in Voronet.

Day 8: The Moldavian Monasteries (120 km, ~ 2h 0min) Bulgaria Romania Guaranteed Departures

After breakfast you'll visit the UNESCO-Monasteries in Bukovina, also named the
Moldavian Monasteries. First you'll visit the Voronet Monastery or “The Sistine Chapel of the East”, one of the best preserved monasteries of the 15th century. It is especially famous for the deep
blue shade of its frescoes, known in Romania as “Voronet Blue”. Next you'll visit the Moldovita Monastery, where one of the nuns will tell you more about the everyday life of the nuns. Next you go to Sucevita, the “Pearl of the Moldavian Monasteries”. In the evening we enjoy an egg painting demonstration. Drive back to Voronet.
B,D, Overnight in Voronet.

Day 9: Voronet – Bistrita - Sighisoara (300 km, ~ 5h 0min)

Depart to Bistrita over the picturesque Borgo Pass of the Eastern Carpathians with a stop at Castle Dracula Hotel. This is where Bram Stoker placed the “residence” of his imaginary character: Count Dracula. You then pass through Bistrita heading south to Sighisoara. Here, we take a city tour in Sighișoara to admire the most beautiful medieval
cityscape in Romania. We’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 who later became known as Count Dracula in the Gothic literature and film.

B,D, Overnight in Sighisoara.

Day 10: Sighisoara – Sibiu (120 km, ~ 2h 0min)

Today we’ll visit the former bishop's seat Biertan where you'll find a carefully restored fortified church which has been listed by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Drive to Sibiu through the picturesque
Hartibaciu Valley. A walk through the city center of Sibiu will take you along narrow alleys, old bargain houses, palaces, churches and towers. Among others we’ll visit the following sights in the historical center: the Evangelical Church, the Council Tower, the Large and the Small Square, the Liars' Bridge, the Peasants' Market etc. Dinner in Sibiel, at a farmer family. The meal will consist of traditional Romanian dishes.

B,D, Overnight stay in Sibiu.

Day 11: Sibiu – Bucharest (280 km, ~ 5h 0min)

Today we head alongside the Olt River breakthrough towards southern Romania. Visit of the monastery from Cozia, a typical Romanian architecture from the 14th century. We then continue to Bucharest. In Bucharest we’ll see 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 Țepeș, a model for the literary character Count Dracula. The controversial Wallachian prince is rumored to be the founder of Bucharest. Dinner in Restaurant and accommodation in Bucharest.

B,D, Overnight in Bucharest.

Day 12: Departure

Transfer to airport and departure.

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

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

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