Bulgaria Rose Festival Tour

Bulgaria Rose Festival Tour

2025 Bulgaria Rose Festival Tour will reveal the secrets of producing Rose Oil. It includes visits to 4 Rose Oil distilleries. You will meet the local producers and discuss with them the quality of the Rose Oil produced in the Rose Valley of Bulgaria.

Itinerary - Rose Festival Tour 05 - 09.06.2025

5 day/4 night tour: Join a small group

05 June 2025 /Day 1: Sofia

Our guide will meet you at Sofia International airport and assist for a transfer to hotel. Check in. After a short break for refreshment, a short familiarization with the city and hotel vicinity will follow. Rest of day at leisure, to overcome  jet lag.

Accommodation in Sofia at Hotel Niky, 3*  or similar, 2 nights.

06 June 2025/Day 2: Sofia

After breakfast, enjoy a sightseeing tour of Sofia, which is a city with 7000-year long history. Take a walking city tour including the 4^th c. St. George Rotunda - a fine monument of Roman architecture. You will visit the St. Sophia Christian basilica from the 4-6th c., which gave the city its name. Final visit is to the golden-domed Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral. Its interior, exquisite murals, icons and colorful mosaics are impressive, indeed. Tour proceeds with panoramic sightseeing of the University, the National Assembly, the Banya Bashi Mosque and National Palace of Culture.

Stop for a visit to the State Laboratory "Bulgarian Rose"and attend a short lecture on the quality of Bulgarian essential oils, producers and best organic essential oil companies. In the afternoon visit the Botanical Rose Gardens at the Sofia University and enjoy the variety of roses grown here.

Accommodation in Sofia 

07 June 2025/Day 3: Sofia - Kalofer - Karlovo - Kazanlak - Stara Zagora

Following breakfast, continue east towards the Rose Valley.

After breakfast, drive via Karlovo to the village of Tarnicheni, close to Kalofer. Visit the local distillery and attend a lecture on rose water and rose oil distillation. Meet the local producers and taste the aroma of natural oils, produced here: rose oil, lavender oil, etc.

07 June 2025/In the afternoon

You will continue towards Kazanlak to visit the Rose museum. This small museum will tell you the story of rose production and more about the industry standards, set by the Bulgarian producers centuries ago.  Time permitting, you will visit yet another rose-oil distillery in Kazanlak before driving to Stara Zagora for dinner and overnight.

B, Accommodation in Stara Zagora  at a 3* hotel  La Roca or similar

08 June 2025/Day 4: Kazanlak - THE ROSE FESTIVAL IN KAZANLAK  - Plovdiv

Early morning breakfast at hotel. Then you will drive to visit the rose fields and participate in rose picking in the rose fields of Kazanlak. Proceed to the village of Skobelevo and visit the Ethnographic complex “Damascena” with its rose gardens and distillery.  At noon proceed to Kazanlak to attend the street Rose parade(optional), or enjoy some free time downtown. Indulge yourself in discovering the best local rose products or wines at the ROSÉ Wine Festival. Drive for lunch to a picnic place in an open-air restaurant. Here you will enjoy traditional food, wine, music and folklore dance show.

Bulgaria Rose Festival tour proceeds to Plovdiv

In the afternoon you will continue onto Bulgaria’s second ranking town, Plovdiv(1,5 hrs. drive). It is set within the Thracian plane with the Maritsa River flowing through the city. Plovdiv is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe, which is located on six hills. 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 at its height. You will take in a brief walking city tour and explore the Roman Theatre which is one of the world’s best preserved ancient theatres.

B,L, Accommodation in Plovdiv at a 3* hotel, Hill House or similar.

09 June 2025/ Day 5: Plovdiv - Sofia Airport

Following breakfast, you will enjoy the rest of Plovdiv’s sights. Take a visit to the Old Town, the Roman Stadium, the Byzantine and mediaeval fortifications, the 15th century mosque. Walk along the narrow cobbled streets and admire the silence and tranquillity of this historic town. In the early afternoon you will continue the journey back to Sofia - a 2-hrs drop-off transfer to Sofia airport, where tour ends.