Treasure land

Day 1 - Sofia
Meet and Greet at Sofia Airport. Transfer by A/C coach to your hotel and accommodation. Sofia City Sightseeing Tour - the capital of Bulgaria boasts millennia of rich and versatile history and culture, but also evidences of a permanent revival. We take you by coach via the most impressive Sofia sights including - the National Assembly, the Bulgarian Academy of of Science, the Foreign Art Gallery, the St Cyril and St Methodius National Library, the Fine Arts Academy, the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, the Palace of Culture, the St. Nedelya Church - built at the very city centre and former cross-point of four Roman lanes, the St Petka Samardzhiiska Church (14 c.), the Sofia Statue, the Banya Bashi Mosque (16 c.) and the Sofia Synagogue. Your stroll will then go along the Rotunda of St. George (4 c.), the Presidency, the underpass with the Roman fortress walls and the Eastern Gates of the city (2 c.), the Archaeological Museum, the National Theatre, the National Art Gallery and the Ethnographic Museum, the St. Nikolai Russian Church. Visit the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with the enchanting Icon Gallery in the Cathedral Crypt . We will then walk across the Nevsky Square to attend a special private choir concert of Orthodox sacred music at the St. Sophia Basilica. Welcome dinner. Overnight.
Day 2 - Sofia - Rila Monastery
Buffet Breakfast . Visit - the National Museum of History, displaying among its 200 000 exhibits the unique and finest Thracian gold treasures, the Boyana Church 11 c. (on UNESCO World Heritage list) with admirable frescos from the 13 c. Lunch. Departure for a 120 km drive to the Rila Monastery - Founded in the 10 c., this sacred site nested in the splendid scenery of the Rila Mountains, features the heights of Bulgarian cultural and spiritual glory; marvellous frescos, murals, icon paintings and woodcarving masterpieces. Return trip to your hotel in Sofia and relax. Dinner. Overnight.
Day 3 - Veliko Tarnovo - Etara
Buffet Breakfast . Check out and departure to Veliko Tarnovo city - the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12 – 14 c.) known for its medieval greatness, being second only to Constantinople in splendour. Picturesqely perched on three hills in the heart of the Balkan Range, the city mirrors its glory in the serene meanders of the Yantra River. Visit the Tzarevetz Fortress and the Patriarch Church. Lunch in the picturesque village of Arbanassi - discover the austere beauty of its fortress-like houses and the ingenuity of its inspiring arts and crafts. Enjoy a panoramic view on Veliko Tarnovo. Continue to the Architectural and Ethnographic park "Etara" - a living museum in the open air , a "fairy-tale" of genuine forms, colours and fragrances, with an authentic arts-and-crafts cobble street through unique water-powered workshops. Arrival and accommodation. Visit "Etara" and see live performed old-time handicrafts like wood-carving, pottery, cutlery, silversmithwork. See how butter is churned and oven-fresh bread is prepared. Participate and taste. Dinner with regional specialities and folklore show.
Day 4 - Valley of Roses - Starosel
Buffet Breakfast. Early departure from the Etara Ethnographic Park for a visit to the Sokolski Monastery, the House of Humour in Gabrovo and through the Shipka pass - to the Valley of Kings and Roses (close to Kazanlak city) to witness a special live performance showing the traditions of Rose growing and Rose Oil extracting process, to be accompanied by an exciting Rose Brandy, Rose Liqueur and Rose Jam tasting. For centuries the fragrant Bulgarian rose has been grown there and the attar (or essence) of roses is being extracted for the production of the rose oil. Each End of May and early June the Valley of roses magically blossoms into a sea of scent and tint. Visit the Museum of the Rose. Visit the original of the Kazanlak Thracian Tomb (4th c. B.C.). Lunch. Continue to Plovdiv - on the way visit the unique Thracian temple complex Starosel - an impressive ancient site unearthed in the heart of the Balkans. The sensational discovery in the year 2000 of this outstanding monument started to unveil the secrets of the biggest Thracian temple-tomb complex in the Balkans (dated 5th c. BC). Arrival in Plovdiv and accommodation. Time to relax. Dinner. Overnight.
Day 5 - Plovdiv
Buffet Breakfast. In times bygone "the largest and most beautiful of all Thracian cities", Plovdiv is now a living museum displaying valuable and enchanting remains. See the highlights of the Old Plovdiv - the Antique Roman Amphitheatre, the Forum Romanum, the colourful 19th c. houses with exquisite woodcarvings and frescoes – a picturesque showcase of the Bulgarian Renaissance and unique artistic ambience blending gracefully with modern urban landmarks. Lunch in a traditional tavern with local specialities. Departure for a visit to the Bachkovo Monastery (11th c.) - exquisite murals and medieval icons. Return to your hotel. Time to relax. Dinner. Attend a music performance. Overnight.
Day 6 - Perperikon
Buffet Breakfast. Departure for a 100 km drive to the Eastern Rhodope Mountain and visit Perperikon - an ancient Thracian kingdom capital (5th - 4th c. B.C.) and a grandiose centre of pilgrimage and worship, including hewn into the rock fortress and palace, temples, holy places and sacrificial altars, some of which dated to the 2nd millennium B.C. Recent archaeological finds tend to confirm that the long-lost Temple Sanctuary of Dionysus may prove to be indeed at Perperikon. Lunch sampling regional cuisine at an outstanding "pontoon" restaurant on the Kardzhali lake. Visit the Holy Virgin Assumption Church in Kardzhali and glimpse at an extraordinary find that is believed to conceal Fragments of the True Cross (the Cross of the Crucifixion), discovered in a bronze reliquary near Perperikon. Return to Plovdiv. Farewell dinner with wine tasting. Overnight.
Day 7 - Buffet Breakfast. Check out and departure to Sofia. Arrival in Sofia and shopping time/ visit the newly opened attraction park Sofia Land (option). Transfer to Sofia Airport. Departure flight to Athens.