The cultural heritage of the ancient and mediaeval Bulgaria

Day 1 - Arrival in Sofia. Accommodation. First visit to the central area to feel the atmosphere of the city.
Day 2 - In the morning, sightseeing tour of the capital, including the Al. Nevski Cathedral and the National History Museum. The Museum exhibits the famous Thracian Gold Treasures, including part of the oldest discovered gold in the world.
Later in the afternoon, drive to Plovdiv. Accommodation in Plovdiv for two overnights.
Day 3 - Morning sightseeing tour of Plovdiv.
Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria, one of the most ancient settlements in Europe (7th millennium B.C.). This singular city preserves vivid memories of its turbulent and dramatic fate. In 342 B.C. Philip of Macedon conquered the Thracian town of Evmolpia, leaving it his name - Philipopolis. At the start of our millennium the Romans conquered Thrace and called the city Trimontium (the name is connected with the location of the city, built on three hills). During the 19th c. Bulgarian master-builders erected the National Revival city of Plovdiv (the Old town) with steep cobbled streets, lovely houses with large bay windows and slender columns, latticed eaves and heavy oak gates, quiet green yards and rippling marble fountains. After lunch drive southwards to Bachkovo Monastery (30 km), visit of the Monastery - the second biggest monastery in the country, situated at the foothills of the Rhodopes mountain. It was founded in 1083. The oldest preserved buildings are: the Ossuary with unique frescoes from the 12th and 14th c., recently opened for visitors and the church "St. Archangels" (12th-13th c.). The murals in the refectory (built in 1604 and decorated in 1643) are believed to be a masterpiece of European Renaissance Art. The monastery church of "St. Nicolas" was painted by the most renowned Bulgarian icon-painter Zachary Zograph in 1840. In the evening you can try famous wines of the region (Assenovgrad Mavrud, Cabernet and Merlot) in the nearby Brestovitsa Winery.
Day 4 - In the morning we drive about 160 km northeast to the relics of Kabile, a significant fortress in the state of Philip of Macedon. It keeps glorious stories about the past of Bulgaria. Here we visit the last excavations from the old Thracian city.
Drive about 120 km west to Kazanlak, the rose valley capital, to visit the Thracian Tomb, listed in the World Heritage of UNESCO, and the Rose Museum. Overnight in Kazanlak.
Day 5 - Driving via the glorious Shipka Pass to the town of Veliko Tarnovo, we visit Shipka Monastery, built in the typical 17th c. Russian architectural style. Also, we go to the open-air ethnographic museum Etura, which still keeps alive many of the old National Revival crafts and arts. On the way we stop in the beautiful town of Tryavna, which keeps its 19-century atmosphere in it centre and the nearby conservation village of Bozhenci. Overnight in Veliko Tarnovo.
Day 6 - Get to know Veliko Tarnovo - the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12th-14th c.), situated on three hills on the banks of the meandering Yantra river. Drive to the village of Arbanassi - an architectural reserve with typical houses from the 12th c. and well-preserved churches from the Bulgarian Revival period. The oldest one is "Nativity of Christ" (1637-49) dug into the ground without a belfry and with hidden cupolas, but hiding a genuine art gallery with over 3500 stunningly realistic figures and biblical scenes, painted by unknown artists. Free time in Veliko Tarnovo, same accommodation. Possibility to attend the impressive "Sound and light" evening show.
Day 7
Version A - Drive back to Sofia and departure.
Version B - Drive back to Sofia. On the way we can stop to see the old town of Lovech, with the only Covered bridge in Bulgaria.
In the evening, a folklore dinner with national meals and drinks, traditional dances and songs can be organised in Sofia. Overnight in Sofia.
Day 8 - Drive back to Sofia for departure
Version C
Day 7 -. After breakfast drive to Shumen via Sveshtari.
The Sveshtari Thracian Tomb is located in a region declared as an archaeological reserve, near the town of Razgrad. 5000 years ago master stonemasons erected the tomb of a Thracian king. Perfect as architecture, it amazes both with its wealth of sculptural ornaments – the caryatides below the vault, rosettes, stylized ox heads, garlands colonnades and the ritual of heroization painted in vibrant colours.
A remarkable monument of the Thracian art the tomb is the biggest sensation of ancient archaeology in recent years.
Posibilities for optional visits of the relics of the First and Second Bulgarian capitals: Pliska and Veliki Preslav.
Pliska is the Slavic name the Proto Bulgarians gave to the first capital of their new state (7th c.). Reviving the traditions of their predecessors they erected the monumental and austere looking city. Remains of the most impressive buildings have survived until the present: the large basilica, the palaces and the throne room from the second half of the 9th c.
Proclaimed for a capital by Tsar Simeon in 9th century, Veliki (Great) Preslav was designed to correspond to the prosperity and upsurge of the Bulgarian State, the conversion to Christianity, the creation of the Slav script and culture.
Two fortress walls surrounded the city. With its splendor and ornate decorations the inner city, housing the palace complex and the famous Golden Church, demonstrated the power and the confidence of the Bulgarian rulers. The nearby Patleyna monastery, part of Veliki Preslav archeological reserve, was a center of writers of the famous Preslav School of literature and the place where the unique painted Preslav ceramics were produced. Overnight in Shumen.
Day 8 - Drive back to Sofia for departure