Monastery Tour - Version C
(5 days-4 overnights)

Day 1 - Arrival in Sandanski. Overnight in Sandanski.
Sandanski enjoys the warmest and sunniest climate in Bulgaria, with alpine breezes and Mediterranean aridity, and hot mineral springs whose curative effects have been appreciated since Roman times. Sandanski has originated from a settlement of a Thracian tribe and is the likely birthplace of Spartacus, who led the great slave revolt against the Roman Empire in 1st c. BC. The old name of Sandanski, prior to Turkish conquest, was Sveti Vrach (Blessed Doctor), after the names of local brothers, Kozma and Damyan, whose healing skills earned them the accolade "Saints". During the Ottoman rule, Sandanski rivalled Melnik as a market centre. The town’s present name pays tribute to the nineteenth-century Macedonian freedom fighter Yane Sandanski. A seven-meter stone figure of Spartacus welcomes the visitor on his way into the town. The Archaeological museum exhibits ruins from a Bishop’s Basilica and material evidences from more than 27 centuries. The St. George church is the only preserved building from the Bulgarian National Revival period.
Day 2 - Sightseeing tour of Rozhen Monastery and Melnik. Optional wine tasting. In the afternoon drive to Rila Monastery. Overnight in a hotel near the Monastery.
The spectacular little town of Melnik is located amidst the fantastic scenery of high sandstone pyramids in the most southwest corner of Bulgaria. Melnik is a museum town for its unique architecture from the National Revival period. Known since the 10th century, Melnik became the capital of the independent ruler Alexi Slav (early 13th c.). Numerous churches, ancient remains and whitewashed museum houses give plenty of choices for a variety of interesting walks. Melnik is also known as the wine capital of Bulgaria for its thick and robust red wines, produced from the unique local variety "Broad Melnik vine". High above the town of Melnik, amidst a typical landscape of pink-white sandstone rocks rises the Rozhen Monastery. The monastery itself dates back to 11th c., while its Blessed Virgin church was built in 1600. An unknown painter decorated it with over 150 biblical scenes while other nameless artists made the beautiful stained glass windows and carved the ornate iconostasis and altar.
Day 3 - Sightseeing tour of the Monastery. Drive to Sofia and sightseeing tour of the capital. In the late afternoon continue to Plovdiv. 2 overnights in Plovdiv.
The Rila Monastery (10th c.) is situated on the Western slopes of the Rila mountain amidst a century-old deciduous forest. It was founded in the 10th c. by a Bulgarian monk Ivan of Rila. Having survived the times with the self-confidence of the most zealous protector of the Bulgarian spirit and language, it still fascinates present-day visitors with the pure and harmonious line of the buildings, exquisite colonnades, arcs and vaults, spacious rooms richly decorated with murals and woodcarvings. The monastery’s most treasured historic and artistic monuments include the 14th century Hrelyo Tower, the five-domed Birth of the Blessed Virgin church and the original monastery kitchens from the 19th century. The monastery also houses a rich museum collection of valuable old manuscripts and documents, charters and icons, an ethnographic exhibition of fabrics, jewellery, carpets and wrought iron objects, and a library containing more than 16 000 books. Rila Monastery is included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage.
Sofia is a city that grows but never ages. Founded over 7000 years ago, Bulgaria’s modern capital testifies to the country’s eternal bond between past and present. Monuments to its rich Thracian, Roman, Bulgar and Ottoman history rub shoulders with modern-day edifices of cosmopolitan city life. Over 250 historic landmarks and architectural monuments blend in with the city’s modern skyline. Some of its most impressive architecture post-dates Bulgaria’s liberation of 1878. Wide tree-lined boulevards house numerous turn-of-the-century buildings. Sofia’s protective fortress walls straddle the city centre where the remnants of the original Serdica settlement (2nd c.) still lie. Major landmarks include the St George Rotunda Church, part of a large archeological complex with rare Roman architectural features; The Saint Sophia Church, Alexander Nevski Memorial Cathedral; the Boyana Church at Sofia’s outskirts – a UNESCO listed building – a fine example of Medieval architecture with unique wall paintings. Other tourist attractions include: The Saint Nedelya Church, Banya Bashi Mosque and nearby Turkish baths, the Hali covered marked and clock tower, synagogue, the National History Museum, the former Communist Party House, the Russian church, the Alexander Batenberg Square, The National Assembly House and many others. Entrepreneurship abounds, with bars and sidewalk cafes springing up everywhere, colourful stalls line the streets and parks, selling everything from fruit to local craftsmanship to take back home with you. The city’s heart beats long into the night, and whenever you’re looking for a classical concert or opera, or a dancing night out till dawn, there’s something for everyone.
Day 4 - Sightseeing tour of Plovdiv and Bachkovo Monastery. Same accommodation.
The ancient chroniclers called Plovdiv "the biggest and most beautiful of all towns in Thrace", and we can also add in Bulgaria. The country’s second largest city is one of the most attractive centres which offers plenty to see: Thracian fortifications, overlaid with Byzantine walls and great timber-framed mansions erected during the Bulgarian renaissance, looking down on the derelict Ottoman mosques and artisans’ dwellings of the lower town. The city still keeps memories of its turbulent and dramatic fate. In 342 BC Philip the Second of Macedon conquered the Thracian town of Evmolpia, and renamed it after himself - Philipopolis. At the start of the second 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. The second biggest monastery in the country, situated at the foothills of the Rhodopes Mountain was founded in 1083 by two Georgians in service of the Byzantine Empire. Apart from the main monastery church, there are chapels, ossuaries, cloisters and cells - all painted with frescos - artistic work of some of the bestever Bulgarian artists. Along the wall of the court yard, frescos provide a narrative of the Monastery's history, showing Bachkovo watched by God's eye and a celestial Madonna and Child, with pilgrims proceeding to a hill in the vicinity to place icons. The oldest preserved buildings are the Ossuary with frescos from the 12th and 14th c, recently open 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 the European Renaissance art. The church of "St. Nicolas" was painted by the most prominent artist of the Bulgarian National Revival period Zachary Zograph in 1840.
Day 5 - Departure