Day 01 Sofia (-/-/-)

Upon arrival at Sofia airport meet and greet our tour escort, transfers to the hotel, check in to the hotel relax and refresh. Later proceed for Sofia sightseeing tour, the capital of Bulgaria, one of Europe's oldest cities, nestled at the foot of Vitosha Mountain, uniquely blends ancient Roman ruins, grand Orthodox architecture, and Soviet-era monuments with a dynamic modern lifestyle which offers an affordable European getaway with excellent food and immediate outdoor access. 

Start with the St. Nedelya Cathedral (Sveta Nedelya), the landmark Eastern Orthodox cathedral, located in the absolute center of Sofia, Bulgaria, standing at a major crossroads atop ancient Roman ruins, serves as one of the city's primary spiritual and historical anchors. 

Next, visit the St. George Rotunda, commonly known as the Early Christian red-brick domed structure, widely recognized as the city's oldest surviving building. 

Have Lunch, and visit the Russian Church of St. Nicolas, can refer to several prominent Orthodox cathedrals globally, officially known as the Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, a structure features colorful tiled exteriors and five glittering golden onion domes, consecrated in 1914, originally built for the Russian diplomatic mission but became a central spiritual home for Russian exiles.

Next, visit the St. Sophia Church, the second-oldest church in the Bulgarian capital, dating back to the 6th century, an iconic, red-brick Byzantine basilica is so historically significant that it actually gave the city of Sofia its name in the 14th century. 

Visitors can explore an underground museum featuring a labyrinth of ancient tombs, Roman mosaics, and frescoes. The church has no separate bell tower, its historical rescue bell is famously hung on a tall tree right outside the entrance. The Monument to the Unknown Soldier, located immediately next to the church facade, featuring an eternal flame and a lion monument. 

Visit the Patriarchal Cathedral St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, definitive symbol of Bulgaria's capital city, built in the Neo-Byzantine style between 1882 and 1912, honors the Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), which liberated Bulgaria from Ottoman rule. 

Also, visit the Ivan Vazov National Theater, Bulgaria's oldest, largest, and most prestigious theater, serving as a major architectural landmark in central Sofia, founded in 1904, the striking building faces the lively City Garden, dedicated to Ivan Vazov, the widely revered "patriarch of Bulgarian literature".

Have Dinner and transfer to the hotel, free and easy at own leisure, explore the nearby vicinity from your hotel. Overnight in Sofia.

Day 02 Rila Monastery (B/-/-)

After breakfast at the hotel, proceed to the Rila Monastery, founded in the 10th century, the biggest monastery, the largest, most famous, and culturally significant Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria, nestled at an elevation of 1,147 metres in the deep valley of the Rilska River within the scenic Nature Park Rila Monastery, widely regarded as the spiritual heart of the country and has been a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, established in the 10th century by Saint Ivan of Rila, a holy hermit who lived in a nearby cave. 

His students built the original complex, served as a critical hub for preserving Bulgarian language, Slavic culture, and Christian identity during 500 years of Ottoman rule, while the oldest surviving structure is the stone Hrelyo’s Tower from the 14th century, a devastating fire in 1833 destroyed most of the complex. It was beautifully rebuilt between 1834 and 1862, making it a masterpiece of the Bulgarian National Revival architecture. 

Have Lunch and visit the Hermit St. John of Rila (876–946 AD), the patron saint of Bulgaria and the nation's first recognized hermit, known as the Wonderworker, found the famous Rila Monastery after withdrawing from society to live a life of intense prayer and asceticism in the remote Bulgarian mountains, born in the village of Skrino (near modern-day Sofia), he became an orphan and worked as a cowherd before entering a monastery. At age 25, he took his vows and eventually abandoned the monastery for a hermetic, solitary existence.

Visit the patron and protector of Bulgaria, a Saint Ivan Rilski (also known as Saint John of Rila or Sv. Ivan Rilski), widely regarded as the heavenly protector of the Bulgarian people, a spiritual leader, and a miracle worker. 

Next, visit of the monastery, the main church and the monastery museum, located within the residential wings of the complex, the Rila Monastery History Museum details centuries of Bulgarian culture and spiritual resilience through a repository of over 3,500 artifacts.

Have Dinner, transfer to hotel. Free and easy at own leisure. Overnight in Sofia.

Day 03 Plovdiv / Bachkovo Monastery & Wine Tasting in Brestovitsa (B/-/-)

After breakfast, proceed to Plovdiv, second-largest city, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, spanning 8,000 years of history, beautifully layers ancient Roman ruins (like the Ancient Theatre of Philippopolis) alongside a bohemian arts district and vibrant Ottoman-era architecture. 

Visit of the Old town which represents one of the most spectacular ensembles of townhouses from the period of the Bulgarian National Revival.

Visit the Saints Constantine and Helen, one of the oldest Christian landmarks in Plovdiv, located in the heart of the historic Old Town complex, serves as a holy ground dating back to 304 AD, where 40 Christian martyrs (including Saints Severin and Memnos) were beheaded during the Roman persecutions under Emperor Diocletian, a Christian sanctuary built on the location around 337 AD atop a pagan temple right next to the historic Hisar Kapia. Following multiple instances of destruction over the centuries, the current structure was completed in 1832 during the Bulgarian National Revival.

Have Lunch and visit the Roman Theatre of Philippopolis is one of the world's best-preserved ancient structures, constructed in the 1st century AD during the reign of Emperor Trajan. Situated in the vibrant Old Town of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, this magnificent marble monument remains a fully functional open-air venue hosting large-scale opera, theater, and musical performances today. 

Next, visit the Regional Ethnographic Museum, one of the most prominent cultural landmarks in Bulgaria, housed inside the iconic Kuyumdzhioglu House within Plovdiv's historic Old Town, built in 1847, a majestic structure represents the height of mid-19th-century Baroque National Revival architecture, featuring a beautifully symmetrical facade and wave-like roof contours. 

Visit the Bachkovo Monastery, the second-largest Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria, sits beautifully nestled inside the scenic Rhodope Mountains, established in 1083, highly revered spiritual center seamlessly blends Byzantine, Georgian, and Bulgarian traditions, one of the country's most significant cultural and pilgrimage destinations, trailing only the famous Rila Monastery. 

Followed a visit to Brestovitsa for a wine tasting in a boutique wine cellar, a prominent Bulgarian village located in the Rodopi Municipality, southern Bulgaria, best known as the unofficial "Capital of Wine", patented regionally as "Brestovitsa, the capital of wine" due to its 13-century-old grape-growing heritage, home to notable cellars including Villa Vinifera Winery (built in 1936, aging wine in traditional oak barrels) and Brestovitsa Winery, designed by French engineers in the 1930s. 

Have Dinner and transfer to hotel. Free and easy at own leisure. Overnight in Sofia.

Day 04 Kazanlak (B/-/-)

After breakfast, proceed to Kazanlak, a city of artist, roses and Thracian kings, a charming city in central Bulgaria, globally famous as the capital of the fragrant Rose Valley and the historic Valley of the Thracian Kings, located roughly 200 kilometers east of Sofia, nestled at the base of the majestic Balkan Mountains. It seamlessly blends ancient history, natural beauty, and unique industrial traditions. 

Start with the Rose Valley is a historically significant region in central Bulgaria, nestled between the Balkan Mountains and the Sredna Gora range, centered around the towns of Kazanlak and Karlovo, global epicenter for rose oil production, responsible for yielding a massive portion of the world's exquisite rose oil (attar), the perfect climate and soil for cultivating the oil-bearing Rosa Damascena (Damask rose). 

Have Lunch and visit the Historical Museum "Iskra", located in the town of Kazanlak, Bulgaria, one of the oldest, richest, and most famous regional museums in the country, founded in 1901 by local patriot Peter Topuzov, preserves over 70,000 original artifacts that trace the deep history and spiritual culture of the Valley of the Thracian Kings and the Rose Valley region. 

Next, visit the Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak is a ancient, vaulted brickwork "beehive" (tholos) burial chamber renowned for its exquisite, well-preserved Hellenistic frescoes, dating back to the late 4th to early 3rd century BCE, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, located in the Tyulbeto Park in the town of Kazanlak, central Bulgaria. 

Have Dinner, transfer to hotel. Free and easy at own leisure. Overnight in Sofia.

Day 05 Veliko Turnovo (B/-/-)

After breakfast, check out and proceed to enroute on a panoramic city surrounded by mountains on all sides and has been an area of human habitation since at least 7000 BC to Veliko Turnovo. Check in to hotel, relax and refresh.

Later, proceed to Veliko Turnovo an historic and spiritual former capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, famously nicknamed the "City of Tsars.", nestled along the winding curves of the Yantra River in north-central Bulgaria, the university city of roughly 66,000 residents features terracotta-roofed houses tiered up steep hillsides, making it one of Europe's most visually striking and dramatic destinations.

Have Dinner, transfer to hotel. Free and easy at own leisure. Overnight in Veliko Turnovo.