Tour: The best of Romania and Bulgaria
15 days / 14 nights

*Depending on the availability, this tour can be organized at any other dates and for any number of persons, but the prices could vary

Prices:

1.360 Euro/person sharing a double room
Single room supplement: 298 Euro
Half Board supplement: 198 Euro/person

INTINERARY
Day 1 – Saturday SOFIA
Arrival in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Pick-up from the airport and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is free. In the evening you will meet your guide and the fellow travelers. Overnight in Sofia.
Optional: Dinner in a Bulgarian traditional restaurant with folklore program 22 Euro/person

Day 2 – Sunday SOFIA
After breakfast, sightseeing tour of Sofia.
Founded over 7,000 years ago around numerous hot and cold mineral springs, which are still available today, Sofia has flourished and declined around a variety of civilisations. It is one of the oldest settlements in Europe and numerous archaeological, cultural and historical monuments from its rich Thracian, Byzantine, Roman, Slav and Turkish history have been preserved among the modern edifices, the blend of the new and the old lending a charming quality to the capital.

Visit of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in Europe, as well as one of Sofia’s symbols and a primary tourist attraction with the richest collection of icons on the Balkan peninsula, St. George Roman Rotunda dating from the 4th century, the St.Sofia Basilica built by the roman emperor Justinian in the 6th century, the Ruins of Serdica, the National Theatre Ivan Vazov, the former Royal Palace, the National Bank, the Presidency and the Ministry Council, the Statue of St. Sophia, etc.

Overnight in Sofia.
Optional: Half day visit of Boyana Church and the National History Museum with transportation and professional English guide. Tour duration – approx. 3 ½ hours. 25 Euro/person including entrance fees

The National Museum of History in Sofia is one of the largest history museums on the Balkans with 650.000 items and the largest archaeological and historical archive. The Museum's collections are its greatest treasure. They comprise materials from Prehistoric ages till nowadays. The National Museum of History was established on 1973. In 2000, the museum shifted to a new location in the former residence of Todor Zhivkov in Boyana. Boyana Church is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church situated in the Boyana Suburb, near Sofia. The monument is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This site is one of the most completely and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art. The frescoes in the church, painted in 1259, make it one of the most important collections of medieval paintings.

Day 3 – Monday SOFIA – RILA MONASTERY – PLOVDIV
After breakfast trip to Rila Monastery. Tour of the monastery complex, church and museum with its lavish collection of precious old manuscripts, icons, jewellery, masterpieces of woodcarving, ethnographic exhibition of fabrics and carpets.

Rila Monastery (10th c - UNESCO World Heritage site) is the largest and the most impressive Bulgarian monastery. It is the most exquisite example of the monastery art and architecture of Bulgaria. Nativity of the Virgin Church impresses with its miracle icon of the Virgin and splendid gilded iconostasis.

Continue to Plovdiv – a city ranking second in importance after Sofia, passing through the highest Bulgarian mountain – Rila with a short break in the Borovets Resort. Overnight in Plovdiv.

Day 4 – Tuesday PLOVDIV - BACHKOVO MONASTERY – KAZANLAK
Sightseeing of the Old town of Plovdiv with its 3,000 years long history, National Revival architecture and excavations from Roman times.

Visit of the ancient Roman Amphitheatre with impressive marble statues, decorative columns and arcades. The Theatre was build in the 2nd century AD under the rule of the Roman Emperor Trajan and is nowadays considered to be the largest surviving Roman construction in Bulgaria, visit to the Ethnographic Museum, the Roman Stadium, the Church St Constantine and Helena, etc.

Excursion to Bachkovo Monastery (11th c) - one of the richest galleries of traditional Bulgarian religious art with exquisite murals and medieval icons. The monastery is known and appreciated for the unique combination of Byzantine, Georgian and Bulgarian culture, united by the common faith.

Departure to the town of Kazanlak, the capital of the famous Valley of Roses and Thracian kings. Overnight in Kazanlak.

Optional: Visit to the Museum of Rose in Kazalnak. It owns unique collection of articles related to the traditional rose-oil production since 1660: photos and documents of merchants of rose-oil, produce vessels and others. 10 Euro/person (entrance fees are included)

Day 5 – Wednesday KAZANLAK-SHIPKA PASS-TRYAVNA-VELIKO TARNOVO
Visit the recently discovered Thracian golden tresures in Kazanlak Historical Museum.

Kazanlak Historical Museum manages and promotes the historical heritage of the Kazanlak region. The permanent exhibitions are arranged in five departments: Archeology, Renaissance, New History, Ethnography, and Newest History. In 2005 a modern treasury hall was inaugurated, where the newest golden, silver and bronze finds from the Thracian tombs in the region are on display. The finds of the Thracian town of Seuthopolis are shown in three exhibition halls.

Continue with one of the UNESCO’s sites – the Thracian Tomb dating back from the 4th c.BC. Visit the replica of the Thracian tomb.
Departure to the town of Tryavna via Shipka Pass.

Walking tour of Tryavna, where vaulted stone bridges, houses, churches and square with a clock tower preserve the spirit and talent of the artists from Tryavna School of Art from the 17th century. Visit the Woodcarving Museum of Tryavna. Visit the ethnography village Bojentsi.

Continue to Veliko Tarnovo. Overnight in Veliko Tarnovo.
Optional: Visit of the Shipka Memorial Church 3 Euro/person. Tsarevets in Sound and Light show in Veliko Tarnovo. Price depending on the group size.

Shipka Memorial church (or Church of the Nativity) is located only 12 km north of Kazanlak, at the south foot of the Stara Planina Mountain near the town of Shipka. It was erected after the Liberation as a monument to both Russian and Bulgarian dead.

Day 6 – Thursday VELIKO TURNOVO - ARBANASSI
Sightseeing of Veliko Turnovo, including Tsarevets hill - an impressive sight with medieval fortifications and dramatic architecture.

Veliko Tarnovo, the capital of Second Bulgarian Kingdom, is superbly situated on four hills. The houses are at the foot of the hills, perched one above other, crowning the steep streets with their gables. Here are preserved the remains of the old fortress built around the banks of Yantra River. Several mediaeval churches connected with Bulgarian history can be seen as well.

Departure to the museum town of Arbanassi boasting a genuine gallery of art in its Church of Nativity. The houses in the village of Arbanassi resemble fortresses on the outside and are artistically fashioned and beautifully decorated inside. A former residence of the communist leader Todor Zhivkov is also situated here.

Overnight in Veliko Tarnovo.

Optional: Half day excursion to Etara Open-Air Ethnographic Museum, representing the Bulgarian customs, culture and craftsmanship. The park features typical Bulgarian Revival houses and the tourists are able to see how locals use original old instruments in crafts such as wood carving, pottery, coppersmith, needlework, etc. 35 Euro/person with coffee break

Day 7 – Friday VELIKO TURNOVO – IVANOVO - ROUSSE
Departure to Rousse - the largest city on Bulgarian Danube Coast, called Northern Gate of Bulgaria

Visit en route one of Bulgaria's unique monuments, included in the UNESCO List of World Culture Heritage - the rock churches near the village of Ivanovo - Bulgarian Medieval Churches, chapels and monastic cells, hewn into the craggy gorge of Roussenski Lom River

Overnight in Rousse

Day 8 – Saturday ROUSSE – BUCHAREST

Free time in the morning. In the afternoon departure to Bucharest.
Overnight in Bucharest.
Optional: Dinner in a local Romanian traditional restaurant with folklore program 22 Euro/person

Day 9 – Sunday BUCHAREST - CURTEA DE ARGES – SIBIU

After breakfast, sightseeing tour of Bucharest including visit of the famous Parliament Palace

The settlement of Bucharest was first mentioned in 1459 and, ever since, the town went through a series of continous changes, representing the central scene of Romania’s political, artistic, university, financial and cultural life. Between the two world wars, due to the elegant architecture and to the elite living in Bucharest, the city was nicknamed “Little Paris”.

Guinness Book registers the Palace of Parliament as the second largest building in the World, after the Pentagon – with a floor area of 330,000 sqm – and the third in the world as volume, with 2,550,000 m3. The building is situated in the historical and geographical center of Bucharest and it was built on an artificially hill. The building, whose works were started in July 1984, is structured on six levels and divided into 21 body units. It includes a huge combination of monumental sculptures, glided ornaments, decorative flooring, laced ceilings, brocade curtains, heavy carpets and tapestry, all in a succession of chambers, galleries, lavish vast rooms and halls, which split themselves or merge in a simple, overwhelming and harmonious way.

Departure to Curtea de Arges, the former capital of Walachia, and visit Curtea de Arges Monastery.

The Episcopal Church, known as the Church of the Curtea de Arges Monastery, was built by the Romanian ruler of Wallachia Neagoe Basarab in 1512-1517. Connected to this church is the legent of Master Manole, who entombed his wife alive in the walls of the church so that they would never crumble. And so that the secret of the monastery’s construction would be preserved forever, Manole himself had to be sacrificed. Left without a ladder on the roof of the church, at the command of the prince, Manole made himself wings from wooden laths and tried to descend: he crashed to earth and from his body welled a spring. Such is the legend of Manole’s Well. In 1875, the beautiful triconch church was demolished and rebuilt by French architect Andre Lecomte du Nouy. The Episcopal Church of Curtea de Arges houses the tomb of its founder, Neagoe Basarab, and of other members of the royal family (Kings Carol I and Ferdinand, and Queens Elisabeta and Maria).

In the afternoon we will drive along the picturesque Olt Valley to visit Cozia Monastery and then we will arrive in Sibiu.

Mircea the Elder, ruler of Walachia and grandfather of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula), built Cozia monastery in the 14th century. Here you’ll have a first contact with the painted frescoes. On the entrance wall of the church you’ll see an impressive “Last Judgment” fresco.

Overnight in Sibiu.

Day 10 – Monday SIBIU - SIGHISOARA – BISTRITA

After breakfast, you will enjoy a walking tour of Sibiu.

Considered to be one of the most beautiful Romanian towns, due to its unique architectural style and to the impressive complex of museums, Sibiu was awarded the official title of 2007 European Capital of Culture. Sibiu has a vast number of museums organized around the two great cultural and historical centers: The Brukenthal Museum and the Astra Museum. The town’s touristic attractions are: The Evangelical Church, The Orthodox Cathedral, The Roman-Catholic Church, The Stairs Tower, The Council Tower, etc

Drive to Biertan to visit the impressive Saxon fortified church.
The village of Biertan (German: Birthalm), first mentioned in an official document in 1283, is home to one of the largest and most impressive medieval strongholds in Transylvania. Surrounded by quaint streets and vineyards, the 15th century fortified church at Biertan is perched high on a hill in the middle of the village. Three tiers of 35-foot-high defensive walls, connected by towers and gates, encircled the complex, making the church impossible to conquer during medieval times. the divorce!

Featuring late-gothic architecture with heavy doors and double exterior walls, the church boasts the largest Transylvanian multi-paneled wooden altar and a remarkable wooden door which once protected the treasures in the sacristy. The altar was built by artisans from Vienna (Austria) and Nurenberg (Germany) between 1483 and 1513. The door, a true marvel of engineering, has a particularly ingenious locking mechanism with 15 bolts that can be simultaneously activated by a key. The mechanism stirred quite an interest at the Paris World Expo in 1900.

The day continues with a stroll on the streets of Sighisoara, the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler (also known as Dracula). Visit the medieval citadel (the Upper Town): the Clock Tower and the Church on the Hill.

The medieval town of Sighisoara is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage as being the only inhabited citadel in Europe. It is a popular touristic destination, dut to its particular architecture, as well as to the strong connection that exists between the citadel and the legendary image of vampire-prince Dracula.

Departure to Targu Mures – panoramic tour of the elegant city centre well known for its architecture. Drive on to Bistrita - one of the 7 main medieval towns of Transylvania.

Overnight in Bistrita.

Day 11 – Tuesday BISTRITA – MOISEI – VISEU DE SUS – SAPANTA – SIGHET – VADU IZEI

After the breakfast you will be driven toward Maramures region, a place where the purity of nature blends with the beauty of the old villages, a place where the locals kept untouched their traditions, where the carved wood represents a common way of building.

Passing through Moisei and Viseu de Sus you will reach Sapanta village where you will admire the famous Merry Cemetery.

The Merry Cemetery has gained originality and value by means of the chopped, carved and painted crosses on which the artisan has chiseled out verisfied epitaphs, most of them full of a remarkable sense of humor, particular to the area and to all the Romanians. The value of these works of art is recognized both at home and abroad.

In the same village you’ll stop to admire the highest wooden structure in the world: Peri Convent, recently rebuilt.
In Sighet you will hear more about the horrors of the communist regime. You will visit a prison where during the communist years many important Romanian leaders but also, common people who were against the regime, lost their lives.

Overnight in a local guest house in Vadu Izei.
Optional: Visit at Ellie Wiesel’s house, awarded with the Nobel Prize for peace. In 1944, Ellie Wiesel, together with other 38 000 Jewish from Maramures, were sent by the Nazis to different concentration camps. In his many books, Ellie tells different stories about these moments. 10 Euro/person

Day 12 – Wednesday VADU IZEI – BARSANA – DRAGOMIRESTI – MOLDOVITA - SUCEVITA

Today the journey is long and beautiful. First, you will visit Toader Barsan’s house, a local wood carver who took part at the Smithsonian World Festival in Washington. In the same village, you’ll visit one of the highest wooden churches in the world, Barsana church.

Built in 1720, the wooden church in the village of Barsana (tracing its name to barsani, the local shepherds who breed long-haired sheep) features some impressive interior frescoes with baroque and rococo influences painted by Toader Hodor in 1806. Originally part of a monastic complex closed down in 1791, the church was moved to its present location at the beginning of the 19th century. This outstanding church boasts an impressive collection of icons painted on glass and old religious books.

Passing through the mountains of Maramures (Prislop Pass), you will reach for the first time Bucovina region, known for its painted monasteries, but also for the traditional houses adorned with beautiful floral and geometrical motifs, for its traditions kept over the centuries and for its hospitable people.

The Convent of Moldovita is the first painted church visited in Bucovina. It is famous for its “Siege of Constantinople” fresco. Then you’ll be driven to the nearby Sucevita Monastery, which is the largest of all, looking more like a mighty fortress than a monastery. “The ladder of John of Sinai” fresco is considered one of the best of Sucevita.

Overnight in Sucevita

Day 13 – Thursday SUCEVITA – VORONET – AGAPIA – BAILE TUSNAD

First visit of the day is at the most famous painted monastery of all, Voronet Convent.

Erected in 1488, Voronet Monastery represented one of the first Moldavian creative elements showing a distinctive style. The church is a combination of Byzantine, Gothic and local elements. The exterior painting on the Western wall depicts, on five registers, the Doomsday scene, unique in the whole world. The Voronet Monastery entered the universal cultural heritage also owing to the paintings having in their composition the inimitable “Voronet blue”.

Then you will leave behind Moldova, not before seeing Agapia, the largest convent of Europe, known for its 700 nouns and amazing frescoes painted by the famous Romanian painter Nicolae Grigorescu.

Overnight in Baile Tusnad.

Day 14 – Friday BAILE TUSNAD – BRASOV - BRAN - SINAIA– BUCHAREST

After breakfast you will enjoy a walking tour of Brasov with visit of the old downtown with the beautiful buildings like Black Church which is built in Gothic and Renaissance style. Also you will see the narrowest street in Romania, Rope Street, Schei and Catherine’s Gates, St. Nicholas Church and the old Schei neighborhood.

Then, you will visit the famous Bran castle also known as Dracula’s castle.

The Bran Castle was a safeguard castle for the trade way that connected Transylvania and Wallachia, it was built by the people of Brasov between 1377 – 1378. It represents in the consciousness of any tourist the darkness residence of prince Dracula, a fictional hero in the famous British Bram Stocker’s novel.

After a scenic drive you will leave Transylvania and you will stop in Sinaia to visit the most beautiful castle in Romania – Peles Castle.

The Peles Castle (built between 1875 and 1883, continued until 1914, the year Carol Ist died) was the summer residence of King Carol Ist and his wife, queen Elisabeta. The museum complex in Sinaia includes both Peles castle and Pelisor castle and the Foisor royal residence.
Overnight in Bucharest.

Day 15 – Saturday BUCHAREST
In the morning free time in Bucharest and transfer to the airport.

What’s included:
- Airport pick-up and drop-off
- Accommodation 14 nights with breakfast as per the above program at 3-star hotels or guest-houses.
- Transport by modern car, minibus or coach
- Professional English speaking guide
- Entrance fees to museums, monasteries and sites included in the program

What’s not included:
- Flight tickets
- Hotel extras (telephone, mini bar, etc)
- Drinks (other than water)
- Other meals except breakfast
- Photographing or filming fees at the visited sites
- Tips
- Porterage
- Travel insurance
- Personal Expenses
- Visa procurement (if needed)

Clients feedback:
Morgan M, USA, 16 Sep 2008

I just wanted to let you know that the trip in Romania was fantastic. The English language tour guide (Irene) was excellent The van was new and very comfortable and we had a very good driver. (Constantin).

The hotel choices were excellent and the guide selected a good representation of typical Romanian food for our lunch and dinners. Although the pace made for very full days, I was glad to see all the visited sites.

Thank you for answering all my questions and ensuring that the trip met expectations.

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