Bulgaria
Sofia, Rila Monastery, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo
Day 1: After arriving in Sofia, get your bearings by taking a pre-or post-dinner walk around Independence Square. Be sure to explore the 2,000-year-old Roman ruins in and around the Metro station, which are always open.
Day 1: After arriving in Sofia, get your bearings by taking a pre-or post-dinner walk around Independence Square. Be sure to explore the 2,000-year-old Roman ruins in and around the Metro station, which are always open.
Day 2: Start your day with a visit to the excellent National Archaeological Museum near Independence Square to view its treasures of ancient Thrace. After your visit, observe the spectacle of the changing of the guard, which is just steps away from the museum in front of the Presidential Palace. The guard changes at the top of the hour, so keep the schedule in mind as you enter and exit the museum. If you need to kill some time, there is a small church worth seeing just behind the guard through an open entrance to the left in a courtyard ringed by buildings. Afterward, go under the busy avenue and between the buildings to a small park where the colorful city museum is housed in the former Central Baths complex. If you have time, explore the small museum to get an overview of the city’s long history. On the outside of the building and across the street, you can taste the warm mineral water that flows here through a series of public taps. Across from the city museum, the small mosque is worth a quick visit before heading to the Central Market Hall across the busy avenue. The market has several levels and is a good spot to browse and to pick up something to eat if you are hungry. After the market, walk out the back door of the complex, where one of Europe’s largest synagogues greets you. Step through the gates and into the building to see where Bulgaria’s Jewish community has worshiped for the last hundred years. In the evening, stroll the nearby pedestrian Vitosha Boulevard for people watching and to look for a place for dinner.
Day 3: After a hearty Bulgarian breakfast, visit the large, Orthodox Alexsander Nevsky Cathedral, which celebrates the Russians who helped liberate Bulgaria from the Ottomans. While the Cathedral dominates this area, spend most of your time at the nearby Church of Sveta Sofia. This simple-looking edifice houses religious ruins from the 6th Century, including early mosaics. On your way to lunch, take a quick photo stop at the lovely Saint Nikolas Russian Orthodox Church. In the afternoon, take public transportation about 8 kilometers outside of the city to Boyana Church, which has an amazing collection of 13th Century early Renaissance frescoes. Afterward, return to Sofia for dinner.
Day 3: After a hearty Bulgarian breakfast, visit the large, Orthodox Alexsander Nevsky Cathedral, which celebrates the Russians who helped liberate Bulgaria from the Ottomans. While the Cathedral dominates this area, spend most of your time at the nearby Church of Sveta Sofia. This simple-looking edifice houses religious ruins from the 6th Century, including early mosaics. On your way to lunch, take a quick photo stop at the lovely Saint Nikolas Russian Orthodox Church. In the afternoon, take public transportation about 8 kilometers outside of the city to Boyana Church, which has an amazing collection of 13th Century early Renaissance frescoes. Afterward, return to Sofia for dinner.
Day 4: Pack your bags and check out because we need to see the rest of this wonderful country. After breakfast, get into your rental car and drive about two hours into the mountains to the incredible Rila Monastery. As you step into the courtyard of the complex, you will be mesmerized by the delightful domes and arches of this magical place. After your tour, get back in the car and drive about three hours to the ancient city of Plovdiv, where you will stay the night. After dinner, take a stroll through the quaint pedestrian-only zones of the new town.
Day 5: Start your sightseeing today in the new town by seeing any sights that you may have missed the night before, including the Dzhumaya Mosque and the ancient stadium. Afterward, visit one of the best museums in the country, the exhibit-rich Plovdiv National Archaeological Museum. After lunch in the new town, ascend to the old town and visit the recently discovered and very well-preserved ancient theater. Continue the climb up the hill to visit some old town homes built in the unique Bulgarian Revival Style. Hindliyan House is perhaps the best example of the style and is well decorated with period furniture. Two other homes in the same style that are well worth your time both double as museums. The first is the Regional Ethnographic Museum, which has an exterior that is as gorgeous as any other in the old town. The second is the home of Zlatyu Boyadzhiev, an accomplished painter who lost the use of his dominant right hand after a stroke but continued to paint and, over the following 25 years, adopted an entirely different style. The home lovingly displays examples of some of Boyadzhiev’s work. After a very rewarding day of sightseeing, enjoy a great meal and another post-dinner walk in this memorable town.
Day 5: Start your sightseeing today in the new town by seeing any sights that you may have missed the night before, including the Dzhumaya Mosque and the ancient stadium. Afterward, visit one of the best museums in the country, the exhibit-rich Plovdiv National Archaeological Museum. After lunch in the new town, ascend to the old town and visit the recently discovered and very well-preserved ancient theater. Continue the climb up the hill to visit some old town homes built in the unique Bulgarian Revival Style. Hindliyan House is perhaps the best example of the style and is well decorated with period furniture. Two other homes in the same style that are well worth your time both double as museums. The first is the Regional Ethnographic Museum, which has an exterior that is as gorgeous as any other in the old town. The second is the home of Zlatyu Boyadzhiev, an accomplished painter who lost the use of his dominant right hand after a stroke but continued to paint and, over the following 25 years, adopted an entirely different style. The home lovingly displays examples of some of Boyadzhiev’s work. After a very rewarding day of sightseeing, enjoy a great meal and another post-dinner walk in this memorable town.
Day 6: In the morning, visit anything in Plovdiv that you may have missed and then drive about three hours to Veliko Tarnovo, a medieval capital of Bulgaria. Veliko Tarnovo occupies the hillside above a bend in the Yantra River, which makes for a dramatic setting. After arriving and checking into your hotel, visit the strategically placed Tsarevets Fortress, the headquarters of the former capital. When you finish your tour of the fort, take a stroll through the shops in town where traditional artisans create pottery, jewelry, wood carvings, and weaving. Consider some final souvenirs of your trip and then celebrate your last night in Bulgaria with more delicious Bulgarian cuisine.
Day 7: After breakfast, take one last long look at the striking town before getting back in your car and making the three hour drive to Sofia for your flight home. Your week trip to Bulgaria is at its end, but you have been richly rewarded with this opportunity to learn and experience a part of the world that few have visited.