Escorted Tours 2022

12 K070 Bulgaria and Romania 12 days including Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Bucharest, Sibiu, Piatra Neamt, Brasov, Sinaia Day 1, arrive Sofia, Thursday Arrival in Sofia and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is to relax or perhaps begin your independent discovery of the fabled city. Tonight, a briefing by your Tour Director on the fascinating tour that awaits you, followed by a Welcome Dinner. Overnight. (D) Day 2, in Sofia, Friday Today we will enjoy a complete tour of the city of Sofia and get to know the highlights of the capital. Among the most emblematic places are the Alexander Nevski Cathedral that dominates the city, the Church of St. George, considered the best-preserved Byzantine church, the Russian Church of St. Nicholas , the Banya Bashi Mosque and the ruins of ancient Serdica among others. In the afternoon we travel to Rila Mountains to visit one of the most famous places in Bulgaria - the Rila Monastery . Founded in the middle of the 10th century by Saint Ivan of Rila it played a key role in the preservation of the Bulgarian culture and language of the centuries. Visit the monastery church with its impressive fresco paintings, painted by the most famous Bulgarian artists since the 19th century AD and the museum that houses a collection of exhibits related to the history of the monastery and the spread of Christianity in the Bulgarian lands. Return to Sofia for overnight. (B) Day 3, to Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo, Saturday Leaving Sofia behind, we head to the second largest city in Bulgaria - Plovdiv. This is a city of millenary history with ruins from the Roman, Ottoman, and Bulgarian Renaissance period having been preserved. During our tour of the city we will see the Roman Forum and the stadium , as well as the Roman amphitheater. We will walk through the cobbled streets of the small and old city surrounded by houses and beautiful churches. We will visit the church of St. Constantine and Helena , as well as the Ethnographic Museum , which is located in the home of a wealthy merchant from the 19th century BC. After the visit we will cross the Balkan Mountains through the historic Shipka Pass, which played a key role in the Russo-Turkish war. Arrival in Veliko Tarnovo - the medieval capital of Bulgaria. We finish the day with dinner included. (B, D) Day 4, in Veliko Tarnovo, Sunday In the morning we go on a panoramic tour of the city of Veliko Tarnovo with a walk to Tsarevets , where the kings of Bulgaria once lived. We will walk along the oldest street in the city which is called Samovodska Charshia. We will proceed to Arbanassi, a small town in Bulgaria located 4 km from Veliko Tarnovo. Arbanassi is interesting for its architecture. In the village we can see the Konstantsalieva house and the Church of the Nativity , where you can see wall paintings that are truly a work of art. Return to Veliko Tarnovo for overnight. (B) Day 5, to Russe and Bucharest, Monday Today we head towards Romania, passing through the city of Russe. In the afternoon arrival to the capital of Romania, Bucharest and overnight. (B) Day 6, in Bucharest, Tuesday We will visit the Romanian capital, once known as the “Little Paris”. During the tour we will visit the Palace of Parliament , the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon and the National plovdiv curtea de arges