Travelers limiting themselves to chasing vampires will miss so much. The capital, Bucharest, has its critics, but the blend of grotesque communist monuments and purposefully hidden-away cathedrals makes for fascinating exploring. And for most foreign holidaymakers, Bulgaria’s main lure is its long, sandy Black Sea Coast – which still boasts swaths of stunning beaches and picturesque bays despite the expansive construction work – but there is so much more to this country, and most of it remains largely untouched and unvisited by overseas tourists.

HIGHLIGHTS 

  • Guaranteed departures from 2 passengers
  • Many entrance fees included

INCLUSIONS

  • 8 nights in 3* and 4* hotels in Romania and Bulgaria
  • Transportation by modern vehicle throughout the entire staying in Bulgaria and Romania
  • Throughout English speaking guide in Bulgaria and Romania
  • Half board: daily breakfast buffet and 3-course dinner
  • 1 festive dinner with Nestinari Fire Dances and folklore show and wine
  • 1 dinner at local restaurant from Bucharest including drinks (1 glass of wine or 1 beer)
  • 1 meeting with the grandmas of Dobarsko including tasting of banitsa
  • Visit of Rose distillery and tasting of roses jam and rose brandy
  • All entrance fees included as per itinerary: Tsarevets Fortress Veliko Tarnovo, Etar Museum, Thracian Tomb, the Rila Monastery, Antique Theatre Plovdiv, Alexander Nevski Cathedral, George Rotunda, Belogradchik Fortress, Baba Vida Fortress, Biertan fortification, Clock Tower Sighisoara, Church on the Hill, Black Church, Dracula Castle and Peles

Not included

International flights, gratuity to drivers and guides, City tax to be paid locally, beverages, personal expenses, travel insurances, optional tours or all other item not mentioned in present itinerary

DEPARTURES FOR 2022

Price in $CAD, per person starting from, in double occupancy

Land only

Departures in 2022 on specific dates
April 9, May 5, 21, June 18
July 2, 16, 30, August 20
September 10, October 8

2015
Supplement
Single occupancy

370

**Prices in this document are for information only; they were issued at press time, for the current year. Please note that due to exchange rates and temporary promotions, they can increase or decrease at any time. Contact your travel agent for the price and promotion of the moment. The prices indicated exclude the contribution to the Customer Compensation Fund of $3.50 per $1,000 of tourism product or service purchased from a travel agent in Quebec.

1

DAY 1 ARRIVAL – BUCHAREST (APPROX. 30 KM)

Welcome to Bucharest, “The Little Paris of the East” and transfer to the hotel. Welcome dinner at the hotel, where you will meet the rest of the group.
2

DAY 2 BUCHAREST – VELIKO TARNOVO (APPROX. 200 KM)

You wake up in the heart of Romania’s capital, and after breakfast enjoy a sightseeing tour of one the most dynamic and cosmopolitan cities (the second largest administrative building in the World after the Pentagon) and the Victory Square with the Palace of the Government. Transfer to the Bulgarian border. In the afternoon, you will reach the medieval town Veliko Tarnovo. Explore the Tsarevets Hill with its citadel and palaces and stroll through the traditional crafts shopping quarter, Samovodska Charshiya. Dinner at the hotel.
3

DAY 3 VELIKO TARNOVO – ETAR – KAZANLAK – PLOVDIV (APPROX. 200 KM)

You first stop after breakfast is the open-air village museum Etar. Here you can admire traditional houses with artisan workshops, watermills, fulling mills. Continue through Shipka Pass to Kazanlak in the Valley of the Roses. In Kazanlak you will visit the Valley of the Roses. In Kazanlak you will visit the ancient Thracian Tomb, which is listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. You will visit further a functioning rose distillery in the village of Skobelevo  and taste the local rose jam and rose brandy. Your journey ends in the afternoon in Plovdiv. Check-in and dinner at the hotel.
4

DAY 4 PLOVDIV – RILA MONASTERY – SOFIA (APPROX. 350 KM)

Plovdiv is one of the oldest settlements in the Balkans and was designated as European Capital of Culture of the year 2019. The sightseeing tour in the old part of the city includes the very well-preserved Roman Amphitheatre, the Dzumaya Mosque and the St. Constantine and Helen Church. On the way to Sofia stop in Dobarsko and meet the singing grandmothers and taste the delicious local pastry “banitsa”. In the afternoon, visit the Rila Monastery (UNESCO). It is one of the largest Orthodox monasteries in the world and impresses with its stunning architecture and frescoes. Continue to Sofia. Check-in and festive dinner with folklore show and traditional Nestinari fire dances.
5

DAY 5 SOFIA – BELOGRADCHIK – VIDIN (APPROX. 235 KM)

Enjoy today a sightseeing tour that starts at Sveta Nedelya square. Situated a few steps away from the square is the oldest church in the city, the St. George Rotunda, built by the Romans in the 4th century. Then admire the precious and fascinating buildings of Banya-Basi Mosque and the Presidency. The landmark of the city is the Orthodox Cathedral Alexander Nevsky. Built in the 20th century, its construction took 30 years. Next travel to Belogradchik, where you will visit the impressive Belogradchik fortress. Dinner at the hotel.
6

DAY 6 VIDIN – CRAIOVA – SIBIU (APPROX. 325 KM)

Visit today the Baba Vida Fortress, the town’s primary landmark. Cross the Danube back to Romania, and head towards Craiova, the largest city of South Romania. After the city tour, you continue towards Sibiu, one of the most idyllic places in Eastern Europe. Settled by the Germans back in the 12th century, the town preserves a wonderful medieval cobblestoned center with hundreds of historic monuments. The walking tours takes you to the Grand and Small Square, Huet Square, Liars’Bridge and Evangelic church, the town’s landmark. Check-in and overnight in Sibiu. Dinner at the hotel.
7

DAY 7 SIBIU – BIERTAN –SIGHISOARA – BRASOV (APPROX. 230 KM)

After breakfast travel to Biertan, where you visit one of the best preserved medieval fortified churches in Transylvania, listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. Continue to Sighisoara, another UNESCO site, being one of the few still inhabited medieval fortresses in Europe. During the walking tour discover the town’s landmarks such as the Church on the Hill and the Clock Tower. Continue towards Brasov and discover its Old Town with the main attraction, the Black Church. Dinner at the hotel.
8

BRASOV – BRAN – SINAIA – BUCHAREST (APPROX. 220 KM)

Drive towards Bran, where you visit the castle of the famous count Dracula. The castle was constructed to protect the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, by the Saxons. Cross the South Carpathian Mountains, to Sinaia, where you will find the Peles Castle, a superb royal residence built above acres of green meadows, deep inside the forest. Built in German Renaissance style, the Peles Castle is probably the most beautiful castle in Eastern Europe. At noon, continue to Bucharest. Farewell dinner at local restaurant with entertainment and wine.
9

DAY 9 BUCHAREST – DEPARTURE (APPROX. 30 KM)

In the morning, visit the Palace of the Parliament, the second largest building in the World after the Pentagon. Depending on the flight hours, transfer to the airport and farewell from the guide.

Hotel Options or similar

City 3* & 4*
Bucharest Hotel Union Plaza 4*
Veliko Tarnovo Hotel Grand Yantra 4*
Plovdiv Hotel Landmark Creek 4*
Sofia Hotel COOP 4*
Vidin Hotel Rovno 3*
Sibiu Hotel Hermanns 4*
Brasov Hotel Qosmo 4*