Bulgaria and Romania Tour

Did you know Sofia is Europe’s second oldest city and was founded 7,000 years ago by a Thracian tribe? Through the ages, Sofia played a role as an important trading center in the Byzantine, Bulgarian and Ottoman Empires. Sofia became the capital of restored Bulgaria in 1879, with a population of only 20,000. Today you will explore the city’s main attractions on foot with an expert local guide, taking in highlights such as the National Library, Sofia University, the Parliament, St. Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral and Sofia's oldest building,  St. George Rotunda, which dates from the 3rd century. You’ll also get a chance to explore the city’s bustling main shopping streets.

One of Bulgaria’s most recognizable sights is the Rila Monastery, which sits high in the Rila Mountains 2 hours south of Sofia and nearly 4,000 feet above sea level. It’s an incredible place that makes the ideal day trip from Sofia and we will include this 6 hour excursion in your itinerary. Along the way you will also stop at the medieval Boyana church, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Behind the 60-foot high walls lie impressive monastery buildings, a church and a chapel with frescoes by local masters. This most impressive monument from the Bulgarian National Revival period rises amidst the rugged beauty of the Rila Mountains, fascinating visitors with the pure and harmonious lines of the buildings' exquisite colonnades, arches and vaults, and its spacious rooms richly decorated with murals and fretwork. The monastery's most treasured historic and artistic monuments include the 14th century Hrelyo Tower, the five-domed Birth of the Blessed Virgin Church and the original monastery kitchen from the 19th century. You’ll also find a collection of valuable old manuscripts ,documents, charters and icons, an ethnographic exhibition of fabrics, jewelry, carpets and wrought iron objects, and a library containing more than 16,000 books. Destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 19th century, the complex was rebuilt between 1834 and 1862. Nowadays the Rila Monastery is the most important symbol of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

Plovdiv has a very rich history and the best way to see it is on a private walking tour. We will arrange for a private guide to show you all the highlights of Plovdiv, one of the oldest European towns, contemporary to Troy and Mycenae. It existed as a settlement some 8,000 years ago, becoming a town 3,000 years ago during the Trojan war. It was the capital of ancient Thrace and a major trading center in the Middle Ages. In the historic quarter of the city, you will see beautifully decorated period houses, the ancient fortress wall, the Roman theater, the forum, the stadium and magnificent churches.

You’ll leave Plovdiv this morning to make the drive to Bucharest. Along the way, your driver will stop in Veliko Tarnovo, and you’ll take a step back in time as you explore the once mighty capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, which thrived from the 12th to the 14 century.  Walking through the winding cobblestone streets, you’ll come to a new understanding of how the city’s proud population lived under Turkish oppression, developing fabulous architectural masterpieces and establishing cohesive and powerful craftsmen’s guilds. You’ll be making the most of your time in the Veliko Tarnovo area as you return to the car for visits to the Tsarevets medieval fortress and the museum village of Arbanassi, which is  famous for its 17th and 18th century architecture. You will also see the unique Church of the Nativity of Christ, with well-preserved murals depicting over 2,000 scenes.

Today you’ll be getting your bearings in Bucharest on a private tour with a local guide. On this four-hour tour, you’ll take in all the major sites, including concert halls like The Atheneum, Revolution Square, and the second largest building in the world, the massive Palace of Parliament. The Palace of Parliament was conceived by Romania’s last dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, and almost completed by the communists before the 1989 revolution. You’ll also see the Romanian Patriarchal Church and Palace, the most important Romanian Orthodox Church. And you won’t miss the Arch of Triumph, the Press Square, and the house of the Romanian head of the Church Village Museum, which features amazingly beautiful old village houses from all regions of the country. It’s all impressive, to say the least. Bring your passport, which you’ll need to enter the Parliament building.

A private driver will pick you up from your accommodation to drive you to Brasov, the gateway to Transylvania. Without stops, the drive should take about 3 hours, but close to Brasov, you'll stop at Peles Castle where we recommend taking the tour and enjoying a tasty lunch at the castle restaurant. Nature lovers who don't mind more of a detour (an additional 3 hours of journey time) should visit Bucegi National Park, a mountain region known for its Sphinx rock formation. You can take a cable car to the summit of Omu Peak for breathtaking views. If you'd like to add this stop, let us know, and we will make the arrangements with the driver.

Today you’ll be exploring the gorgeous medieval streets of Brasov, a city whose beauty is framed by the beautiful natural surroundings of the Carpathian Mountains. Your local guide will show you all the city has to offer, including the Town Hall Square, which is ringed with baroque buildings, and the Black Church, Romania’s largest gothic church. You’ll squeeze down Rope Street, which is said to be the narrowest street in Europe, and then see Council Square, one of the country’s most impressive central squares. The city’s 14th-century fortifications and citadel remain remarkable today and are just one example of how the past will come to life on this memorable tour.

A private driver will pick you up from your accommodation to drive you across Transylvania to the idyllic city of Sibiu. Along the way, you will stop in one of the gems of Transylvania, Sighisoara, which is the birthplace of Dracula. There are plenty of Vlad-themed attractions but in our opinion, the highlights are the citadel and the clock tower. After a couple of hours of sightseeing, you will travel just outside of Sighisoara for lunch in nearby Dracula Danes, which provides a beautiful natural setting complete with horse stables.

Today you’ll be taking a memorable day trip outside of Sibiu. Your guide will pick you up at your accommodation, then you’ll start your day with a tour of the historic center of Sibiu and its main square, which is one of the best preserved in Transylvania. After that you’ll continue with a visit to Calnic and Sebes, where you can explore the beauty of the fortified churches. Sebes used to be one of the most important citadels in Transylvania. In Alba Iulia, you’ll feel like you’ve traveled back in time. Alba Iulia has been a Dacian-Roman fortress, a Saxon colony, an Austro-Hungarian citadel and a town – becoming a symbol of the great unification in 1918. The history and culture here is palpable. At the end of the excursion you’ll be driven back to your accommodation.

Sadly your exploration of Bulgaria and Romania has come to an end and it is time to depart. A driver will pick you up from your accommodation and transfer you to Cluj airport, a 2 and half hour drive away, in time for your departing flight.