Tour 4 Days

Bulgaria Tour – 4 Historic Towns in 4 Days

4-day private tour to Rila monastery, Melnik, Plovdiv, Koprivshtitsa, Kazanlak and Veliko Tarnovo

If you’ve got four days to spare in your next trip to Bulgaria, this is the best way to spend it. On this private tour, your fully licensed local English-speaking tour guide will take you to four of the most incredible cities Bulgaria has to offer:

Ancient Veliko Tarnovo; Melnik – the so-called Capital of Wine; Plovdiv, the European Capital of Culture and Koprivshtitsa, a classic Bulgarian mountain town famous for its folk music and preserved architecture.

Plus, of course, you’ll see some of the most important natural and ancient human sites of Bulgaria. Tour the beautiful Valley of the Roses, monasteries and more.

Here’s what you’ll see:

Highlights

Rila Monastery, Melnik, Plovdiv, Koprivshtitsa, The Rose Valley, Kazanlak Thracian Tombs, Shipka Pass and Church, Buzludzha Monument (optional), Veliko Tarnovo.

We can easily tailor this tour around your dates and interests – and send you a free, personalized quote.
Let us know if you would like to start and finish in different cities, add or remove an attraction, add a day for rest.

You choose the places and the pace!

 

4 DAYS BULGARIA – 4 HISTORICAL TOWNS

The detailed itinerary for 4 days tour around Bulgaria is example. You can add or remove days according to your preferences. The tour can be also arranged as a self-guided tour including only transportation and English speaking driver who will take you from place to place. this way you will have the freedom to explore the locations on your own. Share your travel ideas with us and we will do our best to build the best itinerary for your group.

 

DAY 1: RILA MONASTERY AND MELNIK

Trip to Rila Monastery
Depart from Sofia in the morning
→ Transfer to the Rila Monastery (2-2.5 hours)
→ Guided tour of the monastery
Visit the Rila Monastery museum and complex
→ Transfer to Melnik (the smallest city in Bulgaria a.k.a. The Bulgarian Capital of Wine)
Sightseeing and wine tasting in local winery (optional)

Overnight in Melnik

DAY 2: PLOVDIV

Trip to Plovdiv
→ Transfer to Plovdiv, The European Capital of Culture (4 hours)
→ Walking city tour of Plovdiv
Visit The Old Town (dating from the 19th century); the exterior of the Ethnographic museum; Balabanov house; the Ancient theatre of Philippopolis; the Ancient stadium of Philipopolis; the St. Constantin and Elena church; the Djumaya Mosque and square; the building of the Regional Historical Museum; Saint Ludvik Cathedral; the Agara (Marketplace); the famous main pedestrian street; “The Trap” neighbourhood and Nebet Tepe.
→ Free time in Plovdiv in the afternoon

Overnight in Plovdiv

DAY 3: KOPRIVSHTITSA AND KAZANLAK

Trip to KOprivshtitsa
→ Depart from Plovdiv after breakfast
→ Transfer to Koprivshtitsa mountain village (2 hours)
→ Walking city tour of Koprivshtitsa
Visit the exterior of Dimcho Debelyanov house, Uspenie Bogorodichno Church, the first Bulgarian school from 1843, The Forestry House, the exterior of the Georgi Benkovski House, the library, Todor Kableshkov’s house from the outside, the liberation square and the “First Gun” bridge.
→ Stop for lunch in traditional Bulgarian restaurant
→ Transfer to Kaznalak (The Rose Valley)(1.5 hours)
→ Visit the Russian memorial church, the Thracian tomb “Golayma Kosmatka” and a local rose oil distillery
→ Free time in Kazanlak for dinner

Overnight in Kazanlak area

DAY 4: VELIKO TARNOVO


→ Depart after breakfast from your hotel in Kazanlak
→ Transfer to Veliko Tarnovo (2 hours)
→ City tour of Veliko Tarnovo
Visit the Tsarevets Fortress and the famous craft street
→ Free time for lunch
→ Transfer back to Sofia (3-3.5 hours)

END OF THE TOUR

 

What your tour price includes

  • Your friendly personal tour guide – your tour guide will offer you extensive knowledge and background about almost anything you see. They’ll also be able to help you interact with the friendly locals.
  • Flexible routes and stops – would you prefer to do the tour in reverse? Would you like to see something else en route or skip a stop? We’ll customise your tour to meet your wants.
  • No extra costs – your quote will include all transport costs and there are never any extra fees. The only things we don’t normally include are food, drinks and personal expenses.
  • Perfect for larger groups – we specialise in small group tours, but we also regularly cater to large group bookings of up to 50 people.
  • A personal, private tour of Bulgaria – your roomy, air-conditioned minivan is for you and your nearest and dearest alone.

Talk to us about your ideal Bulgaria trip today

What would really make your dream tour of Bulgaria?

Let us know today by email or by filling in the form below. We can help you customise your 4-day tour itinerary and get a free quote now.

 

Benefits

Private tour! No other tourists!
Friendly local tour guide
Starting point and time at your convenience
Breaks and photo stops at your convenience

Includes

Licensed local tour guide and his/her expenses
 Private Vehicle
Entrance for the museums (upon request)

Excludes

Food and drinks
Accommodation (can be arranged upon request)
Tips and gratuities
Personal expenses

Good to Know

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes is recommended
The best time to visit a rose distillery is end of May – June
A home made lunch with Local family can be arranged upon request
Bring long sleeves or scarf to cover your arms in Rila monastery

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    More about Rila Monastery 

    The Rila Monastery is huddled in the initial folds of the Rila mountain. Its history began centuries ago, with its founding in the tenth century. Later more buildings were added in different periods and formed the monastery complex. UNESCO distinguished the Rila Monastery by including it in the list of its precious world heritage sites, not only on account of its long history and valuable frescoes, but also because it has always been a center for education and literature. In the Revival period a school was organized in the monastery, and eminent Bulgarians have visited it in different periods. 

    In the end of the 18th century a fire razed the monastery grounds, but several years later the complex was restored. Another fire devastated the complex years later, and again it was restored.

    Nowadays the Rila Monastery covers 8,800 square meters, with the buildings framing the yard in an irregular pentagon shape.

    More about Plovdiv 

    Plovdiv welcomes as a city steeped in history and with a plenitude of sites demonstrating Bulgarian customs and traditions and also modern life. Its history spans millennia, and the period of the Roman empire left vestiges that testify to its past importance. The Romans appreciated the auspicious location of the settlement and built solid paved roads, temples, baths. The excavations in the modern city part reveal just a modicum of its glorious past. 

    The Assumption of the Holy Mother cathedral is imposing. Legend tells of a beautiful temple that stood in the location of the present cathedral far back in the 9-10 centuries. The Archeological Museum is located in a building dating to late part of the 19th century. The archeological wealth of the whole ancient Thrace is gathered there. The Ethnographic Museum unfolds to visitors with the life of local people, trades and crafts, national clothing, and even musical instruments. 

    More about Melnik

    The tiniest town, Melnik, is a pearl in the southwest Bulgaria. The proximity of Pirin is guarantee of picturesqueness, because the mountain is famed for its stern and grand mountain beauty. The altitude of the locality where Melnik lies is 437 meters. With its transient climate, passing into Mediterranean mildness, it offers comfort, with minimal rains in summer, and maximal precipitations in winter. Fans of mountain chalets have ample choices. Melnik is the starting point for trails to the Pirin chalet and the Malina chalet. 

    The Rozhen monastery is near Melnik, not far even when going on foot. On the way to the monastery the curious Melnik Pyramids captivate with their uniqueness. These mounds of sandstone, rising to up to 100 meters, are unlike any other formations. But in Melnik itself there is plenty to marvel at: fascinating old style houses and opportunities to learn about wine making, a strong trade there.

    More about Veliko Tarnovo

    Veliko Turnovo has gathered centuries of history and despite its small size, with a population of just about 69,000 people, it attracts lots of enthusiastic tourists because of its numerous and precious sights which lend it a unique atmosphere. There are a number of churches, among which the Saints Forty Martyrs, a renovated church by the Yantra, enjoys lots of visitors. On the way to it visitors can go into the Tsarevets fortress, marvel at the complex built to revive past periods,  and show the grandeur of old times, and also see the remains of the Baldwin Tower where, according to legend, the captured Latin emperor Baldwin died. 

    The town’s guardian is Saint Patriarch Euthymius, a Bulgarian patriarch whose statue can be seen rising near the building of the University, on the Sveta Gora hill. The university, named after the Saints Cyril and Methodius, is the second largest Bulgarian university.

    More about Koprivshtitsa 

    Koprivshtitsa is in the Sofia region, famed as a mountainous town with specific architecture. The Topolnitsa river flows past it, forming a picturesque valley. The altitude is 1061 meters. Winters are cold but abound in sun. The snow cover is thick. Summers are cool owing to the northern flow along the Topolnitsa valley. 

    In the past, cattle breeding and crafts were the livelihoods. Men frequently went abroad to search for work too. The work available in the locality was scarce. 

    Because the architecture of the houses is unique local art, there are six museum houses which preserve the unique style and house local customs. The writer Lyuben Karavelov’s house, the poet Dimcho Debelyanov’s house, traders’ houses etc. form the bunch of museums. The cathedral church is called Assumption. The artisans’ street is curious and colorful. The stone bridge on which the first gun was fired of the April Uprising, attracts history fans. 

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