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KosovoJoin us for a week and explore the beauty of Bulgaria with its historical landmarks, captivating monasteries, and natural wonders. Throughout this private tour, experience the culture, cuisine, warmth, and comfort that will make you feel right at home.
Your friendly, fully licensed guide will be there to explain the history and lend some cultural insight wherever you go, as well as to do all of the translating and offer some extra recommendations whenever you call for them.
Trip Summary for 1 Week in Bulgaria
🧭 Itinerary: Sofia, Rila Monastery, Melnik, Plovdiv, Bachkovo monastery, the Rhodope mountains; The Rose Valley, Kazanlak, Shipka pass and Church, Veliko Tarnovo, Koprivshtitsa, Troyan and Devetashka cave, Sofia.
🗓️ Duration: 7 days/ 6 nights
🛬 Starting point: Sofia, Bulgaria
🛫 Finish point: Sofia, Bulgaria
☀️ Best period: January – December
🇬🇧 Tour language: English
🏢 Cities and villages included: 7
🏛️ UNESCO heritage sites: 2
🏰 Top attractions: Rila Monastery, Bachkovo Monastery, the Ancient theatre of Philippopolis, Thracian Tomb in Kazanlak, Tsarevets Fortress, Open Ethnographic Museum Etar, Devetashka Cave.
7-Day Bulgaria Tour Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Sofia, walking city tour | Sofia |
| Day 2 | Visit the Rila Monastery, transfer to Melnik with optional wine tasting | Melnik |
| Day 3 | Transfer to the Rhodope Mountains, visit traditional villages | Traditional mountain village |
| Day 4 | See the Bachkovo Monastery, transfer to Plovdiv + walking city tour | Plovdiv |
| Day 5 | Explore Koprivshtitsa and Kazanlak, visit the Thracian Tomb | Kazanlak area |
| Day 6 | Visit Etar open-air museum, transfer to Veliko Tarnovo + walking city tour | Veliko Tarnovo |
| Day 7 | See Troyan and the Devetashka cave, transfer back to Sofia |
See the full tour program
Day 1: Sofia
Arrive in Sofia
→ Airport transfer to your hotel OR pick up from your hotel
→ Walking city tour in the morning (2-3 hours)
Visit the: St. Nedelya square; Nedelya church; St Sofia Monument; St. Petka Church; The old Serdika Ruins; The mineral springs; The council of ministers; The Rotunda “Saint George”; The Presidency; The mosque “Banya Bashi”; The National archaeology museum (not going inside); The National Bank of Bulgaria; Knyaz Alexander Battenberg Square; The King’s palace; The Russian church; St. Sofia Church; The National Theater; The Monument of the “unknown soldier”; The Alexander Nevski Memorial Church; The city garden.
→ Free time in Sofia in the afternoon
🏨 Overnight in Sofia
→ Airport transfer to your hotel OR pick up from your hotel→ Walking city tour in the morning (2-3 hours)
Visit the: St. Nedelya square; Nedelya church; St Sofia Monument; St. Petka Church; The old Serdika Ruins; The mineral springs; The council of ministers; The Rotunda “Saint George”; The Presidency; The mosque “Banya Bashi”; The National archaeology museum (not going inside); The National Bank of Bulgaria; Knyaz Alexander Battenberg Square; The King’s palace; The Russian church; St. Sofia Church; The National Theater; The Monument of the “unknown soldier”; The Alexander Nevski Memorial Church; The city garden.
→ Free time in Sofia in the afternoon
🏨 Overnight in Sofia
Day 2: Rila Monastery and Melnik
→ Depart from Sofia in the morning→ Transfer to the Rila monastery (2-2:30 hours)
→ Guided tour of the monastery including 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 3: Rhodope Mountains
→ Transfer to Rhodope mountains (3-4 hours) where you will visit traditional mountain villages, meet local people and try Bulgarian homemade jam and delicious local food.
→ Free time in the afternoon
🏨 Overnight in a traditional mountain village
Day 4: Bachkovo Monastery and Plovdiv
→ Depart after breakfast→ Transfer to Bachkovo monastery ( 1.5-2 hours)
→ Explore the 2nd big monastery in Bulgaria
→ Transfer to Plovdiv, The European Capital of Culture (40 min)
→ Walking city tour of Plovdiv icnluding 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” neighborhood and Nebet Tepe.
→ Free time in Plovdiv in the afternoon
🏨 Overnight in Plovdiv
Day 5: Koprivshtitsa and Kazanlak
→ Transfer to Koprivshtitsa mountain village (2 hours)
→ Walking city tour of Koprivshtitsa to see the exterior of Dimcho Debelyanov’s 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 a traditional Bulgarian restaurant
→ Transfer to Kazanlak (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 6: Etar Complex and Veliko Tarnovo
→ Depart after breakfast from your hotel in Kazanlak→ Transfer to Veliko Tarnovo via Shipka pass (1.5- 2 hours) and visit Etar open-air museum on the way
→ City tour of Veliko Tarnovo to visit the Tsarevets Fortress and the famous craft street
→ Free time for dinner
🏨 Overnight in Veliko Tarnovo
Day 7: Troyan and Devetashka Cave
→ Transfer to Troyan (1-1:30 hours)
→ Visit a traditional pottery workshop and the pottery museum
→ Free time for lunch
→ Transfer to Sofia (2 hours)
→ Visit Devetashka cave on the way (optional)
→ Drop off at any location in Sofia
🏁 End of the tour
Let’s plan your one-week adventure across Bulgaria
See all major cities and landmarks in Bulgaria during a 7-day road trip with private transportation.
Send us your details to receive a custom quote.
What to Expect When You Spend 7 Days in Bulgaria with Us
What’s Included in the Price
- A licensed English-speaking tour guide who is ready to give you a variety of tips and information about the local culture, history, cuisine, and more.
- A comfortable vehicle of your choice: travel across Bulgaria with an air-conditioned car, SUV, or minivan. We even let you choose the music :)
- Sofia airport transfer on arrival and departure for your convenience;
- Custom changes: choose to do the itinerary backward or edit destinations and duration, add a free day or more landmarks – it’s all up to you;
Optional Services and Activities
- Accommodation: give us your budget and we’ll find hotels on your behalf;
- Local activities: we can arrange a visit to a local event happening during your journey, such as the Kukeri festival, Rose festival, or regional food festival;
- Entrance tickets: we can purchase entrance tickets for some of the paid sights in advance;
- Traditional workshops: learn more about local customs by attending a cooking or pottery class.
What Our Clients Think about Our Tours
Adriana helped us put together the itinerary, and Kiril and Marina were our driver-guides. We went to Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Devatashka Cave, and Pleven. We were a challenging group: one kid, two teenagers, and five adults, one who was in a wheelchair and one who finds walking a long distance challenging. We were together for a full week. Kiril and Marina were absolutely wonderful. They were knowledgeable, patient, and took such great care of all of us. They also went above and beyond when our wheelchair broke. I would highly recommend Private Guide Bulgaria to anyone who is interested in visiting Bulgaria! We will certainly use them again when we come back!
