HISTORIC BULGARIA

Day 1 ARRIVAL SOFIA
Arrival Sofia Airport. Meet and assist and transfer to hotel. Immediate guided sightseeing tour /Highlights of Sofia - central part, National Historical Museum and Boyana Church; by car and by foot; 5 hours. Time at leisure and dinner at a traditional Sofia restaurant.

Overnight. HOTEL ART OTEL, SOFIA

Day 2 SOFIA - VELIKO TARNOVO - Troyan Monastery
Breakfast is included at your hotel 09:00 am lv. Sofia by private car with driver and an English speaking guide for the the Troyan Monastery (125 km). Visit of approx. 1 hour, the third largest monastery in Bulgaria. Continue to Veliko Tarnovo. Check-in at hotel. Afternoon, guided sightseeing tour of Veliko Tarnovo/. Return to hotel in the late afternoon. Dinner on your own.

Overnight: HOTEL YANTRA, VELIKO TARNOVO

Day 3 VELIKO TARNOVO - ARBANASI - Monasteries
After breakfast departure for the guided sightseeing tour of Arbanasi. Visit traditional houses, monasteries and churches in this picturesque village. There will be time for lunch at local restaurant (not included)/ Return to Veliko Tarnovo and continue to Preobrazhenski Monastery; the Monastery of Transfiguration. Visit the monastery for about 2 hours. Return hotel. Time for individual exploring the city of Veliko Tarnovo. Dinner on your own.

Overnight: HOTEL YANTRA, VELIKO TARNOVO

Day 4 VELIKO TARNOVO - VALLEY OF THE ROSES - PLOVDIV
After breakfast depart for Kazanlak and Plovdiv. First stop is at Etara Museum. Crossing the Balkan range via the Shipka pass and visiting the beautiful Shipka Memorial Monastery. Entering the Valley of Roses where there is an opportunity visiting a recently discovered Thracian tomb - Kosmatka, this visit is optional.

Arrival at the town of Kazanlak. During the visit get acquainted with the production of the famous Bulgarian attar of roses. Possibility visiting an old distillery /optional - not included. We stop at the local historical museum with ancient Thracian artefacts. Visit of the famous Thracian

Tomb /UNESCO heritage list/. Time for lunch (not included) and then departure for Plovdiv. Check-in at hotel. Dinner on your own.

Overnight: HOTEL KENDROS, PLOVDIV

Day 5 PLOVDIV - EDIRNE
After breakfast begin the guided sightseeing tour of Plovdiv, the ancient Philipopolis - the city of Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great of Macedon. Plovdiv highlights: Old houses, Churches, the Roman Amphitheatre, Thracian and Greek remains. Time for lunch (not included)

Afternoon, depart for Edirne (Turkey). About 50 km from Plovdiv we cross the border into Turkey. Border crossings take time and patience is required, of course your guide will do his utmost trying to speed things up. On good days, the formalities can take 30 minutes and sometimes up to 2 hours. If you do not possess a Turkish Visa, be prepared to pay approx. $ 40.- in cash.
After clearing Turkish customs the drive to Edirne is approx. 170 km. Check-in at hotel and evening at leisure. Dinner on your own.

Overnight: HOTEL SIMSEK, EDIRNE

Day 6 EDIRNE - ISTANBUL
Breakfast is included at your hotel. Check-in at Edirne Bus Terminal
09:00 am lv. Edirne by Express Bus
11:00 am ar. Istanbul - Bus Terminal
End of services

The package includes:
• Accommodation in 3*/ 4* hotels
• Service charges and hotel taxes
• Buffet breakfast daily
• Travel by A/C 1st class car with driver
• All transfers according the itinerary
• Entrance fees as per the itinerary
• English speaking guide/escort throughout
• All local taxes and VAT

Sightseeing Tours & Visits
• Sofia, National Historical Museum, Boyana Church
• Veliko Tarnovo, Tsarevets Hill;Preobrazhenski Monastery
• Arbanasi, Monasteries and churches; Gabrovo, Etara open air museum
• Shipka Church
• Kazanlak, Thracian Tomb, Historical Museum
• Plovdiv, Old Town, Roman Amphitheatre, Thracian and Greek remains

Monasteries
• Troyan Monastery - optional
• Preobrazhenski Monastery
• Shipka Monastery
• St. Nikolas' Monastery

Note: All entrance fees of the objects in the itinerary not marked as optional are included in the package price.

US$ 2274.00 per person (double occupancy)
(Price valid from March 1, 2009 to February 28, 2010)

RSI reserved the right to recalculate this package to obtain the best seasonal rate and rate of exchange.