Bucharest – Sofia Cultural Tour

Arrival in Bucharest to Otopeni airport and meeting with the guide. Bucharest tour called 'Eastern Paris' with its wide avenues, the glorious "Bell ‘Époque" buildings, the Arch of Triumph, the Romanian Athenaeum and the Revolution Square. We will visit the "Patriarchy" (spiritual center of the Romanian Orthodox church) and the Palace of Parliament, the second largest building in the world after Pentagon from Washington. The Parliament building was built on a hill called by several names: Spirii Hill, Arsenal Hill, Uranus Hill, which was largely razed to the ground to allow the construction of the building to begin in 1984. About 700 architects worked there and more than 20,000 workers organized in shifts, 24 hours a day, for five years. The building was originally known as "House of the Republic" (Casa Republicii) and was supposed to serve as headquarter for all major state institutions. Welcome dinner in a traditional restaurant and overnight in a Bucharest hotel.

After breakfast, departure for Veliko Tarnovo also known as the "City of the Tsars" . Located on the banks of the Yantra river, Veliko Tarnovo was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. It's one of the most resistant fortifications in the area. Even today, the most impressive tourist attraction in the city is the ancient fortress. The old part of the city stands on three hills, taking almost the shape of an amphitheater. In the city you can see the palaces of the Patriarchate and of the Bulgarian sovereigns, as well as housing and administrative buildings, all surrounded by walls. The churches are also numerous because in the medieval times, the city was an important ecclesiastical and cultural center. Continue to Sofia. Dinner and overnight stay in Sofia.

In the morning, visit at the Rila Monastery, the most famous and largest in Bulgaria , established in the 10th century, during the reign of King Peter. Return and guided tour in Sofia, a city with a history of 8.500 years called "My Rome" by Emperor Constantine the Great. Sites of great interest give prestige to the city: the Forum of ancient Serdica (the ancient name of the city), with the most recent archaeological discoveries of the Roman times, exhibited next to the Bulgarian presidency building, St. Nedelya Square (there are four temples of different religions that form a quadrilateral: the Catholic church, the Orthodox church, the Synagogue and the Mosque that symbolize peace between different religions in Bulgaria), the Alexander I Square where the Royal Palace and the National Theater are located, "Tzar Osvoboditel" Boulevard, the Parliament, the Church of "Saint Sophia" from which the name of the city derives, the Sofia University and the Nevski Cathedral (the largest Orthodox temple in the Balkan Peninsula). Dinner and overnight stay in Sofia.

After breakfast, departure for Plovdiv and visit the second largest city in Bulgaria known for its beauty and archaeological importance. Plovdiv has many similarities with Ancient Rome and today it is an important archaeological site in the open sky. The Bulgarian city was built on 7 hills but is much older than Rome. Indeed Plovdiv was built around 6,000 BC, and is therefore one of the oldest cities in Europe. The ancient urban settlement is of Neolithic origin, then the city became a Thracian commercial fortress, it passed from Roman cultural center to Byzantine city and, after troubled years, it passed under the Ottoman domination . Precisely, because of this incredible history, the city is full of treasures from different eras. The ancient Marble Amphitheater is the classic example of Roman urban architecture, but only a few hundred meters away is the splendid Dzhumaya Mosque, one of the most beautiful buildings in the whole city. But surely the strong point of the town is the Renaissance district known as the Old Town (dates back to the 18th century). Indeed Plovdiv, besides being the cultural capital of Bulgaria, is also named Bulgarian Florence. Return in the late afternoon in Sofia for a typical dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast then transfer to Sofia airport.