Cultural Bulgaria and Romania Tour

Welcome to Sofia! You will meet the guide in the airport and then transfer to hotel. Panoramic tour and visit of the city of Sofia: the neo - Byzantine Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the church of Santa Sofia, the Monument to the War of Independence (one of the four statues representing King Carol Ist of Romania) and the Square of St. George. Special welcome dinner and overnight in Sofia city center hotel.

After breakfast we will drive to the Rila Monastery, the most famous and the biggest in Bulgaria, built in the tenth century, during the reign of King Petar. We continue with the town of Plovdiv, the second largest city in the country considered to be the cultural capital of Bulgaria, a city with rich and varied architecture, with cultural events of great value, surrounded by natural beauty. Visit the Roman amphitheater and walk through the historic down town area.

In the morning departure to visit the Troyan Monastery "The Dormition of Virgin Mary," from the XVI-th century, one of the most famous monasteries in Bulgaria. We continue to Veliko Tarnovo known as the "City of the Tsars". Located on the banks of the river Yantra, Veliko Tarnovo was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Even today, the most impressive tourist attraction of the city is the old fortress Tsarevetz. You can go on the streets of the old palace and visit the former patriarchal church, rebuilt in modern times. You will enjoy the old streets and alleys of the city where you can admire the local architecture and the beautiful landscape. Traditional dinner and overnight in Veliko Tarnovo hotel in the center.

Breakfast and departure to Arbanassi, a small and quiet village dominated by a medieval atmosphere. Enjoy the walk and admire the beautiful houses and visit the church of the Nativity of Arbanasi with unique frescoes from the 15th and 17th centuries AD. Then we will head to Sveshtari where we will visit the Thracian tomb from the 3rd century BC with its unique Unesco heritage Caryatids. Afterwards direction to Madara. Diner and overnight.

Breakfast. In the morning we will visit the site of Madara with its famous Knight (symbolic bas-relief found in Bulgarian coins) with its former rock monastery, immersed in the woods, a Unesco heritage. Departure for Russe, the Romanian border, and arrival in Bucharest in the afternoon. In the evening walk in the historic center of Bucharest, the Lipscani area and special dinner with show at the famous restaurant Caru cu bere. Overnight hotel Bucharest center.

After breakfast we will have a Bucharest tour with the symbols of the city: Cotroceni Palace (symbol of the monarchy in Romania), the Parliament Palace (formerly Palace of Ceausescu - symbol of communism), the Church of the Patriarchy (symbol of orthodoxy in Romania). Afterwards departure for Curtea de Arges, the former capital of Wallachia. Visit of the Monastery Curtea de Arges considered to be the most beautiful in the Eastern Europe, built in the sixteenth century. The monastery still retains its aura of legend as it was built by the most famous master mason in the history of Romania - the master Manole. Dinner and overnight in Curtea de Arges.

In the morning departure to Sibiu and visit of the city, one of the oldest and best preserved medieval towns in Romania which in 2007 was named the European Capital of Culture. Here you will see the three squares: Piata Mare (Big Square), Piata Mica (Small Square) and Huet Square surrounded by old houses dating from the seventeenth century, the Catholic Cathedral, the Saxons Cathedral, the Lies Bridge, the Brukenthal Palace , the Orthodox Christian Cathedral also the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Christian Metropolitan Church of Transylvania. We continue to Sighisoara and visit the city-fortress, one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe and unique in the fact that the inhabitants still live in the medieval houses renovated with modern facilities. Here you will see a part of the towers that surrounded the city from which we can distinguish the Clock Tower where the old city hall was and the Tailors Tower, which had and still have the role of the gates of the city, the Monastery Church, the house where Vlad the Impaler - Dracula was born, and the Church from the Hill which is the most important cultural monument of the city. Medieval dinner and overnight hotel in Sighisoara near the citadel.

After breakfast we continue to Vatra Dornei going through Tihuta Pass that offers one of the most beautiful landscapes in Romania. Today we will visit some of the northern Moldavia monasteries that preserve the exterior paintings unique in the world. The Moldovita Monastery was built by the Prince of Moldovia Petru Rares in the year 1532 in Moldavian style and painted in the year 1537. In the outside paintings of Moldovita Monastery there is one of the most important historical theme with religious frescos representing the Siege of Constantinople. The Sucevita Monastery was built in the sixteenth century and painting in the seventeenth century, and it is the last and the greatest of the medieval monasteries also painted outside of Moldovia. Its most famous fresco is The Scale of Virtue. Homemade dinner and overnight in a typical guesthouse in Voronet.

In the morning visit of the Monastery of Voronet known in the whole world for its unique blue color, which changes according to the light, and the fresco of The Last Judgement that covers the entire west wall. The Voronet Monastery was built by the Prince of Moldovia Stefan cel Mare (Stefan the Great) in the year 1488 and painted in the outside in the year 1547 becoming the masterpiece of the medieval art in Moldovia. We continue to the mountain town of Piatra Neamt and nearby we will visit the Neamtu Monastery, built by Stefan cel Mare (Stefan the Great) during the years 1496 and1497, the largest church in Moldovia raised in the Middle Ages as a major center of culture. Dinner and overnight in a small charming in Neamt area.

Today we will visit a beautiful mountain area - Bicaz Quay, unique in Romania and also the Red Lake. In the afternoon arrival in Bran and visit of the Bran Castle, one of the most impressive medieval castles in Romania built between the years 1377 and 1382 by the inhabitants of the city of Brasov to monitor the most important trade route connecting Wallachia and Transylvania, and to defend the medieval border between the two countries. The castle is also known as the castle of Vlad the Impaler - Dracula - which has occupied it for a short time during his military campaign against the Saxons of Brasov in the year 1459 when he lived at Bran Castle. Next direction Brasov, one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Romania and sightseeing city tour: The Church of Saint Nicola in the Schei district of Brasov was built by the Romanians of Brasov in the thirteenth century in Gothic style on the outside and Byzantine on the inside; The Museum of the First Romanian School also in Schei hides a treasure of manuscripts and old books some unique in Romania and in the world; the Black Church in Brasov built by the Saxons in the fourteenth and fifteenth century is the largest Gothic church in the Eastern Europe; the beautiful central square surrounded by old houses and dominated in center by the old city hall, the Council's Square; The Christian Orthodox Cathedral that was built in Neo Byzantine style in the late nineteenth century in the central square. Traditional diner and overnight in Brasov hotel.

After breakfast departure to Sinaia and visit of the Peles Castle built in the late nineteenth century as a summer residence of the first King of Romania Carol Ist. Peles is very impressive castle both for its German Neo Renaissance architecture at the exterior and for the interior furnishings, each room being decorated in a different style. Next to it visit of Sinaia Monastery built in Brancovenesc style at the end of the seventeenth century by a noble of Wallachia Mihail Cantacuzino that also gave the name of the locality Sinaia. Departure for Bucharest and transfer to the airport in time for your flight.