Sofia & Plovdiv

After arriving at Sofia Airport, we’ll proceed through immigration and collect our luggage before heading to our hotel in Sofia for a short break before the city tour. We will visit the old part of the city center and see the historical landmarks such as Alexander Nevski Cathedral and St. Sofia Basilica. In the evening we will have a Solos welcome drink and dinner at a local restaurant.

After breakfast we will visit Rila Monastery - the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria and listed UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is Bulgaria’s most famous monastery that has been a spiritual centre for over 1000 years. Rila Monastery’s fortress-like complex engulfs 8800 sq. m, and within its stone walls we’ll find remarkably colourful architecture and religious art. You can’t fail to be struck by its elegant colonnades, archways striped in black, red and white, and the bright yellow domes of its main church, beneath which dance apocalyptic frescoes. All this splendour, against a backdrop of mist-swirled mountains, has made Rila Monastery hugely popular among both pilgrims and curious visitors.

After light lunch we will return to Sofia.

The rest of the day is free for you to explore Sofia independently. In the evening we will have a dinner at local restaurant

After breakfast at our hotel we will transfer to Plovdiv where we will visit a local family and have lunch at their restaurant before our tour of Plovdiv. Like Rome, Plovdiv straddles seven hills; but as Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited city, it’s far more ancient. It is best loved for its romantic old town, packed with colourful and creaky 19th-century mansions that are now house-museums, galleries and guesthouses. We will visit the Ancient Roman Theatre, Stadium and Odeon and the Old Town (a UNESCO site), before a visit to “The Trap” (the vibrant little district with the best cafés and art shops). In the afternoon we will return to Sofia. In the evening we will enjoy a farewell dinner.

After breakfast we’ll transfer to the airport for our return flight home.