THRACIAN TREASURES AND UNESCO CULTURAL HERITAGE IN BULGARIA 2002 

TOUR PROGRAMME
8 days/7 overnights

Day 1 SOFIA 
Arrival in Sofia . Guide meets you at the airport and assists for a transfer to hotel. Dinner.Overnight in Sofia.

Day 2 SOFIA
Morning sightseeing tour of Sofia, a city with 7000-year long history. Enjoy the sightseeing tour of Sofia, a pleasant city of boulevards and open spaces and see the city’s most important places of worship – Alexander Nevski Memorial Church (to be included in UNESCO 's List of Cultural Heritage shortly) and St. George Rotunda. Walk along the main streets and see the most important landmarks in the city centre - St.Nedelya Square and St. Nedelya Church, St. Petka of the Saddlers, theSynagogue, the Central Baths, the Mosque, the underpass outside the President's Office, Alexander Battenberg Square, the National Theatre, the former Royal Palace, the Russian Church, St. Sophia Church and the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. Your guide will make you feel the atmosphere of this city which history dates back to the ancient times. Tour proceeds with panoramic sightseeing of the National Library, Sofia University, Borissova Garden, and the National Palace of Culture.
   
Lunch in a local restaurant. 
We’ll visit The National History museum to see a Thracian treasure, and in the archeological museum we’ll see the oldest Thracian treasure, Vultchetrun and other famous Thracian golden treasures. 
In the afternoon - a visit to the 900 years old Boyana Church (Unesco List of Cultural Heritage), enjoy the remarkable murals, painted by an unknown artist in the 13th century. Dinner and overnight in Sofia.

Day 3 SOFIA - Rila Monastery - Borovets mountain resort - PLOVDIV.
After breakfast drive to Rila monastery (UNESCO 's List of Cultural Heritage). Tour of the monastery. Rila monastery is located some 120 km to the south of Sofia, in the heart of the Rila Mountain. Founded in the 10th century, it has been the biggest spiritual and cultural centre in Bulgaria for hundreds of years. 
The visitor’s first sight of Rila monastery huge towering walls gives the impression of a fortress. However, a step through the archway produces a wonderful surprise. Visiting the Monastery is a must. The Monastery’s unrivalled architecture and murals will captivate you. The Rila monastery is the largest in the Balkans and included in the List of World Cultural Heritage. Tour of the monastery includes a visit to the Monastery Church, which is of particular artistic value, for it was adorned by the foremost 19-century masters of the Samokov, Bansko and Debar schools of painting and woodcarving. Lunch.
In the afternoon - departure for Plovdiv, a stop over in Borovets mountain resort. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in Plovdiv 

Day 4 PLOVDIV - Kazanlak -BOURGAS.
After breakfast city sightseeing of Plovdiv (mainly on foot). We’ll visit Plovdiv’s Historical museum and see the world famous Thracian Panagjyrishte gold treasure.Departure to Kazanlak, the main city of the Rose Valley. Visit the replica of the Thracian beehive tomb in Kazanlak, a unique monument of the Thracian Culture, included in UNESCO 's List of World Heritage. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the late afternoon depart to Bourgas. Dinner and overnight in Bourgas.
Day 5 BOURGAS –Pomorie- Nessebar – Varna – SHOUMEN
After breakfast On route to Nessebar, we’ll visit in an old domed grave near Pomorie, from 2 AD. Departure to the museum town of Nessebar, picturesquely situated on a small rocky peninsula. Stop for a tour of the town, which is another UNESCO' s World Cultural Heritage site. Different civilizations have left their marks jealously guarded today on the tiny peninsula. Lunch. Tour proceeds to Varna. City sightseeing of Varna, one of the largest Black sea cities, founded as a Miletian colony in the place of an old Thracian settlement already during the 6th c. B.C. We’ll visit Varna’s Historical museum and see the oldest gold object in the world, found in Varna’s Thracian Necropol.
Departure to Shoumen. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Shoumen.

Day 6 SHOUMEN - Madara – Sveshtari – VELIKO TARNOVO.
After a short tour of Shoumen in where we will visit the Shoumen Historical Museum and see Thracian treasures, from the tribe of Gets.
Will visit the Madara National Historic and archaeological reservat. This is where you will see the
Madara Horseman, a unique bas-relief hewn into the sheer rock, included in the List of World
Heritage. Drive north to Razgrad for lunch. Tour proceeds to Sveshtari. Visit the Thracian Royal
Tomb, on the List of UNESCO Cultural Heritage sites, which is one of the most sensational
discoveries during the past decade, dating back to the 4th-3rd century B.C. Departure to Veliko Tarnovo.
Dinner and overnight in Veliko Tarnovo.

Day 7 VELIKO TARNOVO - Arbanassi - SOFIA 
Morning sightseeing tour of V. Tarnovo. The capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom is situated on three hills, mirrored in the waters of the Yantra River winding down below. Tzarevets Hill is a genuine outdoor museum with its royal buildings, churches, fortress walls, towers, and the restored Ascension patriarchal church. We’ll also take a look at Thracian treasures in the historical museum of V.Turnovo.Drive to Arbanassi museum village - a beautiful town with fortress-like houses and extremely interesting churches. Lunch in Arbanassi. 
In the afternoon drive south to visit Etara Ethnographic open-air museum. Proceed to Sofia via Sevlievo.
Dinner and overnight in Sofia.

Day 8 SOFIA 
After breakfast time at leisure. Transfer to the airport. 
End of services.

PACKAGE RATES INCLUDE: 
Accommodation at:

• 3 overnights at a 3-star hotel in Sofia
• 1 overnight at a 3-star hotel in Plovdiv
• 1 overnight at a 3-star hotel in Bourgas
• 1 overnight at a 3-star hotel in Shoumen
• 1 overnight at a 3-star hotel in Veliko Tarnovo
• 6 lunches
• 7 dinners
• transfers upon arrival and departure
• transportation by car or minibus, according to above programme
• entrance fees to museums and sites
• English - speaking guide-escort throughout the tour
• 1 free of charge tour leader,single occupancy for groups 10+pax

RATES DO NOT INCLUDE:

• air fare, additional meals, items not specially mentioned above and/or in the itinerary
• insurance, porterage at airport and hotels; tips.