Zet Travel > Bulgaria and Balkan tours > Discover Balkans Combined Tour
Hightlights: An exclusive tour in three countries with the best of the nature, history and culture.
11 Days - 10 Nights
Itinerary: Romania - Bulgaria - Greece
Bucharest - Sinaia - Bran - Brashov - Sinaia - Veliko Tarnovo - Plovdiv - Sofia - Thessaloniki - Athens
Day 01
Arrival AT the International airport in Bucharest. Meeting with the guide and transfer to the hotel in city centre. Sightseeing of Bucharest . Visit to the Palace of Parliament, second largest building in the world and the biggest in Europe. Festive Romanian dinner with traditional dancers and singers show at Terasa Doamnei restaurant in Bucharest. Overnight in Bucharest.
Day 2
Morning, visit the Village Museum, a model of rural accommodation and habits throughout Romania. Departure to Sinaia. On the way, visit the Valea Calugareasca vineyard, and stop for lunch and Romanian wine-tasting (minimum 5 sorts) to Seciu wine-cellar.
Sinaia: Visit the Sinaia monastery, established on 17th c. by the Romanian principe Mihail Cantacuzino. Free time at leisure in Sinaia resort, one of the best known mountain resorts on Carpathians due to its ski slopes and facilities. Festive Serbian dinner at Serbian Tavern in Sinaia. Accommodation at Hotel 4 * in Sinaia . Overnight in Sinaia.
Day 3
Visit Peles Castle, former summer residence of the Romanian Kings, built at the end of 19th c. in a splendid Neo-Renaissance German style, a jewel of architecture placed in a beautiful green meadow at the bottom of Carpathian Mountains.
Departure to Bran, where one can see the best developped rural tourism area, a model for rural tourism in Eastern Europe. Visit the Bran Castle, actually a fortress built on the top of a rock guarding the mountain pass between Transylvania and Wallachia. The Bran Castle is supposed to be the famous castle of Count Dracula, a famous landmark of Transylvania.
Lunch to a rural guest-house in Bran, with ecological home-made food products. Taste the famous Romanian plumbrandy ("palinca") and the equal famous "cozonaci" (Romanian cake).
On the way to Brasov and back to Sinaia one can see the mountain agriculture, including forestry, crop fields and hayracks. Visit the Black Church on Brasov, biggest Gothic monument in Eastern Europe and walking tour in the centre of Brasov. Festive dinner with Brasov Philarmonic Orchestra in a citadel restaurant in Brasov. Back to Sinaia for overnight.
Day 04
Morning, departure to the border; change the buses and guides in Giurgiu (Romanian border with Bulgaria).
Continuing to Bulgaria. Arrival in Veliko Tarnovo. Accommodation in Hotel 4 stars. Sightseeing of Veliko Tarnovo - capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom - the hill Tzarevez with the remains of the castle and church of the Bulgarian kings, who established the Bulgarian state after the time of Byzantine domination in the 12th century Dinner and Overnight in Veliko Tarnovo.
Day 05
Leave for Plovdiv. Next you will proceed to the town of Kazanlak- famous mostly as the hearth of the Bulgarian Rose Valley. The rose has been an important role in the history of Kazanlak region and is an unchangeable part of the life style of the local people. "The rose cultivation and rose industry have been kept by generations of enterprising people from the valley" - meeting with experts and traditions, the history of rose oil production, rose distillion and rose products, lunch. Travelling trough the romantic Rose valley, crossing the Balkan mountain - we arrive in the "open-air museum" Etara . Sightseeing of the unique village - museum of Etar. The tour continues to Plovdiv. Dinner and overnight.
Bulgarian Rose Oil
Bulgaria is the second largest producer of rose oil in the world. A ton of rose oil is exported annually to the major perfumeries and cosmetics companies in France, Germany and the United States.
Rose oil has been a traditional product for Bulgaria since the 17th century. The Rosa Damascena, the oil giving rose, is cultivated in the famed Valley of Roses, an area of 14 000 square kilometers to the south of the Balkan Range. The roses bloom in May and June and fill the air in the whole region with their sweet, intoxicating scent. Rose petals are collected early in the morning before dawn and are steam distilled into rose oil, an essential 'top note' ingredient in quality perfumes and cosmetics products. It takes 3000 kg of rose petals to make 1 kg of rose oil.
Bulgarian oil producing companies are making new investments in an effort to improve further the quality of rose fields and rose oil and strengthen the country's position on the world's essential oils market.
In late spring tourists from around the world flock to the Valley of Roses to observe the gathering of rose petals and attend the festivities on the Holiday of the Rose
Day 06
Sightseeing of the Roman Theater and Roman Stadium, Bachkovo Monastery - the second big in the country from the 11th century with some marvelous murals from different periods of its long history. Visit the village of Brestovitza. This village has always been a symbol of Bulgarian red wine. And when you want to run away from the tense of the every day life and you are looking for pleasant comfort of Bulgarian countryside, there is a place for you. Your best option is "TODOROFF" Wine Cellar. Only 15 min driving from Plovdiv and 140 km. from Sofia At the foot of the Rhodopes Mountain you will find yourself in a quite different atmosphere. Atmosphere, created thanks to the combination of pure nature, rich historical inheritance, ancient spirit of Thracians and hosts' eagerness to make you feel wonderful - wine tasting, tour around the cellar accompanied by lecture, myths, legends, wine producing technologies and ,methods of wine storage, folklore programme, lunch.
Leave for Sofia. Dinner and overnight.
Bulgarian Wine
Legend has it that the temple of Dionysus, Greek god of wine, was built on Bulgarian land. What weknow for fact, is that grapes have been cultivated on the territory of present-day Bulgaria since 4000 B.C.
Bulgaria's climate is influenced by the Black Sea and the Mediterranean and is excellent for the cultivation of a variety of grapes. The country produces a number of fine wines from local grapes - Mavrud, Melnik, Gamza, Dimyat, Misket - as well as quality international varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
Bulgaria exports 770 000 hectoliters of bottled wine annually. The three top export markets are Great Britain, Germany and Russia.For the last three, years a total of 55 million Euros from the SAPARD pre-accession program of the European Union have been invested in new vineyards, plant capacity and production improvements.
Day 07
Sofia - the capital of the country - a beautiful city on its way to grow to a big and modern European city, with nice green arias, beautiful ancient churches and buildings from the beginning of the 20th century and incessant night life. Sofia sightseeing with lunch at the Vitosha mountain, visit the National museum of History, the St. Petka Church, the St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral and of the St. Sofia church, which gave the name of the capital. Dinner at a typical restaurant with folk style music and dances. Overnight in Sofia.
Day 08
Leave for Greece (Thessaloniki). On route visit Rila Monastery - the biggest monastery on the Balkan Peninsula, the most important example for bulgarian revival architecture and painting and in the time of ottoman domination the most important cultural and educational centre. Human imagination and the talent in combination with nature have fashioned true perfection in the hearth of the RILA Mountain, 120 km from Sofia. The monument monastery architecture is truly breathtaking and the rich monastery lands are awe-inspiring. The Rila monastery is included in the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage. Sightseeing of the monastery and its museum. Lunch. Departure for Thessaloniki. Dinner and overnight.
Day 09
Sightseseing - Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece with It was founded about 315 B.C., on a site of old prehistoric settlements going back to 2300 B.C., by Cassander, King of Macedonia, and was named after his wife, Thessaloniki, sister of Alexander The Great - half day tour begins with a drive to the White Tower, emblem of the city. Then to the statue of Alexander The Great. Next to the uppermost part of the city to see the spot where Paul preached. Conclude with a visit to St. Dimitrius Church. Sidewalk cafes, elegant shops, Byzantine Churches, open market: the choices are abundant. Leave for Athens. En Route, visit Meteora - an area of Greece with unique history and sites. Here are monasteries constructed on sheer rock surfaces, where even eagles have trouble landing, never mind humans.. The tour continue to Athens, accommodation in Hotel 4 stars. Dinner and overnight.
Day 10
This morning begin with an orientation tour of the city - Athens city tour and visit Acropolis. Lunch. Afternoon visit to "Kokkotos" Vineyards. Dinner with traditional Greek food, live music and dancing show in a taverna in the charming Plaka district. Overnight.
Day 11
Transfer to the Airport and flight back home.
Of course we can combine all kinds of landmarks and offer you Sea, Ski, Cultural, Hunting, Horse riding, Golf, Wellness and Spa, Trekking, Business or other individual trips, also combined with visit of Rumania, Greece, Turkey, Macedonia… Also we expect your opinion and your wishes and interests and would be glad to answer your questions and may be to work with you!
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