Cornelius Amann
06 octobre 2026
5/5
Cette page est affichée en anglais.
Bulgaria: Sofia, Rila, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo
9 days from Sofia and back: Boyana Church, Rila Monastery and a night in Bansko, the narrow-gauge railway, two nights in Plovdiv, the Valley of the Roses and Kazanlak, and two nights in Veliko Tarnovo.
9 jours · Départ et retour : Sofia · jusqu'à 12 voyageurs
Central Sofia and Vitosha mountain, with the Russian Church of St Nicholas in the foreground Photo: Deensel, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panoramic_view_over_central_Sofia_and_the_Vitosha_Mountain_2017-10-08.jpg)
Les faits
En bref
- Durée
- 9 jours, 8 nuits
- Départ et arrivée
- Départ et retour : Sofia
- Taille du groupe
- 7 à 12 voyageurs
- Trajet le plus long
- 4.5 h le jour 8
- Niveau d'activité
Facile
Easy walking on pavements, cobbles and monastery courtyards, usually 2 to 3 hours on foot a day. Plovdiv's old town and the Tsarevets fortress in Veliko Tarnovo are steep, with big uneven stones and a climb to the summit church; each has a sit-out, and days 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 each have an easier choice. Rila Monastery is at about 1,150 m and Avramovo station at 1,267 m, both reached by road or train.
- Repas compris
- 8 petits-déjeuners, 7 repas du midi, 1 repas du soir
- Chambre individuelle
- + CAD 770 (prix estimé)
- Saison
- May to October
Points forts
Pourquoi ce voyage
- Boyana Church's 1259 frescoes on a booked group slot, no more than nine people inside at a time
- Rila Monastery in the morning, then a night in Bansko instead of the drive back to Sofia
- The Rhodope narrow-gauge railway to Avramovo, at 1,267 m the highest station in the Balkans
- Two nights in Plovdiv: the old town and the Roman theatre in the cool of the morning, Bachkovo Monastery in the afternoon
- The Valley of the Roses at picking time on late May and early June departures, and the Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak
- Tsarevets fortress at opening and the frescoed church in Arbanasi
- Etar's water-powered craft workshops on the way back to Sofia
Ce qui distingue ce voyage
Des trajets courts, tous publiés
Chaque trajet est indiqué jour par jour. Le plus long dure 4.5 h, le jour 8.
Le temps libre fait partie du programme
Le temps libre et les choix sont indiqués les jours où ils ont lieu.
En solo, sans pénalité
Une chambre individuelle coûte + CAD 770 (prix estimé).
Jour par jour
Itinéraire
Le trajet le plus long dure 4.5 h, le jour 8.
Touchez une étape de la carte pour ouvrir ce jourCliquez sur une étape de la carte pour ouvrir ce jour
Arrive in Sofia
Sofia Airport to your hotel in central Sofia
- Welcome dinner
- Nuit : Sofia
- Environ 30 min de route
Fly into Sofia Airport (SOF), about 10 km east of the centre. A driver meets you in the arrivals hall whatever your flight time and takes you to our central hotel, 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic. If you land early, walk to the gold domes of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, completed in 1912, or fill a bottle at the free mineral-water taps beside the old Central Mineral Baths, where locals queue with plastic jugs.
Soir
In the evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the days ahead: how long each drive is, what to wear in monasteries, and when the rose harvest falls if you travel in late May or early June. Then we walk to a welcome dinner of Bulgarian food: shopska salad under grated sirene cheese, banitsa pastry, grilled kebapche and a glass of local wine. Plan to land by about 5 pm for the briefing; later arrivals are still met and join us at dinner or at breakfast.
Compris
- Pick-up at Sofia Airport (SOF)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Temps libre : Free until the evening briefing
Activité : Plan to land by about 5 pm for the briefing.
Sofia on foot and Boyana Church
Central Sofia on foot, then Boyana at the foot of Vitosha
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Sofia
- Environ 45 min de route
Matin
A licensed local guide walks us through two thousand years of Sofia in one morning, about three hours on foot. We start at the Largo, where the excavated streets of Roman Serdica lie open beside the metro, then step into the 4th-century Rotunda of St George, tucked into a courtyard behind the presidency. From there it is a short walk past the Banya Bashi Mosque, built in 1566, and the Central Mineral Baths to the brick Church of St Sofia, which gave the city its name, and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
Après-midi
Lunch is a sit-down meal in the centre. In the afternoon we drive about 30 minutes to the foot of Vitosha for Boyana Church, listed by UNESCO for frescoes painted in 1259 that show faces with a realism rare for their time. To protect the paint, no more than nine people go in at a time, for about ten minutes, so on our booked group slot we enter in two turns while the other half waits in the garden. A few minutes away, the National Historical Museum holds Thracian gold and the story of the Bulgarian state.
Soir
The evening is free.
Compris
- Sofia walk with a licensed local guide: Serdica, the Rotunda of St George, the Banya Bashi Mosque, the Church of St Sofia and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
- Sit-down lunch in central Sofia
- Boyana Church (entry included)
- National Historical Museum (entry included)
Activités en option
- Museum of Socialist Art
Option plus facile : Skip the National Historical Museum; our driver takes you back to the hotel after Boyana for a rest before the free evening.
Option plus active : Ride the gondola or walk the forest paths of Vitosha above Boyana in the late afternoon instead of the museum, with our driver.
Temps libre : Evening free
Activité : About 3 hours on foot in the morning, on pavements and a few steps. Boyana admits at most nine people at a time for about ten minutes; no photos inside.
Rila Monastery and on to Bansko
Sofia to Rila Monastery, then over to Bansko below the Pirin mountains
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Bansko
- Environ 4 h de route
We leave Sofia at 8 am and drive about two hours south, then up the Rilska valley, to Rila Monastery, at about 1,150 m among forested peaks. It was founded in the 10th century by the hermit John of Rila, whose relics are kept here, and it kept Bulgarian learning alive under Ottoman rule. A fire in 1833 destroyed most of it; what you see is the 19th-century rebuilding, striped arcades on four floors around a great courtyard, with one survivor from the 14th century, Hrelyo's Tower. Your guide shows you the painted porch of the Church of the Nativity, where Zahari Zograf was among the painters of the scenes of heaven and hell, and the monastery museum.
Après-midi
Lunch is a sit-down meal near the monastery. Then we cross into the Struma valley and climb to Bansko, under the Pirin mountains, about 1 hour 45 minutes away, arriving by mid-afternoon. Your guide walks you through the old quarter, where stone houses hide behind high walls, to the Holy Trinity Church, built in 1835.
Soir
After that the late afternoon and evening are yours: an hour on the main square, then a mehana, a tavern in an old stone house.
Compris
- Rila Monastery with your guide: the courtyard, the Church of the Nativity, Hrelyo's Tower and the monastery museum (entry included)
- Sit-down lunch near the monastery
- Bansko old quarter and the Holy Trinity Church with your guide
Option plus facile : Skip the Bansko walk and rest at the hotel; the old quarter is close by if you want to see it later on your own.
Option plus active : Walk up the forest path to the cave of St John of Rila, about 40 minutes each way from the road, while the others stay at the monastery.
Temps libre : Late afternoon and evening free in Bansko
Activité : Bring a scarf or shawl; covering shoulders and knees is required in the church.
The narrow-gauge railway to Plovdiv
Bansko by narrow-gauge train to Avramovo, then Velingrad and Plovdiv
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Plovdiv
- Environ 2 h de route
Matin
The Rhodope railway runs only a few trains a day, so this morning is shaped around its timetable, which we confirm when we book your departure: we take the morning train that fits, and if it leaves late enough, the first hour in Bansko is free. The line is Bulgaria's last narrow-gauge passenger railway, running between Septemvri and Dobrinishte on track only 760 mm wide. We ride its most scenic stretch, about an hour and a quarter on recent timetables, climbing through pine forest past Yakoruda to Avramovo, at 1,267 m the highest railway station in the Balkans, while our driver takes the luggage by road and meets us on the platform.
Après-midi
From Avramovo it is a short drive down to Velingrad, a spa town, for a sit-down lunch, then about an hour and a half through the Chepinska gorge and across the Thracian plain to Plovdiv, arriving in the afternoon.
Soir
In the early evening your guide takes you into Kapana, the old craftsmen's quarter whose name means 'the trap', now a grid of small bars, cafes and studios. Dinner tonight is your choice.
Compris
- Rhodope narrow-gauge railway from Bansko to Avramovo (tickets included)
- Sit-down lunch in Velingrad
- Evening walk into Plovdiv's Kapana quarter with your guide
Option plus facile : Stay with the vehicle instead of the train and meet the group at Avramovo.
Temps libre : Evening free in Plovdiv
Activité : If the season's timetable has no morning train that fits, we drive the same valley and stop at Avramovo station instead.
Plovdiv's old town and Bachkovo Monastery
Plovdiv old town on foot, then Bachkovo and back
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Plovdiv
- Environ 1.5 h de route
Plovdiv is best walked before the heat, so at 9 am a licensed local guide takes us into the old town. We start at the curved end of the Roman stadium below the main street and the Dzhumaya Mosque, then climb the steep cobbles to the painted 19th-century merchants' houses and the Regional Ethnographic Museum in the Kuyumdzhiev House. The Roman theatre, still used for summer concerts, looks out over the rooftops towards the Rhodopes, and the walk ends on Nebet Tepe, the hill where the city began.
Après-midi
After a sit-down lunch in town we drive about 40 minutes south to Bachkovo Monastery, where the Rhodopes begin. Founded in 1083 by Gregory Pakourianos, a Byzantine commander of Georgian origin, it is the second largest monastery in Bulgaria, and its courtyard church holds an icon of the Virgin that pilgrims queue to touch. Weekday afternoons are quieter than weekends, when families come with candles.
Soir
We are back in Plovdiv by about 5 pm, and the evening is free: Nebet Tepe is worth a second visit at sunset, and Kapana fills up after dark.
Compris
- Plovdiv old town walk with a licensed local guide: the Roman stadium, the Dzhumaya Mosque, the Roman theatre and Nebet Tepe
- Regional Ethnographic Museum (entry included)
- Sit-down lunch in Plovdiv
- Bachkovo Monastery with your guide
Option plus facile : Skip the climb to Nebet Tepe and wait at a cafe on the main street; the walk ends a few minutes away.
Option plus active : In the free evening, walk up Sahat Tepe to the old clock tower for a second view across the city.
Temps libre : Evening free in Plovdiv
Activité : The old town is steep and cobbled, with big uneven stones; wear shoes with grip. The Ethnographic Museum closes on Mondays, so we set departure dates so that day 5 does not fall on one.
The Valley of the Roses, Kazanlak and the Shipka Pass
Plovdiv through the Valley of the Roses to Kazanlak, then over the Shipka Pass to Veliko Tarnovo
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Veliko Tarnovo
- Environ 3.5 h de route
Matin
From late May to early June the Damascena roses of the Valley of the Roses are picked by hand in the early morning, before the sun burns off the oil, so on those departures we leave Plovdiv at 7 am, the one early start, and drive about 1 hour 45 minutes north through Karlovo to join a picking morning at a rose farm and watch the petals go into the copper stills. Outside the season we leave at 8:30 am and go straight to Kazanlak. There we visit the Rose Museum and the Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, a 4th-century BC burial chamber listed by UNESCO in 1979; the original is closed to protect its paintings of a funeral feast and a chariot race, so we see the full-size copy beside it.
Après-midi
Lunch is in Kazanlak. In the afternoon we stop at the gold onion domes of the Shipka Memorial Church, then climb to the top of the Shipka Pass, where Russian troops and Bulgarian volunteers held the line in 1877, and stop below the Shipka Monument. We drop through Gabrovo to Veliko Tarnovo, arriving by about 5:30 pm on rose departures and about 4:30 pm on other dates.
Compris
- Rose picking and a distillery visit at a rose farm, late May to early June
- Rose Museum in Kazanlak
- The Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak (the full-size copy)
- Sit-down lunch in Kazanlak
- Shipka Memorial Church and a stop at the top of the Shipka Pass
Option plus facile : On rose departures, watch the stills at the farm instead of picking in the rows; at the pass, stay by the vehicle while others climb the stair.
Option plus active : Climb the long stair from the top of the pass to the Shipka Monument for the view along the Balkan range.
Temps libre : Evening free in Veliko Tarnovo
Activité : In rose season we leave Plovdiv at 7 am; the picking is over by mid-morning.
Tsarevets fortress and Arbanasi
Veliko Tarnovo on foot, then Arbanasi and back
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Veliko Tarnovo
- Environ 30 min de route
Veliko Tarnovo was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire from 1185 until the Ottoman conquest in 1393, and its houses are stacked up the cliffs above loops of the Yantra River. We are at Tsarevets, the hill fortress of the tsars, when it opens, with a licensed local guide: through the gates and along the walls to the foundations of the royal palace, Baldwin's Tower, named for the Latin emperor of Constantinople who died a prisoner here after 1205, and the Patriarchal Church at the summit, painted inside in the 1980s with stark modern murals.
Matin
Late morning is for Samovodska Charshiya, a lane of craft workshops where you can watch potters and coppersmiths at work.
Après-midi
After a sit-down lunch in town we drive ten minutes up to Arbanasi, a village of fortified merchants' houses, for the Church of the Nativity, whose low rooms are covered with 17th-century frescoes.
Soir
The late afternoon and evening are free. On the evenings it runs, the Sound and Light show plays over Tsarevets after dark.
Compris
- Tsarevets fortress at opening with a licensed local guide (entry included)
- Samovodska Charshiya craft street
- Sit-down lunch in Veliko Tarnovo
- Arbanasi: the Church of the Nativity (entry included)
Activités en option
- Sound and Light show over Tsarevets, on the evenings it runs
Option plus facile : Stay in the lower courtyard at Tsarevets and skip the climb to the Patriarchal Church.
Option plus active : In the free afternoon, cross the Yantra to Trapezitsa, the second fortified hill of the medieval capital, with directions from your guide (entry extra).
Temps libre : Late afternoon and evening free
Activité : Tsarevets means about 2 hours on uneven paths and a steady climb to the summit church.
Etar, Lovech and back to Sofia
Veliko Tarnovo to Etar, then Lovech and the Hemus motorway to Sofia
- Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
- Nuit : Sofia
- Environ 4.5 h de route
We leave Veliko Tarnovo at 8:30 am and drive about an hour south through Gabrovo to Etar, an open-air museum of a Balkan craft town of the 18th and 19th centuries, where the stream still drives wooden mill wheels, fulling hammers and lathes, and potters, weavers and coppersmiths work in the shops along the lane.
Après-midi
Then we turn west along the foot of the Balkan range, through Sevlievo to Lovech, about an hour and a quarter, for a sit-down lunch near the covered bridge over the Osam River. The last leg is about two hours on the Hemus motorway, with a short leg-stretch on the way, and brings us into Sofia by about 4:30 pm. In all that is about 275 km and 4 hours 15 minutes of driving, the longest day of the trip. We accept it because the trip ends in Sofia, where your flight home leaves, and we split it into three legs of two hours or less, with Etar and lunch between them.
Soir
In the evening we meet for a farewell dinner together.
Compris
- Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex (entry included)
- Sit-down lunch in Lovech by the covered bridge
- Farewell dinner in Sofia
Option plus facile : At Etar, see the lower lane and its water-powered workshops, then wait in the shade by the entrance instead of walking the full length.
Option plus active : Before lunch, walk across Lovech's covered bridge and up the cobbled lanes of the Varosha quarter towards the Hisarya fortress on the hill above the town.
Temps libre : Late afternoon free in Sofia
Activité : The longest drive of the trip, about 4 hours 15 minutes in three legs of two hours or less.
Sofia and home
Central Sofia to Sofia Airport
- Petit-déjeuner
- Environ 30 min de route
Matin
The last morning is free. Walk Vitosha Boulevard with the mountain at its end, browse the fruit, cheese and spice stalls of the Women's Market, Sofia's oldest open-air market, or see the socialist-era statues moved into the garden of the Museum of Socialist Art. If you missed them on day 2, the icons in the crypt of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral are a quiet hour. Your guide is at breakfast to help with plans and to check your flight times. A driver takes you from the hotel to Sofia Airport (SOF), 20 to 40 minutes away, at a time that suits your flight; leave the hotel about three hours before departure. If you are going on to our Romania trip, your guide helps arrange the road transfer to Bucharest, about 5 to 6 hours by way of the Danube bridge at Ruse, or a flight. To stay longer in Sofia, ask us to book extra nights at the same hotel before or after the trip.
Compris
- Drop-off at Sofia Airport (SOF), timed to your flight
Activités en option
- Museum of Socialist Art
- Crypt of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (icon collection)
Temps libre : Morning free
Activité : Flights at any time of day work; leave the hotel about three hours before departure.
- Sofia2 nuits
- Bansko1 nuit
- Plovdiv2 nuits
- Veliko Tarnovo2 nuits
- Sofia1 nuit
- Étape avec nuitée
- Excursion d'une journée
- En bateau ou en train
Faune et météo : May, June and September are mild and green. The Damascena roses are picked from late May to early June, depending on the spring, and Kazanlak's rose festival falls in early June. July and August are hot on the Thracian plain around Plovdiv, often above 30 C, so we walk in the morning and late afternoon. Rila and Bansko are cooler at altitude, and October brings autumn colour in the mountains.
Vous voulez recevoir ce programme par courriel?
Recevez l'itinéraire jour par jour par courriel, ou posez-nous vos questions sur ce voyage. Un conseiller en voyages vous répond le jour même ou le jour ouvrable suivant.
Avant de réserver
Ce voyage est-il pour vous?
Ce voyage vous convient si vous recherchez
- Travellers who want Bulgaria's monasteries, Roman Plovdiv and medieval Tarnovo without moving hotel every night
- History lovers: Thracian, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and socialist Bulgaria in one week
- Gardeners and photographers on the late May and early June rose departures
- Solo travellers who want a small group and a stated single price
- Anyone combining Bulgaria with our Romania trip
Ce voyage ne vous convient pas si vous recherchez
- Step-free access: Plovdiv's old town and Tsarevets mean steep cobbles and stairs
- A Black Sea beach holiday; Nessebar and Varna are not on this route
- Travellers who want a mountain hiking trip; Rila and Pirin walks here are short
- Those who want a different hotel and town every night
Réservez vos vols une fois votre place confirmée.
8 nuits
Où vous logerez
Vos hôtels sont nommés dans la confirmation de votre voyage.
- Sofia2 nuits
- Bansko1 nuit
- Plovdiv2 nuits
- Veliko Tarnovo2 nuits
- Sofia1 nuit
Un seul prix
Ce que le prix comprend
Compris
Hébergement
- 8 nights: 2 in Sofia at the start and 1 at the end, 1 in Bansko, 2 in Plovdiv, 2 in Veliko Tarnovo
- Central hotels of at least 3-star-plus standard, in or a short walk from each old town, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Sofia Airport (SOF) on day 1, whatever your flight time
- Drop-off at Sofia Airport on day 9, timed to your flight
- Our own air-conditioned vehicle and driver for the whole route
- The Rhodope narrow-gauge railway from Bansko to Avramovo on day 4
Votre guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for all 9 days
- Licensed local guides in Sofia, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo
Activités
- Sofia: walk with a local guide (Serdica, the Rotunda of St George, the Church of St Sofia, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral), Boyana Church and the National Historical Museum
- Rila: Rila Monastery, the Church of the Nativity and the monastery museum
- Bansko: the old quarter and the Holy Trinity Church
- Rhodopes: the narrow-gauge railway to Avramovo
- Bachkovo: Bachkovo Monastery
- Plovdiv: old town walk with a local guide, the Roman theatre and stadium, Nebet Tepe and the Regional Ethnographic Museum
- Kazanlak: the Rose Museum, the Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak (copy) and, late May to early June, rose picking and a distillery
- Shipka: the Shipka Memorial Church and a stop at the top of the Shipka Pass
- Veliko Tarnovo: Tsarevets fortress with a local guide and Samovodska Charshiya
- Arbanasi: the Church of the Nativity
- Gabrovo: Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex
Repas
- 8 breakfasts
- 7 sit-down lunches: Sofia, Rila Monastery, Velingrad, Plovdiv, Kazanlak, Veliko Tarnovo and Lovech
- 2 dinners: welcome dinner and farewell dinner in Sofia
Non compris
- International flights to Sofia and home
- Travel insurance
- ETIAS travel authorisation fee, if it applies on your dates
- Dinners except the welcome and farewell dinners
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities: the Museum of Socialist Art, the Vitosha gondola, Trapezitsa and the Sound and Light show seating, where charged
- Photo permits in churches and museums, where charged
- Personal expenses
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trip
- Transfer to Bucharest for the Romania trip
Suppléments
- Chambre individuelle
- CAD 770 (prix estimé)
Quand partir
Dates et prix
Choisissez votre date de départ au moment de votre demande de réservation. Nous vérifions cette date et la confirmons dans votre devis.
Vous préférez voyager sans groupe ni guide? Demandez-nous d'organiser vos hôtels, vos transports et vos visites de ville pour voyager en autonomie.
Avant de réserver
Conditions de réservation
Rien n'est facturé maintenant. Les conditions complètes et le barème d'annulation accompagnent votre devis, avant que vous acceptiez.
Adresses de l'entreprise
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Avis des voyageurs
Ce que disent nos voyageurs
Avis de voyageurs ayant participé à nos visites d'une journée.
Jane
06 octobre 2026
5/5
Susan
06 octobre 2026
5/5
Tom L
05 octobre 2026
5/5
MandL83
05 octobre 2026
5/5
Darren O
05 octobre 2026
5/5
Bon à savoir
Questions
What does the price include?
Eight nights in central hotels, 8 breakfasts, 7 sit-down lunches and 2 dinners, airport pick-up and drop-off in Sofia, our own vehicle and driver throughout, the narrow-gauge train, your See Sight Tours guide, local guides in Sofia, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo, and every entry in the day plan, including Boyana Church, Rila, Bachkovo, the Kazanlak tomb, Tsarevets, Arbanasi and Etar.
How big is the group?
Seven to twelve guests, never more, and we do not merge groups. Everyone fits in one vehicle and at one table at lunch and hears the guide on a narrow cobbled lane. Boyana Church lets in no more than nine people at a time, so a full group goes in on our booked slot in two turns.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group for all nine days. Licensed local guides join us for the walks in Sofia, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo. We name your guide when we confirm your departure.
How fit do I need to be?
An easy level suits most people who can walk 2 to 3 hours a day on cobbles and climb stairs at their own pace. Plovdiv's old town and the climb through Tsarevets are the steepest parts, and each has a sit-out. Rila and Avramovo are reached by road and train.
I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own is CAD 770 more than the shared-room price, shown before you request to book, with no surprise at checkout. Solo travellers are a normal part of our groups, and you share every meal, guide and seat in the vehicle on the same terms as everyone else.
When is the best time to go, and when do the roses bloom?
May, June and September are mild and green. The Damascena roses are picked from about late May to early June, depending on the spring, and departures in that window include a picking morning and a distillery; on other dates we visit the Rose Museum instead. July and August are hot around Plovdiv, so we walk early. October brings autumn colour around Rila.
Do I need a visa for Bulgaria?
Canadian and US citizens do not need a visa for short stays in Bulgaria, which is in the EU and the Schengen area. The EU Entry/Exit System registers your fingerprints and photo at the border, and the EU plans an ETIAS travel authorisation; check the current ETIAS start date with us at booking.
How does booking work?
Choose a departure and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until we do. The small-group trip starts from CAD 4,530 per person sharing a room, taxes included, and a private trip from CAD 8,155.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, drivers and local guides.
How long are the drives?
Most days have under four hours of driving, broken by visits and a sit-down lunch. The longest are day 3 to Rila and Bansko, about 3 hours 45 minutes, and day 8 back to Sofia, about 4 hours 15 minutes in three legs of two hours or less, with Etar and lunch in Lovech between them.
Is Bulgarian food good for vegetarians?
Yes, mostly. Bulgarian cooking has many meat-free dishes: shopska salad, bean soup, banitsa cheese pastry, peppers stuffed with rice or cheese, and grilled vegetables. Tell us your diet when you book and we arrange it for the included lunches and dinners. Vegan choices are thinner outside Sofia and Plovdiv, and we plan around that.
Can I combine this trip with Romania?
Yes. Our Romania trip starts and ends in Bucharest, about 5 to 6 hours by road from Sofia across the Danube at Ruse. Book both and we arrange the transfer between them, with a night in Bucharest if the dates need one, or tell you about flights on your dates.
See Sight Tours offre des services de voyage partout en Amérique du Nord depuis 2006. Présente dans 20 villes au Canada et aux États-Unis, l'entreprise se spécialise dans les tours en petit groupe qui offrent des expériences personnalisées et de grande qualité aux voyageurs.
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