4 Balkan Capitals In 9 Days: Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia And North Macedonia

Itinerary

Day 1: The Medieval capital of Bulgaria

Stop At: Veliko Tarnovo, Veliko Tarnovo, Veliko Tarnovo Province
Our first day will start from the modern capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, and will end in the medieval one –Veliko Tarnovo. The city is situated on the northern slopes of Stara Planina, amidst the meanders of Yantra River.
Veliko Tarnovo is one of the oldest in Bulgaria and has been continuously inhabited since the 5th millennium BC, therefore many different cultures like the ancient Thracian, Roman, and Byzantine contributed to the historical and cultural heritage of the city. Without a doubt, however, the most noticeable marks have been left by the Medieval Bulgarians, as the city is former capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396). From this period are most of the highlights of the city which you will have the chance to explore. We will visit the remains of the main medieval fortress of this magnificent city. Admiration is provoked as well by the typical for the city architecture from the National Revival period (XVIII-XIX) – houses from stone and wood, scattered along the slopes and narrow, cobblestone streets. We will visit the main commercial area, built during the Ottoman period, but still alive, keeping the traditions of different crafts.
We will overnight in the city. During the evening you can enjoy the beautifully illuminated fortress of Tsarevets.
Duration: 3 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in 3* hotel in the historical part of Veliko Tarnovo

Day 2: The Peal of the Danube river

Stop At: Ruse, Ruse, Ruse Province
After breakfast, we will head north to the Danube River. We will stop at one of the most beautiful cities in Bulgaria – Ruse. We will walk through its center and will admire the architecture, which gave the name of the city during the 19th century – The small Vienna.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Bucharest, Bucharest
After this relaxing walk, we will cross the river and will enter Romania. After an hour's drive, we will reach its capital Bucharest. We will overnight in the city center. During the evening you will have the chance to enjoy its intense nightlife.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: 3* Hotel in the heart of Bucharest

Day 3: Exploring Bucharest

Stop At: Bucharest, Bucharest
This day will be dedicated to exploring Bucharest’s highlights. We will visit one of the biggest buildings in the world – Romanian parliament, a very ambitious project of Ceaușescu, their last communistic leader, related to the horrible events of 1989. Our next stop will be at a museum, called “Village museum”. There you will see copies of all architectural styles of Romania, including the famous wooden churches. Our next stop will be in the historical part of Bucharest, where you will see the remains of the structures from the time of Vlad the Impaler. We will walk through the main pedestrian street, full of shops, restaurants, beautiful buildings.

We will overnight in the city.
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: 3* Hotel in the heart of Bucharest

Day 4: Craiova

Stop At: Craiova, Craiova, Dolj County, Southwest Romania
After breakfast, we will head west. Our final destination for the day is the city Craiova. It is a great example of the Austrian-Hungarian heritage in Romania. Craiova was also the capital of the Wallachia region. We will spend the afternoon enjoying the architecture and the beautiful center.

Overnight in Craiova.
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: 3* hotel in the center of Craiova

Day 5: Reaching Serbia

Stop At: Trajan's Bridge, Calea Timisoarei, Drobeta-Turnu Severin 220099 Romania
After breakfast, we will start our trip to the next capital on our list – Belgrade. On the way, we will stop in a town situated on the Danube River. This is considered to be the place where Emperor Trajan built the famous bridge, presented on the column in Rome. By this bridge, he transported his legions and won the Dacian Wars in 106 AD.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Belgrade, Belgrade
After we see the remains of the bridge we will cross the river by a modern bridge and will enter Serbia. After an hour and a half drive, we will reach Belgrade. We will check in our hotel and have a relaxing evening.
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: 3* Hotel in the heart of Belgrade

Day 6: Exploring Belgrade

Stop At: Belgrade, Belgrade
This day will be dedicated to exploring Belgrade. We will visit the fortress, which was guarding the two Rivers – Danube and Sava. In the fortress, we can visit the National Military museum where you will learn about many dramatic moments of the Balkan history, from the Serbian point of view, of course. Then our walking tour will continue through Belgrade main boulevards and shopping streets. In the evening we can go to the street, famous for its traditional Serbian restaurants. In some of them, there is life Balkan music.

Overnight in Belgrade.
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: 3* Hotel in the heart of Belgrade

Day 7: The birthplace of Constantin the Great

Stop At: Nis, Nis, Central Serbia
In the morning we will drive toward the 3rd biggest city of Serbia-Nis. You will have a guided tour of the historical part. You will see the Roman villa where Constantin the Great was born. After that, we will stop by a very sad for our history site – The Skull tower, built by the Ottomans after an uprising in 1809 with the idea just to send a message. Another point of interest is a Nazi concentration camp. Perfectly preserved with the amazingly rich museums. Our next stop will be the fortress of Nis and the main pedestrian street, where we will have our lunch.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Skopje, Skopje, Skopje Region
After that, we will continue our journey toward the next capital – Skopje, Northern Macedonia.

Overnight in Skopje
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in 3* hotel in the historical center of Skopje

Day 8: Exploring Skopje

Stop At: Skopje, Skopje, Skopje Region
This day will be dedicated to one of the most controversial cities on the Balkans. Skopje is an amazing mixture between orient and modern, and also one of the few examples in nowadays how historical propaganda reflects on the appearance of a city. The two worlds are separated by a river. In the old there typical orient market place – Suk, surrounded by beautiful Ottoman buildings-mosques, hammams (Turkish bathhouse), and many more. The atmosphere is wonderful. On the other bank of the river is the modern center, full of statues and neoclassical buildings. Also, we will visit the house of Mother Teresa.
In the afternoon we will enjoy one of the most spectacular gorges on the Balkans – Matka canyon. If you want to we can hire a boat and have a boat trip.
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in 3* hotel in the historical center of Skopje

Day 9: Getting back to Sofia

Stop At: Monastery of St Joakim Osogovski, Kriva Palanka Republic of North Macedonia
After breakfast, we will start our journey back to Bulgaria. On the way, we will visit the biggest monastery in Macedonia. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage list. Built-in the Middle Ages it is still an active one and keeps the atmosphere of those times.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Sofia, Sofia, Sofia Region
In the afternoon we will reach Sofia. Our guide can show you the center of the city if you haven’t got the chance to do so and will drop you off at your hotel.

Overnight in Sofia. If you depart the next day, also airport transfer is included.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in 3* hotel in the historical center of Sofia