10 Days Small Group Balkans Tour From Bucharest With Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia

Itinerary

Day 1: Day 1 – Sunday – Bucharest – Ivanovo Monastery – Arbanassi – Veliko ROMANIA + BULGARIA

Pass By: Bucharest, Bucharest
We will leave Bucharest in the morning and head to Bulgaria. After crossing the bridge over the Danube River we will enter in Bulgaria

Stop At: Ivanovo, Ivanovo, Ivanovsky District, Ivanovo Oblast, Central Russia
In the valley of the Roussenski Lom River, in north east Bulgaria, a complex of rock-hewn churches, chapels, monasteries and cells developed in the vicinity of the village of Ivanovo. This is where the first hermits had dug out their cells and churches during the 12th century. The 14th-century murals testify to the exceptional skill of the artists belonging to the Tarnovo School of painting.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Arbanasi, Bulgaria
Visit the picturesque Arbanasi village . In the walking tour of the village , we will discover houses that preserves an unique medieval bulgarian architecture and a hidden 16th century Church of Nativity with beautiful and richly inside painted fresco
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Veliko Tarnovo, Veliko Tarnovo, Veliko Tarnovo Province
Early evening arrival in Veliko Tarnovo , “City of Tsars” , the former capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. Tsarevets Fortress , Monument of the Asenevtsi kings , Samovodska charshia are the main attractions of the city.
Duration: 4 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Veliko Tarnovo in a 4* hotel.

Day 2: Day 2 – Monday – Veliko – Shipka – Kazanlak – Plovdiv BULGARIA

Stop At: Shipka Monument, Stoletov Peak, Shipka 6150 Bulgaria
Crossing the Stara Planina mountains , we will stop to visit Shipka Monument (aka "Monument of The Liberty") . The memorial complex was erected in memory of the fallen bulgarian volunteers and Russian soldiers during the Shipka battles in the summer of 1877. Shipka battle plays a crucial role in the Russo-Turkish War and for the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Museum of Roses, Voynishka Str. 1 Rosarium Park, Kazanlak 6100 Bulgaria
Continue to drive south to the town of Kazanlak located in the pretty Valley of roses at the foot of the Balkan mountains and visit the Rose Oil Museum.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, General Radetski St. Parc Tubelto, Kazanlak 6100 Bulgaria
Visit the most important touristic attractions : Thracian Tomb ( Unesco World Heritage Site , the only monument, completely preserved from the Early Hellenistic Period , 4-3 century B.C.)
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Plovdiv Old Town, Plovdiv 4000 Bulgaria
Arrive in the late evening in Plovdiv where you will enjoy a orientation tour.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in a 3* hotel in Plovdiv.

Day 3: Day 3 – Tuesday – Plovdiv – Sofia

Stop At: Plovdiv Old Town, Plovdiv 4000 Bulgaria
Visit Plovdiv, one of the oldest settlements in the world, having emerged on the three adjacent hills – the beginning of its history dates back to 4,000 years BC. It has preserved Thracian, Roman and Bulgarian heritage from different epochs. There will be a 2- hour walking tour in the heart of the town and you will learn lots of historical facts and legends while exploring its most interesting sightseeing places.
You will see the Roman Theater and parts of the Roman Stadium. Walk through the longest pedestrian street in Europe. Explore the magnificent Revival old town with its unique colorful houses from the 19th century.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Sofia, Sofia, Sofia Region
In the early evening we will arrive in Sofia . The walking tour of city center will include the gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Saint (Sveta) Sofia Church , Banya Bashi Mosque, the Sofia Synagogue and the main shopping street Vitosha .
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in a 4* hotel in Sofia

Day 4: Day 4 – Wednesday – Sofia – Rila – Skopje BULGARIA + MACEDONIA

Stop At: Rila Monastery, Rila 2643 Bulgaria
Visit Rila Monastery , Bulgaria's most famous tourist site ( Unesco World Heritage Site ) and founded in the 10th century by Saint Ivan Rilsky (St John of Rila ) , a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church . The monastery , one of the largest in the Balkans , was the center of Bulgarian culture and Orthodox belief for more than 1000 years . Our tour includes a visit to the 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.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Skopje, Skopje, Skopje Region
Continue to south to the Bulgarian - Macedonian border . In the early evening we will arrive in Skopje , the capital of Macedonia . Orientation tour of Skopje before arriving to your centrally located hotel.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in a 4* hotel in Sofia.

Day 5: Day 5 – Thursday – Skopje – Nis – Belgrad (190 km) MACEDONIA + SERBIA

Stop At: Old Bazaar, Skopje, Skopje Republic of North Macedonia
enjoy a walking tour of Skopje (internationally famous for being the birthplace of Mother Teresa ) , with its most important landmarks : quay of the Macedonian river “Vardar”, the narrow streets in the Old Bazaar (is the biggest bazaar preserved in the Balkans today ), the Memorial house of Mother Teresa , the 1500 years old fortress Kale , Macedonia Square with the statue of Alexander The Great on horse .
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Nis, Nis, Central Serbia
Next, we will cross the border in Serbia. First visit will be in the city of Nis, the birthplace of Constantine the Great, the first Christian Emperor. It is home to one of the oldest churches in Serbia, dating to the 4th century, located in the suburb of Medijana. You’ll find some fortress remains, a shopping street, and lovely gardens. The approach to Nis is very scenic, with the road passing through a river gorge.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Belgrade, Belgrade
In the afternoon we will arrive to Belgrad, capital of Serbia. Visit the Republic Square, the National theater and the National museum, Bohemian Quarter (Skadarlija), the oldest part of Belgrade with Ottoman heritage, the oldest residential house and museum of Serbian language, the only mosque in the city, Kalemegdan park, Belgrade fortress, „Victor“ the most famous symbol of Belgrade, the confluence of the Sava and the Danube rivers, Saborna church, and Knez Mihailova street.
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in a 4* hotel in Belgrade.

Day 6: Day 6 – Friday – Belgrad – Novi Sad – Timisoara SERBIA + ROMANIA

Stop At: Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Vojvodina
departure to Novi Sad ( European Capital of Culture 2021) where we will visit Zmaj Jovina Street, the promenade of Novi Sad and obligatory sight for any tourists, not least for the ornamental Palace of the Orthodox Bishop. We will see also y – Dunavska, street with its long line of single-storied 19th century houses. The Danube embankment, the Petrovaradin Fortress on the other bank as well as at the sights and stories about the troubled bridges of Novi Sad.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Timisoara Historical Center, Timisoara 300003 Romania
In the evening, after crossing the border in Romania arrival in Timisoara the second European Capital of Culture in 2021. Visit Timisoara, a city full of charm and distinct architectural style thanks to many influences from the turks, serbians, Austrians , germans , ecc , and learn about the Romanian revolution and much more during the walking tour.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in a 4* hotel in Timisoara.

Day 7: Day 7 – Saturday – Timisoara

Stop At: Timisoara Historical Center, Timisoara 300003 Romania
Enjoy some free time in Timisoara where you can stroll around the big squares or enjoy one of the largest pedestrians areas in Romania. Or you can enjoy one of the large options of cultural events that are usually happening in Timisoara.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in a 4* hotel in Timisoara.

Day 8: Day 8 – Sunday – Timisoara – Corvini’s Castle – Alba Iulia – Sibiu

Stop At: Castelul Corvinilor, Strada Castelului 1-3, Hunedoara 331141 Romania
In the morning we will visit the most fascinating gothic castle in Eastern Europe and one of the most beautiful and greatest of our continent, the famous Corvin Castle
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Alba Iulia, Alba Iulia, Alba County, Central Romania, Transylvania
Visit Alba Iulia, an important city from a historical point of view, because the Great United Romania was made here on December 1st, 1918, so immediately after the First World War
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Sibiu, Sibiu, Sibiu County, Central Romania, Transylvania
Visit Sibiu, a beautiful medieval city where Romanians and Saxons have been living peacefully for centuries and where the various religious monuments (Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants) demonstrate this peaceful coexistence. Sibiu was named European Capital of Culture in 2007 and hosts an extraordinary theater festival every year. The city fascinates thanks to its three squares (Big Square, Small and Huet Square ) that transport tourists in a real medieval atmosphere. Its towers and its 15th century bastions, but also its beautiful museums and the famous “houses with the eyes” give the visitor lovely moments. Also in Sibiu you will see one of the largest gothic evangelical churches in Transylvania.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in a 3* hotel in Sibiu.

Day 9: Day 9 – Monday – Sibiu – Sighisoara – Brasov

Stop At: Sighisoara Historic Center, Piata Cetatii Nr.1 Center of Sighisoara, Sighisoara 545400 Romania
Visit Sighisoara, with its imposing Clock Tower. This citadel is the best preserved in Europe and, extraordinary, it is still inhabited. Since 1999 the historic center of Sighisoara is a UNESCO heritage site. Here we will admire the church on the hill, reachable after a wooden staircase called the schoolchildren’s ladder. We will also see the statue of the famous Hungarian national poet Petofi Sandor, testifying to the fact that in Sighisoara the Magyar community was in the past numerically important. Next to the statue is the beautiful Catholic church, reserved for the Hungarian community, and the tower of the shoemakers. You can have lunch at the house where Vlad the Impaler was born (not included)
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Brasov Historical Center, Piazza Sfatului, Brasov Romania
Visit Brasov, a wonderful Transylvanian town, once entirely fortified, an important cultural, tourist and commercial center. Brasov impresses with its typically German architecture, where the Gothic, the Baroque and the Renaissance intersect to give life to an interesting and culturally very lively city. Visit of the First Romanian School, which is located in the oldest district of the city, and which was inhabited exclusively by Romanians, the Schei district, interesting for the entrances into the city that were carried out in medieval times through the Caatherine’s and Schei Gate, quest last of the nineteenth century. In Brasov we will also visit the impressive Black Church, the largest evangelical Gothic church in Eastern Europe, with a 65 meter high bell tower and a length of 90 meters, the church houses the most beautiful nineteenth-century mechanical organ of Romania. We will then admire the palaces and houses of the historic center, recently restored, with the Council Square which now houses a beautiful museum, and the pedestrian Avenue of the Republic.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in a 3* hotel in Brasov.


Day 10: Day 10 – Tuesday – Brasov – Bran – Sinaia – Bucharest

Stop At: Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle), Str. General Traian Mosoiu nr. 24, Bran 507025 Romania
Visit Bran where we will visit the famous Bran Castle, better known as Dracula’s Castle. In the Middle Ages, Bran was exactly on the border between Wallachia and Transylvania, so it was essential for the inhabitants of Brasov to build and preserve a defensive stronghold
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Peles Castle, Str. Pelesului 2, Sinaia 106100 Romania
Visit to the fabulous Peles Castle, the summer residence of the first king of Romania, the King Charles 1 of Hohenzollern, of German origins. The castle was beautifully designed by a Czech architect, and is famous for being one of the most modern castles in Europe at the time of its construction, between the 19th and 20th centuries. Each room is characterized by a unique style, different from the styles of the other rooms. We will also admire the Florentine room, where we will breathe a typically Italian and Renaissance atmosphere.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.