Festival of Roses
02nd JUN – 09th JUN 2004
8 days/ 7 nights
Tour code 003
(long descripton)

(click here for short descripton)
Day 1 (2nd June)
15.35 Arrive at Sofia Airport. Welcome greetings from Mari Travel. 16:15 Transfer to your hotel to check in. 20.00 Dinner. Overnight.

Day 2 (3rd June)
08:00 Breakfast. 09:00 A guided walking tour around Sofia. 13.00 Lunch at the ‘Boianskoto hanche’ Restaurant for a taste of Bulgaria.14:30 Visit the Boyana Church (UNESCO World Heritage site) located on the outskirts of Sofia. The church was built in the 10th century, then enlarged at the beginning of the 13th century. Its walls are decorated in paintings that make up one of the most important collections of medieval art. 15:30 Pick up a chair lift at the foot of Vitosha Mountain. To be taken to Bai Krastio Peak to view the city of Sofia from above.19:30 Dinner. Overnight.

Day 3 (4th June)
08.00 Breakfast. 09:00 Depart to Rila Monastery (a UNESCO World Heritage site). 11:30 Guided around the monastery. The monastery is a characteristic example of
the Bulgarian Renaissance (18th–19th centuries) and symbolizes an awareness of a Slavic cultural identity following centuries of occupation. St John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church, founded it in the 10th century. His ascetic dwelling and tomb became a holy site and were transformed into a monastic complex that subsequently played an important role in the spiritual and social life of medieval Bulgaria. You will visit the museum in the monastery. 13:30 Lunch in a mountain restaurant with a special mountainous cuisine of fresh trout and other mountain delicacies.14: 30 - Return to Sofia. 20:00 - Dinner. Overnight.

Day 4 (5th June)
08:15 Breakfast. Depart to Koprivshtitsa – a traditional Bulgarian town with whitestone walls covered in ivy and wild geranium surrounded by flowering gardens. 11:30 A walking town tour. Visit typical traditional style Bulgarian houses: Oslekov, Kableshkov and Lyutov. They are works of art with their heavy, iron-studded gates hiding blue, yellow and red houses, brightly coloured rugs and cushions, carved ceilings and cupboards, copper vessels and ceramics light up their verandas, bay windows and eaves, and spacious rooms.13:00 Lunch in a typical Koprivstitsa restaurant. After lunch depart to Kazanlak to visit the Museum of the Rose and famous Kazanluk Tomb. The Tomb is a unique monument of Hellenic times, also a UNESCO World Heritage site. To the foreign observer the unusual rites and symbols begin to piece together an image of a romantic Bulgaria in ancient times. Check into your hotel. Dinner. Overnight.

Day 5 (6th June)
Early breakfast. 08:30 Take part in rose picking at a traditional village in the Kazanlak area.11:00 Visit a ritual rose distillery to see how perfumes are made. Try rose oils at the Institute of Roses. Taste Banitsa, a Bulgarian delicacy taken with Rose Liquor and Rose Jam. 12:00 Participate in the carnival procession. 13:00 Lunch is a Cheverme or Bulgarian barbeque with fresh fruits and natural Bulgarian cheese made from goats milk. 16:00 - Depart to Plovdid – the 2nd largest city in Bulgaria. It is a big cultural, historical and a tourist centre. Check into your hotel. Dinner. Overnight.

Day 6 (7th June)
08:00 Breakfast. 10:15 A historical tour in the new and old city of Plovdid. Experience a mixture of antique, medieval, renaissance and modern culture. Visit an antique amphitheatre built in II AC by the Roman Imperator, Mark Aurelia.13:00 Lunch. 14:30 Departure to Etura. Visit Etura open-air ethnographic complex which shows how the people of the Renaissance once lived.18:00 Depart to Veliko Tarnovo –- the old capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom in XII century AC.. 20:00 Check into your hotel in Veliko Tarnovo. Dinner. Overnight.

Day 7 (8 June)
08:00 Breakfast. Visit the Tsarevets Fort which played a major role in the political and spiritual life of Bulgaria. The exquisite architecture, the original and realistic murals in the cherishes, the colourful mosaics and handcrafted master pieces show the high disposition and artistic genius of Bulgarian masters such as Zachary Zograf and Kolio Ficheto. A walking tour around the old and new city of Veliko Tarnovo. 12.00 Travel to the village of Arbanassi – austere houses that resemble minor fortresses on the outside with high walls and heavy gates, iron grids and secret hiding-places, but are spacious, comfortable and richly decorated on the inside. Visit the oldest of Arbanassi's five churches. The best one is The Birth of Christ (1637 - 1649), dug into the ground. It hides an art gallery with over 3,500 realistic figures and Biblical scenes, painted by unknown artists throughout the ages. 12:30 Lunch in a typical Bulgarian restaurant in Arbanassi. 15:00 Depart to Sofia.19.30 Check into your hotel. 20:30 Dinner. Overnight

Day 8 (9th June)
Transfer to the airport. Depart to London.

 

Price per person in DBL - 929. 00 EUR
Price per person in SNG - 1049. 00 EUR

The price is for group of min. 10 pax
For groups more or less than 10 pax, please don’t hesitate to send a request to our office.

The price includes:
• Transport services with mini-bus during the whole route in Bulgaria
• Transfer from/to Sofia airport
• English speaking guide services during the whole stay in Bulgaria
• 4 BB in 3 star hotel in Sofia
• 1 HB in 4 star hotel in Kazanlak
• 1 HB in 5 star hotel in Plovdiv
• 1 HB in 4 star hotel in Veliko Tarnovo
• 6 Lunches
• Entrance fees for the historical objects included in the program

The price doesn’t include:
· Air plane ticket to/from Sofia
· Ticket for the chair-lift to/from peak Bai Krastio ( Vitosha mountain )
· All of the service, which are not included in the paragraph “The price includes”

N.B. Mari Travel`s prices and prices are subject to change, however you will be informed of any changes relevant to your holiday at the time of booking. We guarantee to explain them fully and keep them to an absolute minimum.