This tour is operated by Magic Tours, based in Bulgaria and Kult-Turist ITH based in Hungary. This tour is a source of ideas. We can create a unique itinerary according to your travel time and budget.

Day 1 Sofia-Plovdiv:

Arrive Sofia Airport. Meet your local tour guide. Direct transfer to Plovdiv and check in your hotel for two nights.

Day 2 Plovdiv:

All day in Plovdiv
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: Guided sightseeing tour of the ancient Plovdiv by walk: the 2nd century Roman Forum, Stadium and Theater; Djumaya Mosque (built in 1423); an art gallery of a famous Bulgarian painter.
Afternoon: We enjoy the National Revival 19th century architecture of the Old
Town, visit The Ethnographic Museum.

Day 3 Plovdiv-Kazanlak-Shipka Pass-Veliko Tarnovo:

Transfer Day from Plovdiv to Veliko Tarnovo via Kazanlak and Shipka Pass.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: Picturesque drive through the famous Valley of Roses and via historical Shipka Pass in the Balkan Mountains:
En route we visit Kazanlak situated amidst the Valley of Roses that is the home of the exquisite Bulgarian rose oil, also known as “attar of roses”, a world center for rose oil production. We will visit the museum of Rose.
Lecture on Thracian history and culture with visit to the world-famous 4th century BCE Thracian tomb at Kazanlak, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Afternoon: Arrive in Veliko Tarnovo and check-in at your hotel for two nights.

Day 4 Veliko Tarnovo:

All Day in Veliko Tarnovo.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: Veliko Tarnovo was the capital city of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (1185 - 1396). It has been at the center of many important historical events and was the birthplace of the first Bulgarian constitution. We visit:
-The fortress at Tsarevets Hill, where the Royal Palace and the Patriarch Church once were located
-The Museum of the National Revival, where the first Bulgarian Constitution was adopted in 1879
Afternoon: We’ll visit the village-museum of Arbanassi, famous for its traditional architecture.
We also take a walk through the narrow cobblestone street of the old Samovodene Market Place, leading into small, sunny squares.

Day 5 Veliko Tarnovo-Tryavna-Etara-Sofia:

Transfer Day from Veliko Tarnovo to Sofia.
Breakfast at the hotel.
En route:
Morning: We’ll visit the town of Tryavna, famous for its woodworking and revival-style houses
Afternoon: Enjoy a visit to Etara, which is a unique open-air museum of traditional architecture and ethnography, reflecting the atmosphere of a typical Bulgarian town of the 18th -19th centuries. Arrive in Sofia and check in at your hotel for 3 nights

Day 6 Sofia:

All day in Sofia
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: We visit the National History Museum where the magnificent world
remarkable UNESCO World Heritage Site, with fascinating frescoes from the 13th
century, reflecting both Byzantine and local Christian art tradition.
Afternoon: We have walking field trip through the downtown area of Sofia. We will see the Roman Serdica Fortifications (3rd-5th centuries) and St. George's Rotunda (4th century), famous for its original structure and unique frescoes, Alexander Nevski Momerial Church. We visit the National Art Gallery. Housed in the former Royal Palace, the gallery treasures the most valuable collection of classical paintings and sculptures, which chronically illustrate Bulgaria's artistic achievements from the beginning of the 19th century to the 1950s.

Day 7 Sofia-Rila Monastery-Sofia:

Excursion to Rila Monastery UNESCO World Heritage Site
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: Depart for excursion to Rila Monastery, which is the most impressive of all Bulgarian monasteries and is an original national museum with a century-old history. This renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site is located 90 miles south of Sofia in the gorgeous natural scenery of the Rila Mountains and is considered one of the highest achievements of Bulgarian monumental architecture of the National Revival period (18th-19th centuries).
Lunch en route at a local restaurant in the mountains.
Afternoon: Continue excursion. Transfer to Sofia.

Day 8 Sofia-Belgrad:

Travel by bus from Sofia to Belgrade. In the former capital of Yugoslavia we can get a picture of the Serbian history and life in the modern Serb capital. Above the city, the ancient Kalemegdan Citadel keeps watch over the city and whose long history, beginning in the third-century B.C., reflects that of Belgrade itself. Sightseeing tour through Belgrade, including the memorial of Tito, St. Sava church and the old Kalemegdan fortress. Dinner in the very atmospheric Skadarlija street – the bohemian quarter of Belgrade, with live music.

Day 9 Belgrad – Novi Sad – Szeged:

Transfer to Novi Sad. Visit the city of Novi Sad, the center of Vojvodina, this multicultural territory. Visit to the Krusedol painted monastery. Guided city walk along the center of Novi Sad including a visit to the synagogue, than travel to Szeged. Overnight in Szeged

Day 10 Szeged – Budapest:

After breakfast, a small sightseeing tour in Szeged, the “City of Light”, statues, and fountains. Visit the fourth largest church in Hungary, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Synagogue, the Town Hall and the many historical buildings and monuments around the Szechenyi Ter and the Dom Ter (Cathedral Square). Travel to Budapest. Overnight in Budapest.

Day 11 The Pearl of the Danube – Budapest:

Sightseeing tour in Budapest. Short walk around the Hero’s Square and in the Castle District. During our bus ride, we will get acquainted with the structure of the city; the Grand Boulevard, the main avenues, the parks, the River Danube, and we will crown our day with a picturesque view from the top of the Gellert Hill.
Overnight in Budapest

Day 12 Danube Bend – Esztergom, Visegrad, Szentendre:

All day excursion to the Danube Bend by bus. Esztergom, was the capital of the Medieval Hungarian State for centuries. Esztergom has also been the center of the Roman Catholic Church in the country and today it is the residence of the Archbishop of Hungary. Visit to the Basilica. Visegrad, located in the Danube Bend, the small picturesque town of Visegrad is famous for its medieval fortress, the former royal palace and the Solomon’s tower. The famous rennaissance King Matthias had the residence extended and rebuilt it for himself and his Aragonese wife Beatrix which thereby became an artistic and cultural center of the Early Renaissance in Hungary.

Szentendre, a small, picturesque baroque-rococo town, is the tourist capital of the Danube Bend. It is the Episcopal see of the Eastern Church in Hungary. Szentendre is famous for its museums, art galleries. Visit to the Open-Air Village Museum. It is a reconstructed village from the last century from the Eastern part of Hungary with the original furniture, household items, artic rafts etc.
Walk in Szentendre
Diner with wine tasting in a typical Hungarian restaurant. Overnight in Budapest

Day 13 Domonyvolgy – Bath in Budapest:

Excursion to Domonyvolgy – horse show. The Horse Show includes the display of nomad warrior archery - archery on horseback, throwing a spear, jumping through fire, skills of the horsemen – making the horse lie down, cracking the whip, competition between the horsemen, and other special attractions. In the afternoon visit one of the famous baths of Budapest.

Day 14 Departure