Cost includes:

1. Professional Guide Service

2. Transportation by private A/C car/van

3. Entrance: National History Museum; Boyana Church; St. George’s Rotunda; Alexander Nevski Memorial Church; St. Sophia basilica

Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital, was founded more than 7 000 years ago, and has long been an important crossroads between Asia Minor and Europe. Sofia’s monuments attest to the many cultures and civilizations that flourished here.

Our guide will pick you up from your hotel.

morning: we’ll start the day with visits to the National History Museum and to the Boyana Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Both sites are located at the footsteps of Vitosha Mountain.

• In the National Museum of History one can see the magnificent Thracian golden treasures, as well as artefacts from the oldest in the world discovered so far golden objects, processed by Europe’s most ancient civilization (4600-4200 BC)

• The 13th century Boyana Church is a remarkable UNESCO World Heritage Site. The murals of this famous site reflect both Byzantine and local traditions of the preceding two centuries. The portrait of Dessislava is a genuine masterpiece of 13th century painting, created 200 years before the European renaissance, mark a remarkable peak of Christian Art

afternoon: sightseeing tour in downtown Sofia:

• The ancient Serdica Fortifications dating from the 3rd-5th century

• The 4th century St. George’s Rotunda famous for its unique frescoes and original architecture. Its majestic figures illustrate the development of Christian Painting over several centuries, making Rotunda one of the gems of Bulgarian and East European culture

• The magnificent Alexander Nevski Memorial Church is a masterpiece of late 19th – early 20th century architecture, splendidly decorated. It was designed by the Russian architect Pomerantzev in 1912. This is the biggest Orthodox Church on the Balkans built in post-Byzantium style

• The beautiful Banya Bashi Mosque built in 1566 by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. The mosque takes its name from the neighbouring Central baths (in the Turkish language, "banya bashi" means "a lot of baths")

• St. Sophia basilica, 6th century, is one of the most valuable pieces of early Christian architecture in the Balkans

• Battenberg Square with its emblematic landmarks: The former Royal Palace, nowadays housing the impressive collection of the National Art Gallery and the Ethnographical Museum; the Presidency building, and building of the Bulgarian National Bank

• The National Theatre designed by the architectural firm of Helmer & Felmer from Vienna. The style of the building is a mixture of the neo-Baroque and Secession style

• The neo-Renaissance building of the Bulgarian Parliament /1884-1886/ designed by architect Konstantin Yovanovic

• The Central Military Club, built in the same neo-Renaissance style

• The Sofia University, spectacular designed by the French architect Breansson

Sofia University	The Central Military Club

St. George Rotunda in Sofia, 4th century