SOFIA 63ºF

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Transfer to the hotel. City tour of Sofia.Welcome to SOFIA!!!. Upon arrival at the airport, we shall be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. After lunch (towards 15.00hrs), we include a tour of the capital of Bulgaria, where we will see the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the Russian Church, the Mosque, its squares and avenues of Stalinist architecture. Rest of day at leisure.

SOFIA 63ºF - BACHKOVO 57ºF - PLOVDIV 57ºF

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Plovdiv. Dinner included. In the morning we will leave for BACHKOVO MONASTERY, Bulgaria’s second most important monastery, founded in the eleventh century, with its three churches, we feel it as a place full of peace. Continue to PLOVDIV, where we will visit the city, which is one of the oldest in Europe. Here we include tickets to the Roman Amphitheatre, the ancient chemist’s and the Armenian House. Dinner included.

PLOVDIV 57ºF - KAZANLAK 63ºF - SHIPKA 63ºF - ETARA - ARBANASSI 63ºF - VELIKO TARNOVO 63ºF

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Balkans mountain. Thracian tomb, Church of Nativity in Arbanasi. Lunch included. Today’s journey takes us through beautiful scenery across the Balkans mountain range. In the valley of the Roses, we will see KAZANLAK, where tickets are included to the replica of the Thracian Tomb (Heritage of Mankind) and we will learn about the production of products derived from the roses. Amidst the mountains, we stop at the Russian church of SHIPKA,which commemorates the war between Russia and Turkey. Visit ETARA with its charming village/ethnographic museum. Lunch included. After this we travel to ARBANASI, an ancient trading city with its fortress-houses, where we visit the Church of the Nativity with entrance included. Travel to VELIKO TARNOVO, Bulgaria’s former capital, with a very picturesque medieval centre. Note: In some cases, Arbanasi may be visited on Sunday morning instead of Saturday.

VELIKO TARNOVO 63ºF - BASARBOSKI - BUCHAREST 55ºF

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Panoramic tour of Bucharest. Dinner included. We travel to Romania and on our way we will stop to visit the BASARBOVSKI MONASTERY, a place of pilgrimage dug out of the rock. We proceed to cross the border and the river Danube, arriving to BUCHAREST in the early afternoon. Time for lunch, then we will take a panoramic tour of the city with its ancient quarter and the giant Parliament Palace. Leisure time followed by dinner.

BUCHAREST 55ºF - SINAIA 45ºF - BRAN 45ºF - SIGHISOARA

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Dracula’s Castle. Transylvania region. Special dinner in Sighisoara.Today we have a journey with great scenic beauty, travelling to Transylvania across the Carpathian Mountains and through forests. In SINAIA, we will stroll through the gardens of the Peles and Pelisor Castles before going on to the 14th-century BRAN fortress, commonly known as Dracula’s Castle (tickets included). Time for lunch, before continuing to SIGHISOARA, a very beautiful walled medieval city and Heritage of Mankind. In the evening we will enjoy a very special dinner, in the restaurant of Count Dracula, at the house where Vlad Tepes was born.

SIGHISOARA - BIERTAN 46ºF - SIBIU 45ºF - HUNEDOARA 41ºF - TIMISOARA 61ºF

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: varied landscapes, small picturesque villages en route. In Transylvania there are numerous fortified churches in areas that were inhabited by people of German origin; some of these churches have been declared Heritage of Mankind, and we will see one of them, BIERTAN (tickets included). After this, we continue to SIBIU, an important economic and cultural centre, previously the capital of Transylvania, with its bustling narrow streets and squares. Time for a stroll and take lunch. In the afternoon, we visit the impressive Castle of HUNEDOARA (tickets included), which is considered the prettiest castle in Romania. We continue to TIMISOARA, with time to explore its elegant central squares.

TIMISOARA 61ºF - BELGRADE

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Panoramic tour of Belgrade. We set off for SERBIA and the border pass. After a few hours travelling, we will arrive to BELGRADE. Here you can enjoy a panoramic tour of this active capital on the shores of the Danube as it flows into the Sava. We get the chance to admire its busy centre, its parliament, and stroll in the Kalemegdan Fortress. Afternoon at leisure.

BELGRADE

After breakfast, end of our services.