9-Day Best of Bulgaria & Annual Festival of Lavender

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Today, you'll visit the impressive Rila Monastery, a UNESCO site. Rising at 1147 metres above sea level, it lies amidst some of the most scenic recesses of the Rila Mountains. It is the largest monastery on the Balkans, with a total built-up area of 32,000 square metres, and is the most imposing architectural monument of the Bulgarian Revival. You'll have lunch at a family run restaurant close to the monastery to taste monastery beans soup and mountain trout. Later, you'll return to Sofia.

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Today, you'll continue to Plovdiv, the second largest Bulgarian city and European Capital of Culture in 2019. It is considered the oldest continuously inhibited town in Europe. Upon arrival in Plovdiv, you'll head out on a tour of the Old Plovdiv town, an architecture reserve, awarded golden medal by UNESCO. You'll visit the Ethnographic Museum, St. St. Constantine and Helena Church and the Ancient Theatre. You'll have lunch at a five-star restaurant, built over Roman fortification ruins.

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Today, you'll head to the national revival town of Karlovo, where each year the locals organise the Festival of Lavender. Bulgaria is the number one producer of lavender oil in the world with 200 tonnes per year. During the day, you will witness the special rituals associated with the healing herbs and lavender. Later on, you'll visit Damascena family-run distillery to taste rose products. before continuing into the Balkan mountains to Kazanluk – the centre of the Valley of Roses.

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After breakfast, you'll visit the Kazanluk Thracian Tomb. Then, you'll set off to Neseebar, a UNESCO town located on a small peninsula, for a private walking tour. You'll then proceed parallel to the sea to Varna – the largest Bulgarian city on the Black Sea coast. Varna was an inhabited place even before the Greeks established the colony of Odessos there about 580 B.C. Upon arrival in Varna, you'll check in at your hotel and have dinner.

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Today, you'll visit Balchik, the White Town named so for the mainly white colour of its lime rocks. You'll visit the University Botanical Garden and the summer palace of the Romanian Queen Maria. You'll then continue north to Kaliakra which stretches two kilometres deep into the sea and consists of 70-metre-high limestone rocks. The castle was successively used by Thracians, Romans, Byzantines and Bulgarians. You'll then return to Varna for a panoramic tour with wine tasting.

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Today, you'll travel to Veliko Turnovo, the Medieval capital city of Bulgaria, picturesquely located on four hills above Yantra river. On the way, you'll stop to visit Devnya and the mosaics museum. Upon arrival in Veliko Tarnovo, you'll head out on a walking tour. You'll visit Samovodska Charshia – the street of traditional crafts, Tsarevets Royal Hill with the fortress, Baldwin Tower (the leader of the 4th Crusade, who was imprisoned here) and Patriarch's Complex

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This morning, you'll visit Arbanassi museum village, just eight kilometres from Veliko Turnovo, with a total of 144 architectural monuments. The rich merchants of Arbanassi were well known in the whole Ottoman Empire and had trade contacts with Italy and the Mediterranean, Russia, India and Persia. The architecture of the village represents stone-paved streets with walls all along as high as four metres and large houses with elegant white chimneys. You'll then continue back to Sofia.