Bulgaria Multi-day Tour: 8 days
Join our Bulgaria Multi-day Tour. Come and relive with us the time of communism in Bulgaria. We will travel back in time to experience the lifestyle in the past and see the forgotten monuments.
Bulgaria Multi-day Tour
Day 1: Sofia – “Grows but does not age”
Our Bulgaria Multi-day Tour begins in Sofia. You will be greeted at the Airport by a Bulgarian tour guide and driver.
Then you will be transferred to a typical communist hotel in a retro Soviet car (year 1984). Only Bulgarian “Estrada” music and Russian songs are allowed to be played. And you start getting the feeling of the past.
We will visit a common Eastern bloc neighborhood of concrete tower buildings. In the time of communism, society used to be defined as “classless”. So, people shared the same standards of living. Today, many Bulgarians live in the old communist buildings.
Dinner will be in a Soviet restaurant. Overnight will be in an ex-military hotel.
Day 2: Sofia – Pravets – Sofia
On the second day of the Bulgaria Multi-day Tour, we will taste a Bulgarian breakfast. It was common during the communism.
Today we will go to the communist monuments and places in Sofia:
- Antique market at Alexander Nevski cathedral.
- Parliament.
- National Assembly.
- Sculpture in Borisova Garden.
- Monument of the Soviet Army.
- Theatre of the Bulgarian Army.
- National Palace of Culture.
- Park “The Bells”.
- Bulgarian Socialist Party office.
- Military Museum etc.
We will have lunch at a canteen. Our Bulgaria Multi-day Tour will continue with the town of Pravets. This is Todor Zhivkov’s birth place (leader of the communist party in Bulgaria during the period 1954 – 1989).
Overnight will be in a 3 star hotel.
Day 3: Sofia – Vratsa – Varshets – Montana
On this day of our Bulgaria Multi-day Tour we will visit Vratsa. The surprise for you will be that we will travel from Sofia to Vratsa by train. A town famous for its plant for chemical solutions and fertilizers. Also, the communism style blocks, and the monument of Hristo Botev (Bulgarian revolutionary). You will be shown popular communist slogans.
Varshets – a mineral water recreation centre. You will visit the local “chitalishte”. This is a communist cultural centre.
Overnight will be in a hotel in Montana.
Day 4: Montana – Kozlodui – Pleven
Kozlodui – visit to the Nuclear Power Station. It was built in the 1970s due to the collaboration of Bulgaria and the Soviet Union over energy.
Pleven – visit to the “Pleven Epopee 1877″ panorama museum. This is the most majestic monument to the Russian military glory and the Bulgarian-Russian friendship. It was established in memory of the 100 year anniversary of Bulgaria’s Freedom from the Turks in 1977.
Overnight in a 3-star hotel in Pleven.
Day 5: Pleven – Arbanassi – Lyaskovets – Veliko Tarnovo
Arbanassi – the village is famous for the impressive architecture of the houses and churches. With its rich interior decoration, wood-carving, and mural paintings created in XVI – XVII century.
Lunch will be in the ex-communist residence in Arbanassi. It was built in 1975 for the former president Todor Zhivkov. Today the residence is a hotel.
Lyaskovets – wine tasting, visit to the winery museum. Here you will learn more about the history of wine production in Bulgaria.
Veliko Tarnovo – sightseeing of Tsarevets fortress, Asen’s monument and walk on the old shopping street. Overnight in a 3-star hotel built during the communism time.
Day 6: Veliko Tarnovo – Buzludzha monument – Kazanlak
Today our Bulgaria Multi-day Tour will bring us to the abandoned UFO building. Buzludzha monument is located on a historical peak in the Central Balkan Mountains. The final battle between the Bulgarians and the Turks took place on Buzludzha. In 1891, socialists led by Dimitar Blagoev met secretly in the area. They formed a socialist workers movement. In honor of this act the Buzludzha monument was built. It is one of the symbols of socialism in Bulgaria. Today it is listed among the most famous abandoned places in the world.
Kazanlak – We will have a visit to the Thracian tomb. It was discovered by accident in 1944 by soldiers while digging a protection ditch in Kazanlak. The site dates back to 4th century BC and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 1979.
We are going to stay in a 3-star hotel in Kazanlak.
Day 7: Kazanlak – Pernik – Radomir – Sofia
Pernik is the largest centre of the coal mining and heavy industry in Bulgaria. The year 1899 marks the beginning of electricity use in Bulgaria. The first Bulgarian power plant was built in Pernik.
Radomir – here grey is the prevailing color in the town. It is surrounded by concrete living blocks. You will feel as if back in the communist time. The local shopping options are quite limited just as it was during the communist time. The town developed in the past due to the heavy industry plant. This plant was the Chervena mogila factory. The political changes after 1989 caused the heavy industry to suffer major losses. It also caused high unemployment rates. Hence, a large portion of the local population left the town.
In Sofia we will have a goodbye dinner. Overnight will be in a 3-star ex-military hotel.
Day 8: Sofia – departure
You will be transferred to the airport. This is the end of our Bulgaria Multi-day Tour. We hope to see you again!
For bookings and rates of the Bulgaria Multi-day Tour, please contact us at info@nvisiontravel.com .
More of our private tours in Bulgaria and on the Balkans, you can find on nvision travel.
