4-Day Bulgaria Highlights Tour from Sofia with Rila Monastery

Welcome to Sofia.

Transfer to Sofia city centre and check in at your hotel after 14:00.

In the afternoon, start a comprehensive city tour of Sofia with your Sofia tour guide and get to know the capital's highlights.

Among the most impressive sites are the gold-domed Alexander Nevski Cathedral dominating the city, the church of St. Sophia, which gave the name to the city, the Monument of Tsar Liberator dedicated to the Russian Tsar Alexander II, the Rotunda of St. George, which is the best-preserved Byzantine building, the Russian Church of St. Nikolas, the ruins of ancient Roman Serdica, Parliament buildings, and more.

In the morning, drive to the Rila Mountains, the highest on the Balkan Peninsula, to see one of Bulgaria's most visited sites - the Rila Monastery, included in UNESCO Patrimony. This monastery is a sanctuary of Bulgarian literature and spiritual life. Founded in the middle of the 10th century by St. Ivan of Rila, it played a crucial role in preserving Bulgarian culture and language. You shall see the monastery church with its unique frescoes painted by the most famous Bulgarian fine artists from the 19th century and the monastery museum, which houses a rich collection of exhibits connected with the history of the monastery and the spread of Christianity on the Bulgarian lands.

In the afternoon, drive back to Sofia and stay overnight.

After breakfast, depart for Plovdiv - Bulgaria's second-largest city. This city has a millennium-old history, is contemporary to Troy and Mycenae, and has preserved ruins from the Roman, Ottoman, and Bulgarian Revival periods.

During your city tour, you will see the Roman Forum and Stadium, as well as the Roman Theatre dating back to the 2nd century AD.

Visit one of Plovdiv's beautiful Revival houses.

Walk along the old town, where you will see beautifully decorated houses, ancient fortress walls, and Revival churches with your Plovdiv tour guide.

Drive back to Sofia.

Transfer to Sofia Airport for your flight back home.