PTG Tours · Escorted tour

Classic Bulgaria and the Cherry Festival

Classic Bulgaria and the Cherry Festival, a rail journey with PTG Tours

A rail-based tour of central Bulgaria visiting monasteries, Thracian tombs, the Black Sea coast and the Alpine-style Septemvri-Dobrinishte narrow gauge railway, timed for the Kyustendil Cherry Festival.

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Sofia (3 nights)

    UK - Sofia

    Flights from Heathrow, Stansted, Luton (direct) or Manchester (via Frankfurt). Overland by rail from St Pancras also possible with an included first-class Interrail ticket.

  2. Day 2railovernight: Veliko Turnovo

    Sofia - Gorna Oriahovitsa - Arbanassi - Veliko Turnovo

    Morning train to Gorna Oriahovitsa, transfer to Veliko Turnovo, tour of Tsarevets Royal Hill and fortress, Samovodska Charshia crafts street. Late afternoon visit to Arbanassi Museum Village and Nativity Church.

  3. Day 3railovernight: Varna

    Veliko Turnovo - Shumen - Varna

    Train to Shumen and Varna on the first Bulgarian railway line (Ruse-Varna, 1866). City tour of Varna with lunch and wine tasting, visit to the regional museum's Varna gold treasure (4200-4600 BC).

  4. Day 4railovernight: Plovdiv (2 nights)

    Varna - Karnobat - Nessebar - Stara Zagora - Plovdiv

    Train to Karnobat, coach to the UNESCO town of Nessebar for a walking tour, then coach to Stara Zagora and train to Plovdiv.

  5. Day 5railovernight: Plovdiv

    Plovdiv - Dimitrovgrad - Plovdiv

    Walking tour of Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria's first socialist city, built in Stalinist Baroque style. Train back to Plovdiv.

  6. Day 6overnight: Plovdiv

    Plovdiv - Bachkovo - Plovdiv

    Walking tour of Plovdiv's old town including the Roman theatre, St Constantine and Helena Church and the Ethnographic Museum. Afternoon visit to the 11th-century Bachkovo Monastery.

  7. Day 7railovernight: Bansko

    Plovdiv - Septemvri - Velingrad - Bansko

    Transfer to Septemvri, then the narrow gauge (760mm) railway to Dobrinishte via Velingrad, Avramovo (highest station in the Balkans), Yakoruda and Razlog, known as the 'Alpine railway in the Balkans'. Afternoon exploring Bansko and Pirin Mountain National Park (UNESCO).

  8. Day 8railovernight: Kyustendil

    Bansko - Rila Monastery - Kyustendil

    Morning visit to the UNESCO Rila Monastery, the largest in Bulgaria. Train from Blagoevgrad to Kyustendil via Radomir; afternoon at the Festival of Cherries or relaxing at the spa hotel.

  9. Day 9overnight: Sofia

    Kyustendil (Festival of Cherry) - Sofia

    Morning at the Festival of Cherries closing day or relax at the hotel. Transfer to Sofia; afternoon tour of Sofia including St Sofia basilica, Alexander Nevski Memorial Cathedral and the ruins of Ancient Serdica.

  10. Day 10

    Sofia - departure

    Free time and departure transfer to Sofia airport for flights back to Heathrow, Stansted, Luton, Birmingham or (via Frankfurt) Manchester.

Included

  • 3 nights with breakfast at Hotel Triada 4* or Hotel Legends 4* in Sofia or similar
  • 1 night with breakfast at Grand Hotel Yantra 4* in Veliko Turnovo or similar
  • 1 night with breakfast at Hotel Cherno More 4* in Varna or similar
  • 1 night with breakfast at Zaara Estate (boutique winery) with use of its spa centre and swimming pool or similar
  • 2 nights with breakfast at Hotel Alliance 4* in Plovdiv or similar
  • 1 night with breakfast at Hotel Molerite 4* in Bansko or similar
  • City tax at the hotels
  • Services of guide and tour manager Maria
  • Entrances for the visited sites
  • Wine tasting at Zaara Estate winery or Soli Invicto winery
  • Train tickets (1st class where possible)
  • 8 dinners and 1 lunch (3-course menu + mineral water)

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