9-Day Classic Bulgaria Self-Drive

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In the morning, after breakfast, your rental car will be delivered to your hotel. You'll then travel to Veliko Turnovo – the medieval capital city, picturesquely located on four hills above Yantra river. Here, you'll meet your tour guide for a two-hour tour of Veliko Turnovo during which you'll visit the Tsarevets Royal Hill with the fortress and Baldwin Tower and you'll walk along Samovodska Charshia street. In the late afternoon, you'll head to Arbanassi where you'll stay the night.

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Today, you'll travel to the village of Subotkovtsi, where you will immerse yourself in the Bulgarian traditions and crafts. En route, you'll stop at the Tryavna museum town, the main centre of woodcarving and icon painting in Bulgaria. Part of a small eco-village complex, Bozhenski Chiflik Guest House has been featured in articles by Slow Food, the Guardian and WWF Bulgaria. There is an abundance of activities including horse riding in the afternoon or an eco-path walk with a local guide.

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You'll leave the village to passing through the Balkan mountains, stopping en route at Shipka memorial church. Another stop will be at Thracian Tomb of Kazanluk – the centre of the Valley of Roses. You'll have some free time for lunch then continue to the village of Skobelevo, to visit the Damascena complex with its rose distillery and garden of over 150 types of roses. The Valley of Roses is world-famous, here, you'll taste rose jam, rose liquor and rose honey before leaving for Old Plovdiv.

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Today the day is dedicated to Plovdiv - the second largest Bulgarian city. UNESCO awarded Plovdiv a gold medal for architecture in 1979. It was voted the European City of Culture in 1999 and again in 2019. Plovdiv is considered the oldest continuously inhabited town in Europe. With a private tour guide, you will visit the Old Plovdiv with the Ethnographic Museum. Along the longest pedestrian street of the world, you see remains of the Roman Forum and Stadium.

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Today, you'll depart along the mountain roads to Bansko museum town. En route, it is possible to stop at Velingrad and Kleptuza, the largest karst lake in Bulgaria. In the early afternoon, you'll arrive at your hotel. After settling in, you can walk to the centre of the town and explore or relax at the hotel making use fo the spa and the swimming pool. You'll have dinner at the hotel and rest up ready to explore in the morning.

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In the direction of the nearby town of Dobrinishte, you can take the chair lift from Gotse Delchev Hut to Bezbog hut and Bezbog Lake (2242 metres above sea level). Then, you can walk to Popovo Lake and back which takes around three to four hours. Popovo Lake is Pirin's largest glacier lake by area and volume, and also the deepest one in the massif. Alternatively, you can head to Belitsa to visit the Dancing Bears Park, a brown bear sanctuary, or the smallest town in Bulgaria, Melnik.

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Today, you'll leave Bansko and travel back to Sofia. On the way, 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, to which the monastery owes its name. 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. Later, you'll proceed to Sofia for your final night.