Sofia - Bachkovo Monastery - Plovdiv - Sofia

On this full-day tour, we recommend visiting the second biggest city in Bulgaria and one of the oldest in Europe - Plovdiv and the Bachkovo Monastery - the second of importance monastery in Bulgaria, located 170 km from Sofia. You will start your journey from Sofia in the morning, and first, you will take a guided tour of the narrow winding cobblestone streets of the Old City of Plovdiv. There you will see the walls of the Roman city, the Roman theatre, the Roman stadium, and the picturesque buildings of the ancient city from the period of the Ottoman period. We recommend visiting the Ethnographic museum that depicts the houses of the city's wealthy people and how they lived at that time.  We will take you also up one of the hills where the history of Plovdiv started to enjoy a wonderful view of the whole town. The sightseeing ends up at the lively pedestrian shopping street - one of the longest in Europe, where you can see the reconstructed Renaissance buildings. You can also visit the former Jewish quarter.
After Plovdiv, we will drive into the Rodopi Mountains where among beautiful nature - the Monastery of Bachkovo – a pantheon of the Bulgarian patriarchs, is nestled. There you can worship the grave of Patriarch Euthymius  - the last head of the Bulgarian Orthodox church after the Ottoman invasion, as well as the graves of the two Christian priests  - Kiril and Stefan, who saved the Bulgarian Jews.  The architectural ensemble of the monastery includes three churches from different periods and a dining room with an impressive marble table and invaluable frescoes. The main temple keeps the miraculous icon of Virgin Mary dating back to 1311, which attracts believers from Bulgaria and all over the world. The picturesque marketplace outside the monastery walls is a nice way to finish the day. There you will be tempted to buy local pottery, herbs and spices, home-made jams and many more.

Return to Sofia in the evening after a day of fun, history and views.