Key details
• Private tour: only for you and your partner/family/group
• In English: with a guide or driver (other languages upon request)
• Dates: you decide the dates
• Services: you choose the type of services and options
• Location: it starts in Sofia and ends in Bucharest
• Duration: 8 days in total
• No flights included
Short description
All must-see attractions in Bulgaria and Romania in 1 week. Discover their identity and enjoy their diversity in an attractive and surprising itinerary.
What you will do
in Bulgaria
• See UNESCO attractions: Thracian Tomb and Rila Monastery
• Visit Sofia (young and welcoming capital city), Plovdiv (beautiful cultural town), Veliko Tarnovo ("the city of the Tsars")
in Romania
• Get to know the most famous castles: Peles Castle in Sinaia, a fantastic royal residence and Bran Castle, known as “Dracula's Castle”
• See UNESCO attractions: Sighișoara, a medieval "postcard" citadel and Prejmer, the beautifully preserved fortified church
• Visit Bucharest (unique capital city and new European destination), Sibiu (European Capital of Culture in 2007), and Brasov (former "Crown city")
Advantages
Why Santiago Tour?
1. Local experts and excellent guides
2. Local prices and selected services
Why a Private Tour?
1. It's flexible - you decide when to travel and how
2. It's personal - a trip for you and according to your preferences
Price
This is a private tour, adaptable to your travel dates and preferences, organized only for you and your partner / family / group.
| Number of participants |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 or more |
Price* / person |
€1519 |
€1124 |
€1099 |
€974 |
€869 |
* Discount: up to - €195/person, in case of choosing English-speaking driver-guide instead of proficient tour guide (see below in options)
Services
What is Included:
• Accommodation: 7 overnights according to the program, in double room with breakfast included, 3* Smart type (see below).
• Transportation by modern vehicle according to the program, with related expenses and 2 airport-hotel and return transfers included
• Assistance: English speaking proficient tour guide, as per program
• Guided visits mentioned in the program; 2 attractions with free entrance: Rila Monastery (Bulgaria) and Cozia Monastery (Romania); 9 attractions with entrance fee included: Bulgaria - Hindliyan or Balabanov House (Plovdiv); Thracian Tomb (Kazanlak); Tsarevets Fortress (Veliko Tarnovo); Nativity Church (Arbanassi); Romania - Village Museum (Bucharest); Peles Castle (standard tour approx 1h) (Sinaia); Bran Castle; Prejmer fortified church; Clock Tower (Sighisoara).
3* Smart Type Accommodation: mainly 3* superior hotels with quality services
or similar, depending on availability.
• Single room supplement: + €170.
What is Not included:
• flights and travel insurance
• personal expenses, such as: mini bar, phone calls, porterage etc.
• photo / video fees during the visits (if applicable)
• in general, all services not specified in "what is included"
• tips for the guide and/or driver.
Options
1. Accommodation
• 4* Comfort type - mainly 4* hotels with quality services: Sofia - Central 4* Hotel (center 0); Plovdiv - Holiday Inn 4* Hotel / Best Western Premier Hills 4* Hotel (center 2); Veliko Tarnovo - Studio 3*- superior Hotel (center 0); Bucharest - K+K 4* Hotel (center 0); Brasov - Armatti 3*- superior Hotel / Belfort 3*- superior Hotel (center 1); Sibiu - Ramada 4* Hotel (center 0). Or similar, depending on availability. Total extra charge: approx. + €45/person in double room and the single supplement changing to: €200.
• 3* Economy type - mainly 3* standard hotels and pensions, with quality services. Total discount: approx. - €35/person in double room and single supplement changing to: €155.
Notes on accommodation
• Confirmed hotels can be communicated only after making the reservations on specific dates
• center 0 / center 1 / center 2 means: 0-5 / 5-15 / 15-25 minutes walking distance from the center (the important tourist area of the city)
• Some 3* boutique hotels and pensions don't have an elevator or air conditioning (because it is not usually required). If these are essential requirements, please let us know or choose the 4* Comfort option.
2. Assistance
A. With a proficient tour guide. Option included in the price.
• English-speaking tour guide, offering detailed explanation, presentations, and guided tours. The tour guide also makes all necessary arrangements, as well as restaurant and meal recommendations.
• a tour guide for the entire program, no local tour guides being used in general. Some attractions only allow guided tours (their own staff); if the included tour is not available in English, our tour guide will join you and translate or even make the tour by himself (if allowed).
• depending on availability: a tour guide who also drives (1 person), or a tour guide plus a driver (2 people), with fee, meal allowance, and accommodation included.
• only with a tour guide and starting from 4 participants, you can also choose meal options: lunches and/or dinners.
B. With a driver-guide. Discount: up to - €195/person.
• English-speaking driver-guide, facilitating the visits, the entrances to attractions, the check-ins and other details. The driver-guide is also able to make restaurant and meal recommendations.
• offers basic information about the main attractions and the country but not detailed explanation or presentations. Some attractions only allow guided tours (their own staff); if the included tour is not available in English, our driver-guide will join you and translate or even make the tour by himself (if allowed).
• his fee, meal allowance, and accommodation are included.
3. Meals
• Half board in Romania (lunches): + €55/person, 4 lunches, days 4-7. Half board in Romania (dinners): + €70/person, 4 dinners, days 4-7. Full board in Romania: + €125/person (both previous options).
Meal notes:
• meal options are only possible for a minimum of 4 participants and accompanied by a tour guide
• meals are organized in local restaurants and hotel restaurants
• Lunches and / or dinners are provided on full days of the program and they are tourist-menu type (standard): 3 dishes (starter, main, dessert), bread, and mineral water. They do not include drinks such as coffee, wine, beer, soft drinks etc.
• breakfasts are already included with the accommodation
• meal options are more suitable for groups.
Read the General Conditions for a Private tour by clicking here
How it is organized
• 7 Overnights: Sofia - Plovdiv - Veliko Tarnovo - Bucharest - Brașov - Sibiu - Bucharest
• Itinerary: Bulgaria > Sofia (the capital) - Rila Monastery (UNESCO) - Plovdiv (European Capital of Culture 2019) - Kazanlak (the city "of roses") - Veliko Tarnovo (medieval capital of the tsars) - Romania > Bucharest (the capital) - Sinaia (Peles Castle) - Bran ("Dracula's Castle") - Brasov (“Crown city”) - Prejmer (UNESCO fortified church) - Sighișoara (UNESCO medieval town) - Sibiu (European Capital of Culture 2007) - Bucharest (the capital)
• The tour has 7 overnights and 8 days: 2 days for arrival & return and 6 days of program with activities such as city tours, free time, and visits along the route.
Short description
Concept:
• 8 days in total and planned to take place from Saturday to Saturday. It can be adapted to your flights and preferred dates while taking into account the visiting hours of the attractions included in the program.
• The program can be slightly customized to match your preferences and ideas, or it can be the draft for a tailor-made trip made from scratch.
Custom-made:
• Adapt: if you arrive late on day 1, we recommend adding 1 extra night in Sofia to allow for enough free time in the Bulgarian capital and to relax the program.
Program
Day 1 of 8. Arrival in Bulgaria
Sofía ☾
Program: transfer and free time (if possible)
Arrival at Sofia Airport and meeting with Santiago Tour’s guide or driver.
Transfer to the accommodation.
Depending on the arrival hour, free time in the city (without driver or guide). You can stroll along the beautiful pedestrian street Vitosha, with its many cafes and terraces, visit one of the important Orthodox churches, or discover the offers of the Market Hall, housed in an elegant neo-Renaissance building.
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Day 2 of 8. A Byzantine monastery and reach the Upper Thracian Valley
Sofia - Rila Monastery - Plovdiv ☾. 400 km
Program: visit Sofia and Rila Monastery; free time in Plovdiv
Breakfast. Sofia city tour: Nevsky Cathedral with its multitude of domes, the Art Gallery - former Royal Palace and the rather small National Assembly, the beautiful Russian Church also known as St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, the Presidency with its guard of honour and the old St. George Rotunda inside its courtyard, and the iconic Theater building.
Next, we leave Sofia and take the road to the Rila Monastery. It is a convent protected by UNESCO due to the beautiful Byzantine architecture and its importance as an Orthodox cultural and spiritual center. Founded in the 10th century by Saint John of Rila, the monastery is located at an altitude of 1,147 m, all surrounded by the nature of the homonymous mountains. Visit, time to have lunch, and continue the route arriving in the afternoon in Plovdiv, a charming city with a bohemian air and the second largest in the country, with an impressive history. Overnight accommodation and free time.
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Day 3 of 8. Two different capitals and the Balkans
Plovdiv - Kazanlak - Veliko Tarnovo ☾. 230 km
Program: visit Plovdiv and the Thracian Tomb; city tour and free time in Veliko Tarnovo
Breakfast. In the morning, Plovdiv city tour including “the Roman city”, with a wonderful Ancient Theater and the ruins of the Stadium, and the Old Town dominated by beautiful buildings from the Bulgarian Revival period. During the walking tour, we highlight attractions such as Dzhumaya Mosque, Hindliyan and Balabanov House Museums, or the Church of Saints Konstantin and Elena. Plovdiv was a European Capital of Culture in 2019. Next, we leave for Kazanlak, a center of rose oil production. Refined and very much appreciated in perfumery, an essence of the flower that has become the national symbol of Bulgaria. Here, we visit the accurate replica (the only visit allowed) of "The Thracian Tomb" dating from the Hellenistic period - 4th century BC, a monument included in the World Heritage List. Then we continue the itinerary through Shipka, a mountain pass and the site of one of the most important victories against the Ottoman Empire in the War of Independence back in the 19th century. Visit the Russian Church and follow the route arriving in the afternoon in Veliko Tarnovo, old medieval capital with beautiful and unusual architecture that seems to climb the hills. Walking city tour admiring the extensive Tsarevets Fortress and the artisan’s historical street “Samovodska Charshia”. Overnight accommodation and free time.
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Day 4 of 8. A special village and reach Romania and its capital
Veliko Tarnovo - Arbanasi - Bucharest ☾. 190 km
Program: visit Arbanasi; city tour and free time in Bucharest, Romania
Breakfast. First, we visit Arbanasi just 4 km from Veliko Tarnovo, a prosperous merchant village privileged by the Sultan in the past, characterized by a beautiful architectural heritage from the 17th and 18th centuries. Highlights include the surprising Nativity Church and Konstantsalieva House, an original residence with remarkable attention to detail. Afterwards, we continue towards Romania and cross the Danube arriving in Bucharest, the capital. Time for lunch and city tour: the Village Museum, an open air display of the country's rural architecture; Revolution Square with the Romanian Athenaeum - one of the most iconic buildings, the Art Museum - former royal palace, and the balcony of the former Central Committee - where dictator Ceausescu delivered his last speech; Constitution Square, just in front of the Palace of the Parliament (second largest building in the world); Patriarhiei Church and the Palaces of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch. Overnight accommodation and some free time in Bucharest.
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Day 5 of 8. A royal castle, Dracula's Castle, and a city in the heart of the country
Bucharest – Sinaia – Bran – Brașov ☾. 205 km
Program: visit Peles Castle, Bran Castle, and Brasov
Breakfast. We leave Bucharest heading toward the Southern Carpathians and arrive in about 2h / 2h30 in Sinaia mountain resort. We visit Peles Castle (standard tour), the last royal residence in Europe built in neo-Renaissance style. Then we continue the route to Bran and discover "Dracula's Castle", where the myth of the Count-Vampire enfolds in mystery a great historical fortress. Time for lunch and then we finish this day’s itinerary in Brasov. Walking tour admiring the Council Square and its unique buildings, the Black Church, an imposing Lutheran church, and the beautiful Catherine’s Gate. Overnight accommodation and free time.
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Day 6 of 8. Medieval heritage in Transylvania
Brașov – Prejmer – Sighișoara – Sibiu ☾. 235 km
Program: visit Prejmer Fortified Church, Sighisoara, and Sibiu
Breakfast. The itinerary takes us in the morning to Prejmer, where we find the UNESCO Fortified Church - the most complete and best preserved in Transylvania. Then we continue to Sighisoara, the “postcard” town with an unforgettable collection of medieval buildings, declared a World Heritage Site. Walking tour including the Clock Tower (history museum with a panoramic view). Time for lunch and we proceed with the program arriving in Sibiu, European capital of culture in 2007. In the afternoon, a walking tour of the city, whose eye-shaped dormers give charm to a beautiful Central European architecture. While strolling, we encounter: the fortifications, the Large Square, the Small Square, the Evangelical Cathedral and the Orthodox Cathedral. Free time and overnight accommodation.
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Day 7 of 8. A byzantine monastery and return to the capital
Sibiu – Cozia – Bucharest ☾. 280 km
Program: visit Cozia monastery and free afternoon in Bucharest
Breakfast. We leave Sibiu heading south, returning to the capital city. En route, we visit Cozia Monastery, a splendid Byzantine-style old church on the banks of the river Olt. We cross the Southern Carpathians and finally arrive in Bucharest around midday. Overnight accommodation and free afternoon in the city. Suggestions for spending the free time: The Old Town (Lipscani), the parks of Bucharest, the Treasury (History Museum), the Art Museum, the famous Obor Market or Therme (the thermal baths at the north of the city).
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Day 8 of 8. Return
Bucharest - Airport ✈
Program: free time (if possible) and airport transfer
Breakfast. Free time in the city depending on the flight and transfer to the airport. End of Santiago Tour’s services. Thank you!
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