Luxury holidays in Bulgaria
Hear a concert in Plovdiv's Roman theatre and taste your way through the Thracian vineyards. Name your pace and we plan a private route with your own driver and guide.
It comes off your final price, and is refunded in full if you don't go ahead.
Plovdiv is at its best on a summer evening, on the stone seats of its Roman theatre with the orchestra tuning below and the old town's painted houses lit behind you. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, and its cobbled Kapana quarter is full of small galleries and wine bars. A private guide makes the most of it, with time for the merchant houses most visitors walk straight past.
Sofia rewards a couple of days, with the gold domes of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral above Roman streets uncovered beneath the modern centre. Rila Monastery lies deep in the forested mountains south of the capital, its arcades striped in red and white. In summer the Black Sea coast takes over, with Varna's sea garden and the old town of Nesebar on its rocky peninsula.
Bulgaria
5 days · 4 nights
Sofia → Plovdiv → Bansko → Sofia
A short loop from Sofia for a group of ten or more travelling together, built around Bulgaria's food and its very old wine tradition. Taste wine at a Thracian temple, in the vineyards near Plovdiv and at a modern cellar near Rila Monastery, cook dinner in a Pirin mountain village, and finish with a folklore night back in Sofia.
Bulgaria
8 days · 7 nights
Varna → Plovdiv → Sofia → Veliko Tarnovo → Rousse → Varna
A loop of Bulgaria from Varna on the Black Sea for a group of ten or more travelling together, with a private guide and vehicle from day 2 to day 7. You see all seven of the country's cultural UNESCO sites, from the old town of Nessebar and Rila Monastery to the Thracian tombs and the Madara Rider, with nights in Plovdiv, Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo and Rousse along the way.
Bulgaria
8 days · 7 nights
Sofia → Veliko Tarnovo → Varna → Plovdiv → Sofia
A round trip from Sofia for your own group of ten or more. You travel north to the old capital of Veliko Tarnovo, east to Varna and Nessebar on the Black Sea, then back across the country to Plovdiv and the Rose Valley before two nights in Sofia with a day at Rila Monastery.
Bulgaria
8 days · 7 nights
Varna or Burgas → Plovdiv → Sofia → Veliko Tarnovo → Varna or Burgas
Collect your car at Varna or Burgas and drive a loop of the country: south along the coast to Nessebar, through the Rose Valley to Plovdiv, on to Sofia, then over the Balkan Mountains to Veliko Tarnovo before a last night by the sea. Hotels, the car and a suggested route are arranged; the stops along the way are yours to choose.
Bulgaria
3 days · 2 nights
Sofia
A short, flexible stay in Sofia: private transfers, two nights in the centre and a full day that is entirely yours. Walk between golden-domed churches, ancient remains and the cafés of Vitosha Boulevard, or add a guided trip to Rila Monastery or a day in Plovdiv.
Bulgaria
3 days · 2 nights
Varna
Two nights in Varna, Bulgaria's Black Sea capital, with private airport transfers and a full day that is yours. Walk the promenade and the Sea Garden, see the ancient gold in the Archaeological Museum, or add a private guided day north along the coast to Cape Kaliakra and Balchik.
Bulgaria
8 days · 7 nights
Varna or Burgas → Plovdiv → Bansko → Sofia → Veliko Tarnovo → Varna or Burgas
A private round trip from the Black Sea coast with your own guide and driver. You cross the country through the Rose Valley to Plovdiv, climb into the mountains at Bansko and Rila Monastery, spend two nights in Sofia, then return east by way of Veliko Tarnovo.
Bulgaria
4 days · 3 nights
Sofia
Three nights in central Sofia, a modern capital layered over Roman and medieval history. A guided day takes you into the mountains to Rila Monastery and back to the frescoes of Boyana Church, with free days either side for cathedrals, museums and coffee on Vitosha Boulevard.
Bulgaria
4 days · 3 nights
Varna
A short stay in Varna, the seaside capital of Bulgaria, with private airport transfers and a hotel close to the action. One day goes to a private guided trip up the coast to Cape Kaliakra and the palace and gardens at Balchik; the rest is yours for the beach, the Sea Garden and the city's museums.
Each region below suits a different kind of day, so mix two or three into one route.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Roman ruins under the capital's streets, with Rila Monastery a day trip into the mountains.
One of Europe's oldest cities, with a Roman theatre still in use and painted merchant houses in the old town.
The medieval capital on hills above a looping river, crowned by the Tsarevets fortress and its patriarchal church.
Sea gardens and Roman baths in Varna, with the old towns of Nessebar and Sozopol along the coast towards Burgas.
A stone mountain town at the foot of the Pirin range, with walking trails in summer and ski slopes in winter.
Late spring and September suit touring best, while July and August belong to the coast.
Cold and snowy, the season for skiing in Bansko.
Winter in the mountains, quiet streets in Sofia and Plovdiv.
Cool and changeable, spring arrives late in the month.
Mild days for the cities, the mountains still snowy.
Warm and green, with the Valley of Roses coming into bloom.
The rose harvest around Kazanlak and long days for touring.
Hot inland, the Black Sea coast at its liveliest.
Warm sea and busy beaches, mountains cooler for walking.
Warm days, the grape harvest and a quieter coast.
Autumn colour around Rila and Veliko Tarnovo.
Cooler and grey, a calm time for the city museums.
Cold, with Christmas markets in Sofia and early snow in the mountains.
Sofia has direct flights from across Europe and the Gulf, and one connection covers most other routes.
Thessaloniki and Istanbul are an easy onward hop, and North Macedonia lies just west.
Athens, Delphi and Meteora, then Crete and the Cyclades.
Istanbul, Cappadocia's valleys and the ruins of Ephesus.
Skopje's bazaar and the churches of Lake Ohrid.
Tell us when you want to go, for how long and who is travelling. Your travel expert replies in writing with a trip shaped around you.
