Rose festival in Kazanlak 2011

The "Valley of Roses", extending more than 100 km along the Balkan mountain range, has been a centre of rose oil production and export for centuries.  Bulgarian rose oil is an essential ingredient of high-quality perfumes. Rose oil is used by perfume-makers to fix other fragrances, and we have a competitive advantage because the Bulgarian rose attar has an especially strong, long-lasting aroma.

The rose bushes flower for about 25 days a year from mid-May to mid-June. The blooms are picked by hand early in the morning when the aroma is strongest, and transported in small quantities to the distillery. Seedlings come from the Rose Research Institute at Kazanluk, which has developed several Damascena rose varieties suited to conditions in the valley. International buyers pay  for the Bulgarian product  prices reaching Dollars 3,500-Dollars 3,800 a kilo.

5 day/4 nights tour - 02 - 06 June,2011

1 day    SOFIA

02.06.    Arrival at Sofia airport. Our guide will meet you and assist for a transfer to hotel.Check in. After a short break for refreshment at hotel - sightseeing  tour of Sofia, a city with 7000-year long history, including a visit to the impressive Alexander Nevski  memorial Cathedral. Tour proceeds with panoramic sightseeing of the University, the National Assembly, the Banya Bashi  Mosque, the Rotunda of St. George, Roman  ruins, National Palace of Culture. Evening at leisure, to overcome the jet lag.
Accommodation in Sofia at Hotel Niky, or similar as centrally located ***

2 day    SOFIA - Rila monastery – PLOVDIV

03.06.    After breakfast drive to Rila Monastery - the largest in the Balkans, included in the  List of World  Cultural Heritage, which will captivate you with its unrivalled architecture and murals.  Tour of the monastery. Lunch in a local restaurant with fresh trout menu. Drive to Plovdiv via Borovets mountain resort. Time at leisure and wandering in the Old Town.
B,L Accommodation in Plovdiv at Leipzig Hotel***

3 day    PLOVDIV – Batchkovo monastery – PLOVDIV

04.06.    Bulgaria’s second ranking town, Plovdiv, is a worthy rival to Sofia. Its location astride the river Maritsa, and its six hills, which are prominent features on the Thracian plane, indicates the strategic significance of the city. It is one of the oldest and most colourful towns in Bulgaria. No one can tell exactly when the foundation stone was laid here, although it must have been over 5000 years ago. Old Plovdiv on Trimontium hill is the centre of Bulgarian national revival architecture at its height. You will enjoy a tour including a visit to the Old Town, the 2000yrs old Roman Theatre; the Byzantine and medieval fortifications, the 15th century mosque. Walk along the narrow cobbled streets and admire the silence and tranquillity of this historic town. In the afternoon drive to Batchkovo Monastery – tour of the monastery, founded in the 11th century. Backhovo Monastery is valuable primarily for its ossuary and its church, in which 11th to 14th century frescoes are preserved.  Late afternoon drive back to Plovdiv.  
B, Accommodation in Plovdiv at Leipzig Hotel***

4 day - PLOVDIV-THE ROSE FESTIVAL IN THE VALLEY OF ROSES -Kazanlak  - VELIKO TARNOVO

05.06.  Breakfast. Early departure to Kazanlak - the capital of the Valley of Roses. Visit the rose fields, where rose picking ritual takes place. Sightseeing of Kazanlak, visit to the Ethnographic museum complex where tourists will be treated with rose jam or rose liquor. Attend the street parade in Kazanlak before driving to the Picnic place in an open-air restaurant with folklore music, show and wine.
Late afternoon drive to Veliko Tarnovo. Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria’s mediaeval capital city. Picturesquely situated on the three hills circled by the Yantra River, Veliko Tarnovo still preserves the typical 19th century architecture with its houses perched one above the other along the sloping hills. Overnight at hotel.
B,L Accommodation in Veliko Tarnovo at hotel Allegro*** , or similar.

5 day - VELIKO TARNOVO  - Arbanassi – SOFIA

06.06.    Sightseeing tour of Veliko Tarnovo(partly on foot), including stops at the historical Tsarevets Hill with the remains of the Royal Palace, the Patriarchate and the fortress gates. Stroll through the Samovodene Market Place, where you’ll be taken in as pastry cooks, master goldsmiths, potters, and carvers still pursue their crafts as they did in centuries past. Next, to the medieval village of Arbanassi  This charming village is rich with 17th century architecture.  The 300 years old houses from the period of the Bulgarian Renaissance together with magnificent churches dating back to the XVII century, decorated with unique paintings and wood carving are of great interest. Drive back to Sofia to catch connecting flight home. End of services.

2011 TOUR PRICE:

530 EUR per person for a party of four people.
705 EUR per person for a group of two to three people. Price based on double occupancy. Single supplement is 70 EUR.
 
INCLUDED:

•     1 overnight at  a 3-star hotel in Sofia  -Hill, Niky of similar;
•     2 overnights at a 3-star hotel in Plovdiv -  Leipzig, or similar;
•     1 overnight at a 3-star hotel Allegro in Veliko Tarnovo,
•     6 meals, 4 breakfasts, 2 lunches ( 1 picnic lunch with folklore show & wine)
•     participation in the Rose Festival in Kazanlak on June 6, 2010;
•     transfers upon arrival and departure,
•     transportation by a/c car or van, according to above  programme,
•     English- speaking guide throughout the tour,
•     entrance fees according to above programme

EXCLUDED:
* air fare, - airport tax,- additional meals,- tips for guide, driver, - items not specially mentioned above and / or in the itinerary, insurance, porterage at airport & hotels.