6 Nights / 7 Days The Wonder of Bulgaria & Greece Escorted Tour

Arrival at Sofia airport and transfer to the hotel. Today you will be free to explore Sofia, on your own. Overnight in Sofia.

Travel Distance: 1:10hrs
(Breakfast included)
After breakfast, tour of the town of Koprivshtitsa. A town with a special spirit, now turned into a museum where you can feel the unique atmosphere of the Revival Period in Bulgaria. Outstanding ethnographic treasures can be seen together with significant historical monuments: specific architecture, original furniture, old weapons, national costumes, traditional crafts, precious jewellery. In the afternoon, drive back to Sofia. Overnight in Sofia.

Travel Distance: 1:45hrs
(Breakfast included)
Departure for Bansko after breakfast. On the way, we visit Rila Monastery - the most exquisite example of the monastery art and architecture in Bulgaria. Guided tour of the monastery complex. Visit to Nativity of the Virgin Church with its miracle icon of the Virgin and splendid gilded iconostasis. The old kitchen, the monastery museum where you can learn about the long and heroic history of the monastery, the wood carved cross made for a period of twelve years by a monk called Rafael, Hrelyo’s Tower and many spectacular views from the mountain and the surrounding nature. Arrival in Bansko, in the late afternoon. Bansko is the most famous ski resort in Bulgaria with excellent conditions for winter sports. The town also keeps a special authentic atmosphere with its old houses and traditional restaurants. Overnight in Bansko.

Travel Distance: Rila Monastery - Bansko: 1hr
Bansko - Thessaloniki: 3hrs
(Breakfast included)
After breakfast, transfer from Bansko to Thessaloniki with our professional driver who will transfer you to your hotel. It is your free day to explore and enjoy Thessaloniki on your own. Depending on the time of arrival, you can spend the day walking around, shopping or relaxing in one of many cafes or taverns in Thessaloniki downtown. Overnight in Thessaloniki.

Travel Distance Thessaloniki - Vergina: 1hr
Vergina - Athens: 5hr
(Breakfast included)
Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, drive to Vergina, the most important remains of the monumental palace of the Kingdom of Macedonia, lavishly decorated with mosaics and painted stuccoes, and the burial ground with more than 300 tumuli, some of which date from the 11th century B.C. One of the royal tombs is identified as that of Philip II, who conquered all the Greek cities, paving the way for his son Alexander and the expansion of the Hellenistic world.
After the visit drive to Athens. On the way, make a short stop at Thermopylae where a fierce battle took place between the Persians and Greeks during the Persian invasion of 480-479 BC. The Greek force (300 strong) was very small but was determined to make a stand against the huge Persian army. Overnight in Athens.

(Breakfast included)
In the morning, after breakfast, we will pick you up from the hotel and start our sightseeing tour of the center of Athens including The Constitution of Greece (Sintagma). It was created by the Fifth Revisional Parliament of the Hellenes and entered into force in 1975. It has been revised three times since, in 1986, in 2001 and in 2008. The Constitutional history of Greece goes back to the Greek War of Independence, during which the first three revolutionary Greek constitutions were adopted. Afterwards we will visit Old Parliament House. The Old Parliament building, which is located at Stadiou Street in Athens, housed the Greek Parliament between 1875 and 1932. It now houses the country's National Historical Museum. In front of the building stands a large equestrian statue of General Theodoros Kolokotronis, cast in bronze. It was sculpted by Lazaros Sochos in Paris in 1900, and erected in its current place in 1904.
Continue our tour, we will go to The National Library of Greece which is situated near the center of city of Athens. It holds 4,500 Greek manuscripts, which is one of the greatest collection of Greek scripts. There are also many chrysobulls and archives of the Greek Revolution Then we will continue driving down Herod Atticus Street, you will see the Evzones in their picturesque uniform and the PRESIDENTIAL PALACE which is the official residence of the President of the Hellenic Republic. It previously served as the Royal Palace, until the abolition of the monarchy by referendum in 1974. On your way to the Acropolis you will see the Hadrian's Arch, visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus. and you will make a short stop at the Panathenaic Stadium which was refurbished a second time in 1895 for the 1896 Olympics, with completion funding provided by the Greek benefactor George Averoff whose marble statue now stands at the entrance, based on designs by architects Anastasios Metaxas and Ernst Ziller.
Upon arrive Acropolis, we will visit Acropolis Museum which is focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. The museum was built to house every artifact found on the rock and on its feet, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece. It also lies on the archaeological site of Makrygianni and the ruins of a part of Roman and early Byzantine Athens. Also, we will visit the architectural masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: the PROPYLAEA, the TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE, the ERECHTHEION. The last stop before we back to hotel is The Parthenon. The Parthenon is a temple in Acropolis, the harmony between material and spirit, the monument that puts order in the mind. Early evening we will back to hotel, you can relax in the rest of the day. Overnight in Athens.

(Breakfast included)
Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, transfer to Athens International Airport for your flight back home.