Grand Tour of Bulgaria 2026-27 "Prestige"

A unique tour to discover the most important cities and the major attractions of this country straddling the Danube. The capital, Sofia, with its thousands of years of history, is of great interest. The summer climate is moderately continental, with temperatures around 25°C. Bulgaria lies on an ancient crossroads between West and East, and the remains of the many civilisations that wrote its turbulent history are clearly visible throughout the country. From the Thracians through the Hellenes and the Romans; later came the Huns, Goths and Avars, and finally the Slavs and the Proto-Bulgarians, led by Asparuh, the first ruler of Bulgaria. From the union of the Proto-Bulgarians and the Slavs, the Bulgarian State was founded on its present territory.

The gem: Rila Monastery. 

Rila Monastery, set at 1,147 m in the north-western part of the mountain range of the same name, about 120 km from Sofia, is without doubt the largest and most famous monastery in Bulgaria. It was founded by the hermit Saint Ivan of Rila in the 10th century. At that time the hermit’s life was a form of passive resistance by the people against the feudal lords, and the rugged Rila mountains offered hermits a peaceful refuge. The monastery was twice destroyed and then rebuilt. In 1335 Hrelyo, the feudal lord of the Struma region, saw to the complete restoration of the monastery, for which he also built a church and a tower (preserved to this day). Towards the end of the 14th century the armies of the Ottoman Turks invaded the Balkan Peninsula. Rila Monastery survived their attacks unscathed and kept the privileges it had obtained from the Bulgarian kings, which were confirmed by the sultans. Nevertheless the monastery was destroyed by the "kardzhali" (bands of marauders who long plagued the Balkan lands of the Ottoman Empire from the end of the 18th century) and was rebuilt in its present form in the first half of the last century, thanks to donations from every part of the country. In 1976 Rila Monastery was declared a National Historical Monument and in 1983 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. With its high perimeter walls and many embrasures, the sanctuary, at least from the outside, looks more like a fortress than a monastery. The complex consists of a four-storey building with 300 cells in all, a kitchen unique in its construction and architecture, a large courtyard, a church and the tower of the despot Hrelyo. The monastery’s main church, modelled on the great churches of Mount Athos in Greece, fills visitors with admiration for its frescoes, icons and carvings of stunning beauty. Members of the Samokov and Razlog schools of painters worked on it. The most precious work of art in the monastery church is the carved wooden iconostasis. Like so many other monasteries, Rila was a centre of spiritual and cultural life for the Bulgarian people. The monks created new works and copied books by historical authors, mainly from the Tarnovo School and Mount Athos. These works are still kept in the library, which is rich in volumes (around 20,000, including hagiographies, gospels and incunabula). The museum holds ancient manuscripts, icons, gifts received from foreign monasteries, royal charters and firmans of the sultans.

The Rose Festival: a hymn to beauty in the heart of Bulgaria. There is a moment, in early June, when

Bulgaria dresses itself in poetry. The fields turn pink, the air grows sweet and the hills come alive with song and dance: it is

the time of the Rose Festival, the signature event of the Rose Valley, celebrated every year in Kazanlak. It is not just a

festival, but a true tribute to a flower that has become the soul, the pride and a cultural and economic resource of the

country. On the Grand Tour departing on 5 June, participants experience this special moment

at first hand. The stop in Kazanlak, already included in our itinerary, allows you to explore the town during the key days of the

festival, when tradition meets folklore in a collective celebration that involves the whole community. The

festival has its roots in a very ancient tradition: for centuries, the Damask rose has been grown in this region

thanks to a unique microclimate, ideal for the production of essential oil, so much so that Bulgaria is among the world’s leading

producers of rose oil, regarded as the liquid gold of the Balkans. The harvest takes place at dawn, when the petals are still

wet with dew and release their most intense aroma. In the surrounding villages, groups of women and children in traditional dress

celebrate the “festival of the first harvest”, welcoming visitors with traditional dances and folk songs. It is precisely

this genuine, convivial atmosphere that you breathe when visiting Kazanlak during the festival days. But that is not all: our

tour also lets you explore the historical and cultural context of the area. The Thracian Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage

Site, bears witness to the archaeological wealth of this land, while the tasting of rose brandy, included

in the programme, reveals another face of the rose: the gastronomic one. Those who join the June departure not only

discover the most authentic Bulgaria, but also feel its deepest heartbeat, the one that smells of petals, legend and

identity. An experience not to be missed.