In this story you find so many flavours and tastes: the rose fields, the green mountains, spring herbs, delicious chocolate, the taste of unique Bulgarian yoghurt… Every day you discover a little story about the Thracians, communism, Orthodox monasteries. Meet the local people: talk with a monk in the monastery, or with the neighbour who wears a strange hat and grows the biggest tomatoes in the world. Find the big secret and the taste of life in the first little strong sip of rakia (plum brandy), then invite your friends and bring life together. A trip with so many roses on the way, great gastronomy and local art.
The Rose Festival
Bulgaria is one of the biggest producers of rose oil in the world, and the rose is its symbol. Bulgarian roses are descendants of the Damask rose and were brought to these lands in the 17th century. The Rose Valley around Karlovo and Kazanlak covers about 3,300 square kilometres and stretches more than 130 km along the Stara Planina mountain; the two mountains around it create a specific climate.
The festival programme includes the traditional rose-picking ritual and rose distillation, which give you a true feeling of authenticity, and the coronation of the Queen Rose. It ends with a street procession led by the participants of the International Folklore Festival. Other events take place over the festival weekend: a cappella choirs and folklore concerts, art shows, exhibitions and wine tastings.
Day by day
Day 1
So Sofia, so old and so modern…
Day 2 · Sofia – Rila Monastery – Bansko · 250 km
Pray, eat, dance! Or more miracles of Rila and Macedonia…
Highlights: Sofia, UNESCO heritage, the Orthodox jewels of the Balkans, music and gastronomy from the Bulgarian part of Macedonia. Plus a lovely mountain view!
Day 3 · Bansko – Plovdiv · 150 km
Stories from Macedonia, giant beans by the road, the Pomaks, and arrival in a truly elegant European capital of culture…
Highlights: the old town of Bansko, Macedonian songs, ethno stories on the way.
On the way we pass through a mountain region with many Pomak villages (an ethno-confessional minority in Bulgaria, known officially as Bulgarian Muslims) and see typical local markets with the famous beans, herbs, honey and homemade jam.
European Capital of Culture: Plovdiv – modern and old, creative, crazy, innovative…
Day 4 · Plovdiv
8,000 years of history and art under the hills…
Highlights: sightseeing in Plovdiv, Roman heritage, local crafts, excellent wine, and the Kapana district, the creative industries quarter, with homemade lemonade, natural cosmetics, great shopping and events.
Day 5 · Plovdiv – Kazanlak – the Rose Valley
In the land of the roses and the Thracian kings. Happy and hidden in the woods…
Highlights: roses, distilleries, yoghurt & cheese, Thracian tombs, thermal springs.
Day 6 · Rose Valley – Etar – Veliko Tarnovo · 80 km
Inspiration, Bulgarian yoghurt, the water that moves everything, and a medieval capital.
Highlights: local crafts, Orthodox monasteries, tastings, local herbs, the medieval capital, lovely views, an authentic market and many stories for you…
Day 7 · Veliko Tarnovo area
Medieval greatness, art and the wheel of life…
Highlights: Tsarevets Fortress, the original “Wheel of Life” and its philosophy, streets, markets and stories from old times, houses hanging on the rocks above the Yantra River, and homemade lemonade with mint in a bar with a stunning view.
Day 8 · Veliko Tarnovo – Sofia · 220 km
Transfer to the airport
Time for your next story…
Bulgaria and its rose oil
