5 Days Food, Culture and Wine Tour in Bulgaria

Day 1

• Upon arrival to Sofia airport, there will be a group transfer from the airport at latest 14:00.
• Your chauffeur will transfer the group to the ancient town of Plovdiv, which will take around 1.5-2 hours.
• Check in to your centrally located hotel.
• Head out for a fascinating guided walking tour of Plovdiv and Old Town Plovdiv with a little culinary surprise at the end of the walking tour.
• The evening is free for you to unwind and explore the town on your own. The main street of Plovdiv is full of shops, restaurants and cafes.

Day 2

• Breakfast.
• Your first stop for the day is the historical site of the Thracian Tomb of Starosel.
• Next is the charming Starosel Wine & SPA Complex, where you will tour the winery and taste a selection of the wines produced here.
• Lunch is served in the onsite restaurant.
• You continue to the historical town of Panagyurishte, where you get to visit the Panagyurishte museum and see the acclaimed treasure consisting of nine gold vessels for wine from the Thracian era.
• Visit to the nearby Rumelia winery, where you tour the winery and enjoy a wine tasting in the dedicated tasting room.
• You then head back to the hotel in Plovdiv.
• Dinner is on your own this evening.

Day 3

• Today features a visit to the second largest monastery in Bulgaria - Bachkovo Monastery. Time on your own to explore the monastery and surrounding grounds. Grab some excellent Bulgarian street food at one of the many restaurants or street food vendors surrounding the monastery. Grilled foods are popular in Bulgaria, and your tour leader will let you know what are the must-try dishes.
• Next is the modern winery Villa Yustina, where the winery guide will give a tour of the facility, explain the winemaking process, show the vineyards and end with a superb wine tasting accompanied with local appetizers.
• Visit to the ruins of The Red Church - an old Christian church.
• You end the day at Todoroff Wine Cellar located in the nearby village of Brestovitsa. Enjoy a wine tasting in the cellar followed by dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Day 4

• Breakfast.
• If there was no time during day 1 for a guided walking tour around Plovdiv, you spend the morning exploring the ancient town of Plovdiv together.
• Enjoy a tasting of eloquent Bulgarian wines and delicious appetizers at a local enoteca around noon.
• Enjoy some free time in the afternoon to explore the city even further or relax in your hotel room.
• Tonight marks your last night together and you celebrate this tour with a wine-paired dinner at a local enoteca to share your experiences and stories over a few glasses of Bulgarian wine.

Day 5

• Breakfast.
• Check out of hotel.
• Transfer to Sofia Airport (2 hours) or Sofia Centre.
• End of tour.

Throughout this wine holiday, you will visit four cultural heritage sites, which include Bachkovo Monastery, Asen’s fortress, the ruins of the Red Church, and Old Plovdiv. You will also visit the following wineries:

Dragomir

It is rare to find a wine estate in a big city, but Dragomir will surprise you in many ways. The winery is located in the southern part of the ancient city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second largest city. Dragomir is more than a wine estate, it is a manifestation of the love for wine, but also for each other of the oenologists Nataliya and Konstantin. The winery is built in 2006 and not long after, it received prestigious international recognition at Vinalies Internationales in Paris in 2010 and 2011. A unique feature of Dragomir is the digestive made from the local variety Mavrud. Dragomir offers elegance and class inside the borders of the city and it is a must-see for any wine enthusiast who visits Plovdiv.

Todoroff wine cellar

Todoroff is a winery situated in the village of Brestovitza, one of the most famous wine producing villages in Bulgaria, as well as the place with one of the highest concentrations of wine cellars in the country. The modern winery Todoroff is the first boutique winery in Bulgaria and is a successor of a prestigious winery dating back to 1945. Todoroff emphasizes on the relationship between wine and art and in this way embodies the spirit of its current owner, Ivan Todoroff, who is originally an artist. The modern winery also includes the first wine spa in Bulgaria and boasts to be the pioneer of wine tourism in the country. At Todoroff, you will submerge into the artsy atmosphere, rich history, and quality wines.

Villa Yustina

Villa Yustina is located in the village of Ustina, about 25 kilometers from Plovdiv. The name of the winery, as well as the village, originates from emperor Justinian I who was an emperor of the East Roman empire in the first century AD and who commissioned a fort to be built on the hills by the present village. Villa Yustina began its journey in the wine world in 2006 and soon after in 2011, its main oenologist received the price oenologist of the year. Villa Yustina is a proud birthplace of one of the best cuvees of the local varieties, Mavrud and Rubin. Villa Yustina will enchant you with warm hospitality, the beautiful vine park, and other outdoor recreational possibilities. If you are lucky enough to meet the owner, Milko Tsvetkov, you will also make a lifelong wine friend.

The base for the tour is the Plovdiv region. All four nights will be spent at the ancient town of Plovdiv, European capital of culture 2019. Plovdiv is an eclectic city with wine bars, restaurants, cafes, and cultural activities. It is also Europe's oldest continuously inhabited city. This tour involves a lot of culture. What is wine without culture and what is culture without wine?

Prepare yourself for a true foodie discovery of the Bulgarian cuisine. Bulgarian cuisine is diverse, hearty, fresh, and traditional. The cuisine is influenced by Turkish and Greek cuisine, but also has many Slavic and Balkan elements. There is, of course, influence from traditional Bulgarian recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation.

It is highly recommended to find a local "mehana" and sample some of the most popular traditional dishes such as shopska salad, hotchpoth, kavarma, kapama, kyufte, and kebapche. Vegetarian meals are also available. Please specify dietary or allergic information upon booking.

• Spend some free time discovering the 19th century houses in Old Plovdiv
• Take a walk in the Tsar Simeon Gardens (Central Garden) of Plovdiv by night and see the "Singing Fountains". Not sure what they mean by "Singing Fountains"? You will just have to visit to find out.
• Try a glass of rakia (Bulgarian wine brandy)

• 4 nights accommodation
• Airport meet and greet
• All ground transportation mentioned in itinerary
• Daily breakfast, lunch on day 2, dinner on day 3 and 4 (wine-paired dinner)
• Guided walking tour of Plovdiv and Old Plovdiv
• Private tour leader from Bulgaria Wine Tours
• Tour operator insurance from Groupama Insurance in case of non-provision of services
• Tours and tastings at 4 wineries and 1 enoteca/urban winery
• Transfer from/to Sofia Airport or Centre
• Visit to Bachkovo Monastery, Panagyurishte Museum and The Red Church including entrance fees

• Extras and incidentals
• Flight tickets
• Meals and beverages not mentioned in the tour description
• Private transfers
• Single room supplement
• Tips
• Travel and medical insurance (please consult your insurance provider)
• Visa fees, if applicable