National Museum of History, Sofia

Enjoy the sights of Bulgaria from the comfort and convenience of a transfer, taking you to some of the country's most stunning and significant highlights all in one day. Meet your driver in the morning, at a centrally located meeting point in Sofia. Head to the UNESCO Boyana church and visit the richly frescoed historical site. Continue with a short transfer for the National Museum of History where you will have ample time for a tour of your own. Learn about the intriguing history of Bulgarian lands, and then meet you driver again for an onwards journey towards the UNESCO Rila Monastery. You will pass through beautiful countryside on the way to the Rila mountains. Go higher up the mountain through the scenic route, and reach the Rila Monastery. You will have enough time to visit at your own pace all the areas of the monastery complex. Then, in the afternoon, you will be driven back to Sofia city.

Start with pickup from your hotel in Sofia and travel to Vitosha Mountain you will begin the hiking portion of the tour. Discover one of the many scenic hiking routes of the Vitosha Nature Park, with some of the most beautiful views of the city of Sofia. After the scenic hike, head back to Sofia and learn more about the ancient and historical locations of the city. First, visit Boyana Church, a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox site situated on the outskirts of Sofia. In 1979, the building was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Then, make a stop at the National History Museum, the largest museum in the country. Discover a variety of objects related to Bulgarian archaeology, fine arts, history, ethnography.

Sofia is one of the oldest cities in the Balkans found by the Thracian tribe Serdi. In 29 A.D., Sofia became the capital of the Roman province of Inner Dacia. Through the ages, the city played a role as an important trading center in the Byzantine and Bulgarian Empires. Under Ottoman rule, Sofia was the center of Rumelia province. Sofia became the capital of restored Bulgaria in 1879, with a population of only about 12,000. Today many streets, buildings, parks, and even whole neighbourhoods preserve the architectural style from the turn of the century. The day starts with a short transfer to the National History Museum, occupying the residency of the former communist ruler Todor Zhivkov, located at the outskirts of Sofia. You will get a guided tour of the rich museum collection, with special attention drawn to the key dates, facts and exhibits. Close by is the Boyana Church which you will visit to unravel the global importance of its proto-Renaissance frescoes. The afternoon will be for a gentle walking tour of the center, where you will learn about the National Library, Sofia University, The Parliament, The St. Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral, the National Theatre, St. Sofia Church, Sofia's oldest building - St George Rotunda, The houses of the Council of Ministers, the president and the former communist party's headquarters, the ruins of the ancient city of Serdika (dating from the 5th-6th C), the National Palace of Culture, the main shopping streets of Sofia, and more.