Greece and Bulgaria

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Arrival. Transfer to the hotel.
Welcome to Europe!!!. On arrival at the airport we shall be waiting to transfer you to the hotel. You can enjoy free time until your tour starts, information about the meeting place and start time can be found on the information boards in the hotel reception area.


IMPORTANT - IF YOU REQUESTED ADDITIONAL NIGHTS on arrival at the hotel you will have your booking made but the guide of your trip will normally not arrive until the start of the included activities. YOUR TIME BEFORE THIS MOMENT IS THEREFORE FREE. At your hotel they can help you with all the information you need.


NB: The schedules you will find in this itinerary are approximate. The guide, depending on the situation and in order to improve the development of the circuit, may adjust the schedules.

TODAY´S HIGHLIGHTS: City tour in Athens.


We will enjoy a panoramic tour of the city with a local guide which includes the Presidential Palace, the Panathinaikos stadium where the first modern Olympic games were held, the national library, the bustling squares of the center; the new neighborhoods that emerged after the 2004 Olympic games. The tour will end at the Acropolis site (entry not included).


In the evening we include a transfer to the area of PLAKA, a place full of small Greek taverns where you can also enjoy this country´s folklore.

Total distance: 410 km.Scenery: Views over the sea FANTASTIC LANDSCAPES in the region of Meteoras we visit orthodox monasteries.
Notes: Wear appropriate clothing (women will have to wear the skirts that will be delivered on arrival to the monastery). Also foresee comfortable footwear ... you will have to climb many steps in Meteoras !!!




08:00 hrs. Athens –departure-. We leave for the notrh of Greece. Pleasant Mediterranean landscapes.
10.15 hrs. - Kamena Vourla – Arrival.- Pretty tourist centre by the sea amidst magnificent scenery. Time for stroll and a coffee.
11.15 hrs. - Kamena Vourla –departure-. Continuation northbound. We make a brief stop at the gorge where the battle of Thermopylae took place.


13.45 hrs. Kastraki- stop for lunch in this picturesque town located at the foot of the Meteora. The views are magnificent!. After lunch we will visit Meteoras impressive place declared UNESCO World Heritage, an area that covers few sqare kilometers where an ancient monastic community and a rare geological phenomenon of huge rock pillars coexist in absolute harmony. We will see the whole valley and have the chance to go into one of the most famous monasteries (entrance included).
Accommodation in Kalabaka, small town in the center of the Meteoras region. Dinner included.

Total distance: 395km
Landscapes: Beautiful landscapes in the north of Greece and on the way to Bulgaria: mountains, isolated areas, forests.
Note: Remember to have your Passport ready, you will need it to enter in Bulgaria.


08.00 hrs.- Kalabaka.- Departure. We travel through the North of Greece, amidst pretty mountain scenery, to the Aegean Sea.
11.15 hrs.- THESSALONICA– Arrival-, time for a stroll and lunch in Greece’s second city.


14.00hrs.- Thesalonica- Departure. We travel towards the Pirin mountain, a World Heritage Site, areas heavily influenced by the Greek, Slavic and Turkish cultures. After this we go on our way towards BULGARIA, and the border pass. Schedules of this stage sometimes, can suffer important delays because of the border procedures.


16.45hrs.- MELNIK. Arrival. In Bulgarian Macedonia we stop in this picturesque museum village in beautiful scenery amidst a wine producing area. We will learn about the traditional Balkan ways of life.


17.45hrs.- Melnik. Departure.
18.15 hrs- SANDANSKI, arrival at this beautiful small spa city, the birthplace of Spartacus, dinner and accommodation.

Total distance covered: 225 km. Scenery: beautiful landscapes of the Balkans, with mountains, remote areas and forests.
Note: Wear suitable clothing to visit the monastery of Rila.-


08.30 hrs- Sandanski.- Departure.-
10.30 hrs - Rila Monastery - We visit this beautiful walled Orthodox monastery that is hidden hidden among forests and mountains within a national park. Time to look around.


11.45 hrs - Rila -Departure-.
14.00 hrs - Sofia -Arrival-. After time for lunch, we include a tour of the capital of Bulgaria, where we will see the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the Russian church, the mosque, its squares and avenues of Stalinist architecture. Free time.

After breakfast, end of our services.