The Valley of the Roses and Koprivshtitsa Tour from Sofia

Itinerary

Your activity-packed day starts at 7:00 am from the parking behind Alexander Nevski Cathedral. Hop aboard on a small minibus (usually with Wi-Fi) to head south and enjoy a scenic drive through the Bulgarian countryside.

You will meet your local guide at the town of Kazanluk. The town is located in the heart of the Valley of Roses where over 60% of the world's rose oil is produced and more lavender oil than in the famous Provence, France. From here starts your guided exploration of the lush natural beauty of the valley locked between the Balkan and Sredna Gora mountain ranges. Kindly note that the roses are blooming only once a year from mid-May till mid-June. For the rest of the year, you will not be able to observe blossoming rose fields.

You will pay a visit to the Damascena rose distillery where the whole process of rose picking and rose oil production will be revealed and explained to you. It will be one of the most aromatic experiences you will experience in your lifetime.

Travel back in time by visiting the UNESCO Thracian Tomb (4th century BC) in Kazanlak and learn about Thracian tribes that lived and fought along the ancient Greeks. A short drive from there, at the foothills of the majestic Balkan Mountains, is the picturesque Shipka Memorial Church.

If time allows, you will be driven to the Shipka Monument from where fantastic views on both sides of the Balkan Mountains will widen before you.

Koprivshtitsa is a living town, but also an architectural reserve, that is a 2-hour drive from the town of Kazanluk. You will have time to independently discover and marvel at the 19th-century mansions the town is well-known of. You will have enough time to stretch your legs by meandering along the cobbled streets and the numerous small bridges.

After another 2-hour transfer, you will arrive back at the original point, where your tour has started in the morning.