Sofia Tours in September 2027

The Balkans are a beautiful part of Europe and are full of history. The two tour leaders we had, Zorica and Elena were very good, as were the local guides and our driver.

A great trip, moderately paced allowing free time to visit many of the museums in the cities. Heraclea, Philippi and Vergina were excellent. Coach was a little cramped if you were over 6' tall. Guide was excellent.

If you want a beach holiday, or a nice relaxing two weeks, then this is NOT the holiday for you. If however you want to delve into ancient Greece, Macedonia, monasteries, churches archaeological sites etc and get a real taste for the history of this part of the Balkans, then don't hesitate to sign up.

We enjoyed our week with Julian down in the Rodolpi Mountains, trekking the hills and meadows, on the lookout for the wildlife of the region. We loved it all. The landscape (sort of alpine-esque) is gentle in places and vigorous in others. Every day the walks took us to new areas and vistas. People have impressions of what Bulgaria is going to look and feel like and this week resets those expectations completely. We summoned up the energy to head to the hide a couple of times and loved it there - a real "in the moment" way to spend three hours. The hotel was welcoming and comfortable with ample delicious local specialties to fuel our efforts. Travelling in September we were surprised by how many flowers were still out, the butterflies and insects, the huge range of funghi, not to mention the very varied bird and mammal life of all sizes. There was the familiar, and the new, at every corner.

Wildlife, conservation, expert patient guide, mountain hiking, remote rural village community, and an intimate family run hotel were all the components that blended perfectly together to form this holiday into my ultimate relaxing get away with a dusting of excitement, anticipation, and adventure on top!

This is a very nice trip, with no time to get bored. We visited 3 counties in 10 days from the biggest to the smallest cities in the region. It was an interesting contrast. We explored several, churches, monasteries, mosques, UNESCO sites and restaurants. This part of the world is not yet so discovered, it often felt we are the only tourists from abroad. We learn a lot about the history of the area thanks to our skilled leader and tried some local food specialties. The portions are huge there! We had a lovely group that added to the positive experience.