Best of Bulgaria September 11-22, 2022

There are 6 Best of Bulgaria tours scheduled for 2023 and I believe there were 6 on the schedule this year. The On The Road Reports do mention Best of Bulgaria tours in progress.

I also see Best of Bulgaria tour reviews dated May 22 and June 5, 2022.

I think the worry may eventually be more about whether the airline cancels or significantly modifies it’s current offerings. The RS tour there in 2011 was outstanding. My trip into Europe a couple of days ago was seamless in every aspect. Things on the ground upon arrival were challenging. It may be quite different when I depart. But I will continue to travel, enjoy, and adjust accordingly.

How would I find out if enough people have signed up to make this tour a "go?"

You can email the tour department and ask them. Allow time for their response as I know it's a busy year! The website says "Due to a high-volume of 2023 tour bookings, it may take up to a week before you receive your seat confirmation email."

Thanks for the quick responses everyone.

I'm not sure if RS cancels tours with low numbers now but we booked a late May 2014 Eastern France Tour as it came on sale late. Apparently the numbers were low to begin with as there was a couple that did not show leaving only 12 participants in addition to the guide and bus driver. I would take the advice given to contact the RS office for their opinion/policy.

I took this tour in 2017 and it was terrific. The RS guide - Stefan - was exceptional. I believe he still leads the RS tours in Bulgaria.

If you call or email the RS office, they will tell you how many people are signed up for the tour you are interested in and whether there is a chance that it will be canceled. (I have found that the RS reps will also share info about the general makeup of the group - singles, couples, families, age of participants, etc.) However, since reopening, RS has run many tours that are smaller than usual. I took the Sicily tour in March and we only had 12 people in the group. It was a real treat!

I had the pleasure of being on what I believe was Sefan's first tour with RS. He had an assistant who was a British fellow. Stefan worked very hard. One thing I didn't realize was that many of the local and museum guides did not speak much English. So Stefan spent huge amounts of time translating. He translated far more than other RS tour guides usually do.

One of the extras they did for us was a discussion of the EU and it's benefits. Stefan was all for membership in the EU. The British guy want the UK out of it. Who knew they were a few years ahead of their time?

Just wanted to let everyone know that I contacted the RSE office and found out how many people were signed up and that this tour had more than sufficient numbers not to be canceled. We signed on. Looking forward to a trip that is just around the corner. Thanks again for everyone’s advice and comments on the tour. Fingers crossed the airlines don’t change our flights.

Enjoy it. I've been to Bulgaria several times. Wonderful!!!!

Are you tagging on anything else before or after?

We are going over two days early and staying five days after. We’re thinking we’ll have time to get over jet lag on the front end and do a few day trips out of Sofia and enjoy some restaurants on the back end. Any suggestions are welcome.

I just asked because Wizz and Ryan both fly out of Sofia and there are some interesting side trips in that part of the world. Varna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest, Zadar...... most under $50.

That's helpful info, thanks James E. I'm signed up for the RS Best of Bulgaria tour next spring. I'm going to spend about 4 extra days in Sofia before the tour.

I also want to spend a week or 10 days afterwards on my own. I was thinking of Warsaw, which I've wanted to reschedule from 2020. You've given me some additional ideas to consider.