My husband and I are booked on the May 19th RS tour of Bulgaria. We plan to arrive on Saturday before the tour starts on Sunday afternoon. I know we will be getting over jetlag so I don't want to plan too much, but I was wondering if previous tour members had any recommendations of what to do before the official tour starts. We will have until 4pm Sunday to keep ourselves busy.
Thanks,
Julie
I don't know which airline you're using to get to Bulgaria and if you're flying out of any of the NYC airports, but Turkish Air and a layover in Istanbul would be a good choice if you had more than just one extra day. I've used Turkish Air to connect to other European cities and the layover was an added benefit (but Istanbul is a bit overwhelming just for one day, so I say that only if you have some leeway with your time).
If you only have that Saturday and it's non-negotiable, why not tool around Sofia and see some sites that are not part of your tour? For example, Boyana Church:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/42
https://freesofiatour.com/blog/boyana-church-national-museum-of-history/
http://www.boyanachurch.org/abouten.htm
I noted in your August 2018 posting you were "considering the Best of Bulgaria" tour. Congratulations on making the decision. I think you will find Bulgaria to be a wonderful place - scenic, friendly, fascinating with excellent cuisine.
In reply to your original post, I suggested adding Romania and Hungary to the end of your travels - providing the opportunity
to visit three countries in general proximity very unlike each other but equally magnificent. My guess is you have already arranged round trip air transport so my suggestion is moot. Maybe next time....
I took this tour two years ago. You will have a wonderful time. Stefan, our guide, was terrific, so enthusiastic about his country!
Somewhere in the pre-trip materials is a list of places in Sofia that are not included in the tour. And just wandering around near the hotel and the central part of the city can be interesting. Also, on our tour Stefan left a note that he would take anyone who arrived early on a bit of a walking tour the night before the tour started, so keep a lookout!
Have a wonderful time!
