New Year's Bulgaria Sofia Plovdiv Tour 2 Nights 4 Days 26250

30 December 2026 – 1 January 2027 | 2 Nights, 4 Days
Tour details
NEW YEAR'S BULGARIA SOFIA PLOVDIV TOUR 2 Nights 4 Days
2 Nights 4 Days
 

Tour Departure Date: December 30
 
Day 1 Istanbul – Edirne – Sofia
Departure at 21:00 from Kadıköy Marriage Office, 21:30 in front of Mecediyeköy Vehicle Inspection, and 22:00 in front of Bakırköy Ömür Shopping Center. With onboard refreshments, we arrive at Kapıkule border crossing via the Çorlu – Edirne route. After passport and customs procedures, we follow the Haskovo – Plovdiv – Sofia highway to Sofia.
 
Day 2  Sofia
We arrive in the capital city of Sofia in the morning. After enjoying our breakfast (subject to an additional fee) at our hotel, we begin our panoramic city tour. St. Nedelya, Rotonda, Russian and Hagia Sophia Churches, Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the Prime Minister's Office, the Parliament Building, Sofia University are among the places to be seen on our panoramic tour. Additionally, we visit the House of the Army, where the famous Ball was held with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk wearing a Janissary uniform. After the city tour, there is free time. After meeting, we transfer to the hotel. Overnight at our Sofia hotel. Guests who wish can join the Rila Monastery tour organized as an extra by our guide (45 EUR). Our vehicles departing from in front of the hotel will take you to the Rila Monastery, Bulgaria's largest monastery located 2 hours away from Sofia. The Rila Monastery is known to have been built between 927-968 by I. Petro. Throughout history, the monastery suffered many attacks and took a heavy blow from a fire it experienced in the 1800s. Restored by the Bulgarian government, the monastery has taken its current form. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983. After visiting the monastery located amidst unique greenery, we return to Sofia. Then we transfer to our hotel. We participate in the New Year celebrations held in Sofia City Square for New Year festivities. (Return transfers are at the guests' own expense.) Overnight at our hotel.
 
 
Day 3  Sofia (Veliko Tarnovo)
After breakfast at our hotel, there is free time. Guests who wish can join the Veliko Tarnovo tour organized as an extra (65 EUR). After breakfast, we depart. Tarnovo is a wonderful city steeped in history that served as the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Therefore, in 1965, the title 'Veliko' was given to the city by the people. Veliko means great and lofty. Veliko Tarnovo is a wonderful place with a rich cultural structure, featuring many historical buildings, museums, and ruins in the city. Along with its lush nature, our city tour where we will experience wonderful moments through walks and visits includes Tsaravets Fortress, the Old Town, and the Kırklaraziz Church. After the tour and free time, we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.
 
 
Day 4  : Sofia – Plovdiv (Philippopolis) – Edirne – Istanbul
After breakfast at the hotel, we meet with the vehicle and begin the return journey. After a two-hour drive, we arrive in Plovdiv. Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second-largest city, has made significant contributions to Islamic-Turkish culture throughout its long history. It is a city where life has continued since 4000 years ago. A place combining excellent modern and ancient architecture. The most interesting part is the oldest section of the city called Old Plovdiv - located on NOBET TEPE. We will have the opportunity to see the traces left by the Byzantine, Greek, and Ottoman states, the city shopping centers, and the protected old town. Batenberg Street, the city's most active shopping and entertainment center, will be visited. Argır Jeweler's House (converted into an ethnography museum), the most perfect symmetrical house example special to Plovdiv, Balabanov House (with its original house arrangement, currently hosting all kinds of cultural activities), and Georgi Mavridi's House. Among the places worth seeing are Ay Konstantin, Elena, and Ay Nedelya churches, some of Plovdiv's oldest churches, the Ancient Amphitheater dating back to the Roman era, and the Djumaya Mosque, which attracts great interest with its Turkish architecture. Free time for shopping and exploring the city at your leisure. After free time, we depart for Turkey. In the evening, after passport and customs procedures at the Kapıkule border crossing reached and a free shop shopping break, we enter Turkey. Proceeding via the Çorlu road, we arrive at the starting points in Istanbul, concluding the program.
 
What's included
* Transport with luxury Viya Travel buses
* Local professional Turkish-speaking guide services
* 2-night accommodation in 4-star hotels (Grand Astoria 4* etc.) with room and breakfast
* Panoramic city tours as specified in the program.
* Customs duties
* Complimentary water inside the vehicle
* All highway, parking, and check-point fees
Not included
* Museum and archaeological site entrance fees. 
* Extras charged at the hotel and all personal expenses 
* City Taxes (5 EUR per person)
* Breakfast on the first morning
* Lunch and dinner meals. 
* Foreign departure tax
* International travel health insurance
Need to Know
- All participating guests must possess a valid Bulgarian visa or Schengen visa for the entire duration of the tour. (Green passport holders are exempt from visa requirements.)
- For our New Year tours, guests who wish to add the Gala Dinner must pay the Gala Dinner fee at the time of tour registration.
- To enable shopping and spending in all countries included in the tour program, it is sufficient to carry Euros. In regions where local currency is used, the guide will assist with currency exchange.
- Comfortable walking shoes or sneakers should be worn during the trip. It is advisable to bring a sweater or similar clothing for the evenings.
- When entering Turkey from abroad, there is a mandatory minimum stay of 3 days to allow for bringing goods (alcohol, tobacco, etc.).
- Duty-free shopping limits when entering Turkey from abroad: Cigarettes: 3 cartons; Alcoholic Beverages: 1 liter of spirits (excluding spirits with more than 22% alcohol, wine, and champagne); Alcoholic Beverages: 2 liters of spirits (including spirits with less than 22% alcohol, wine, and champagne); Perfume: 600 ml; Makeup or Skin Care Products: 5 items; Chocolate and Confectionery: 2 kg; Coffee: 1 kg; Tea: 1 kg
- During the tour, guides may make changes to the itinerary due to weather and road conditions, while ensuring that all locations specified in the program are visited.
- Guests who register for the tour have the right to cancel free of charge up to 30 days before the departure date. If cancellation occurs less than 30 days before the tour date, a 30% penalty applies; if less than 20 days remain, a 100% penalty applies. Documents such as hospital reports or work leave certificates obtained from Turkish authorities submitted along with a guest's cancellation request are unfortunately not accepted for cancellations of accommodation and services booked outside Turkey.
- Our tour programs are organized subject to a minimum participation of 25 people. If sufficient participation is not achieved, the final cancellation notification date is 20 days before the tour departure. Tours cancelled due to insufficient participation will be notified by Holitera Turizm.
- In cases where the tour program provides only category information without specifying names and/or offers options for the same destination, the hotel(s) will be communicated by Holitera Turizm 2 days prior to the tour departure.
- During periods such as fairs, congresses, concerts, events, sports tournaments, etc., hotels may be located further than the specified kilometers. In such cases, information will be provided by Holitera Turizm 15 days before the tour departure date.
- Triple rooms are subject to hotel availability. In these rooms, the third bed is smaller than standard beds. Triple rooms consist of 1 large bed plus 1 additional bed. Since additional beds are foldable or coach-style beds, participants booking triple rooms for a 3rd person and/or children are deemed to have accepted any potential crowding and the type of bed in the room. Child discounts apply only to one child traveling with two adults within the eligible age group.
- Breakfasts included in the tour package are served according to the local breakfast culture of the country visited, typically as a limited continental menu consisting of butter, jam, bread, tea, or coffee. These may be served in a separate hall allocated specifically for the group.
- Panoramic city tours included in the tour package are short tours (maximum 2-3 hours) designed to provide a general introduction to cities, conducted from the vehicle with guide commentary. They do not include entry to museums or historical sites. Holitera Turizm is not responsible for the inability to conduct these panoramic tours if they coincide with other scheduled tours, or if access is denied by local authorities on the day and time of the tour, or if roads are closed due to any event, or if weather conditions make the tour impossible. Some tours may be conducted via public transport or on foot where vehicle access is restricted, depending on available facilities.
- Waiting times at customs checkpoints crossed by road during travel may exceed standard limits. Holitera Turizm cannot be held liable for any negative consequences arising from such waiting times.
- Optional extra tours are organized by our local partner Holitera Turizm subject to a minimum participation of 20 people. If this number is not met, the excursions may not take place, or the prices, content, and vehicles used for extra tours may vary based on the number of participants. Additionally, the days and times of the tours may be changed by the guide depending on the opening/closing status of museums and historical sites at the destinations, as well as weather conditions.
- Extra tours are optional and not mandatory. Passengers who choose not to participate in extra tours organized during the trip are deemed to have agreed to wait at a suitable rest facility along the route. These passengers will be dropped off at the roadside rest facility before the extra tour begins and picked up from the same location after the main tour is completed.
- Check-in and boarding procedures for flights are personal responsibilities. Guests must complete these procedures either at airline counters in the airport before the flight or online via the airline company's website.
- Holitera Turizm is not responsible for any failure to board the flight if guests do not arrive at the designated airport at the time specified by Holitera Turizm, fail to complete check-in and boarding procedures on time, or complete these procedures but fail to board the aircraft. All costs associated with new round-trip flight tickets and transfers in the destination area required for passengers who miss their flight to join the tour are borne by the passengers themselves.
- Holitera Turizm acts as an intermediary between the passenger and the airline and is subject to the Hague Protocol of 28.09.1955. There may be risks of delays in scheduled and special flights, or flight times may change prior to the current tour and flight. Holitera Turizm is obligated to notify passengers of any such changes as soon as possible. By purchasing the tour, the passenger accepts the risk of schedule changes. Children aged 0-2 years are exempt from airport taxes and airport service fees.
- The types of vehicles used in our tours are classified according to the number of passengers as follows. The specific vehicle type for each tour is determined based on the number of participants:
Buses: (Used for groups of 25 - 46 people) *Mercedes Travego/Tourismo *NEOPLAN Cityliner/Tourliner *Temsa Safir/Maraton *Man Fortuna
Midibuses: (Used for groups of 17 - 24 people) *Isuzu Turkuaz, *Otokar Mega
Minibuses: (Used for groups up to 16 people) *Vw Volt, *Mercedes Sprinter
- All guests are deemed to have accepted the above terms upon completing the purchase of the tour.