Bulgaria in a week with a driver: a sample itinerary

Updated: October 29, 2026

A 7-day Bulgaria itinerary with a driver can cover Sofia, Rila Monastery, Plovdiv, the Rose Valley and Veliko Tarnovo with no more than about 3 hours of driving on any day. The longest legs are Plovdiv to Veliko Tarnovo via Kazanlak (about 4 hours with stops) and the return to Sofia (about 3 hours). Each day can be booked separately.

Bulgaria is compact. In a week you can see the capital, the country’s most famous monastery, a Roman city, Thracian tombs and the old medieval capital without rushing. The plan below uses three bases, Sofia, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo, so you only change hotels twice.

The week at a glance

Day	Route	Driving	Overnight
1	Sofia: city centre on foot; Boyana Church and Vitosha by car	about 1 h	Sofia
2	Sofia to Plovdiv via Rila Monastery	about 4 h 45 min	Plovdiv
3	Plovdiv Old Town on foot; afternoon Bachkovo Monastery	about 1 h 15 min	Plovdiv
4	Plovdiv to Veliko Tarnovo via Kazanlak and the Shipka Pass	about 4 h	Veliko Tarnovo
5	Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanasi	about 30 min	Veliko Tarnovo
6	Etar and Tryavna, or Krushuna Waterfalls	about 2 h	Veliko Tarnovo
7	Veliko Tarnovo to Sofia, optional stop in Troyan	about 3 to 3 h 30 min	Sofia or departure

Day by day

Day 1: Sofia

Walk the centre in the morning: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Rotunda of St George and the remains of ancient Serdika. In the afternoon drive out to Boyana Church and up Vitosha for the view. A few hours with a driver is enough.

Day 2: Rila Monastery on the way to Plovdiv

Leave Sofia with your luggage, spend the late morning at Rila Monastery, and arrive in Plovdiv in the early evening. Route and timings are in Sofia to Plovdiv via Rila Monastery.

Day 3: Plovdiv and Bachkovo

Plovdiv’s Old Town and the Roman theatre are best on foot. In the afternoon, Bachkovo Monastery is about 30 km south, around 35 minutes; it combines with Asen’s Fortress or with wineries; see Bachkovo Monastery and Asen’s Fortress.

Day 4: the Rose Valley and Shipka

Drive east to Kazanlak (about 1 h 45 min) for the Thracian tomb replica and the rose museum, then over the Shipka Pass, with a stop at the Shipka Memorial Church and the monument at the top, to Veliko Tarnovo. Read the Rose Valley day for detail.

Day 5: Veliko Tarnovo

Tsarevets Fortress, the old town, the craft street and Arbanasi, 5 km away. If the Sound and Light show is on during your stay, see getting to the Tsarevets show.

Day 6: a choice of day trips

Either the open-air museum at Etar and the old town of Tryavna, or Krushuna Waterfalls and Devetashka Cave. Both are about an hour from Veliko Tarnovo. See Etar and Tryavna and Krushuna Waterfalls.

Day 7: back to Sofia

Veliko Tarnovo to Sofia is about 220 km, around 3 hours. A stop at Troyan Monastery adds about 30 minutes of driving and turns the journey into a last sightseeing day.

You do not need a driver every day. Days 1, 3 and 5 are largely on foot. Book the travel days (2, 4 and 7) and the day trips you want, and walk the rest.

Adjusting the week

If you…	Change
Prefer the coast	Replace days 6 and 7 with Veliko Tarnovo to Varna and a day on the coast
Like wine	Add a tasting near Plovdiv on day 3 or at Melnik instead of Rila
Travel in winter	Keep the plan, but check mountain passes; Shipka can be closed in heavy snow
Have young children	Drop day 6 and keep the travel days short with more breaks

If you are still choosing between driving yourself and a driver, read rent a car or hire a driver. For guides at the main sites, see do you need a guide as well as a driver. To book a day, enter the start and end of that day in the form above with the date and number of passengers.