Private Day-Trip to Medieval Bulgaria from Bucharest

Buyer beware. Our experience didn't match the description. We thought we were purchasing a private tour, instead what we ended up with was a private car and driver who unfortunately wasn't well informed on the locations we visited, and who didn't provide a tour, instead just drove. Although the tour description indicated that entrance fees were included, we learned after hiking alone to the mountain monastery that we were expected to pay cash. Our guide Gabi, said he would reimburse us ...but didn't. He did give us his credit card to pay for entrance to the fortress which we toured by ourselves. I read another review that mentioned their guide walking through the streets and touring with them. That was not what we experienced. Strong recommendation to touch base with the local tour company before purchasing. We've taken nearly a dozen tours like this. This one was the most expensive and least of them. Very disappointed with this tour. That said, Bulgaria was beautiful. It was a nice drive even if we learned very little about it.

We had a great time with Cornel as our guide. He picked us up at 8am and dropped us off around 8pm. He was knowledgeable, pleasant, and efficient. A very worthwhile day trip.

Our day trip from Romania to Bulgaria was an absolute pleasure. Christian O., went above and beyond to ensure we were comfortable with bathroom breaks and time for snacks. He spoke English which was a bonus for me and gave a detailed account of all the places we passed on the journey. Christian O. arrived on time , the vehicle was clean and he assisted us with our luggage. 5 Stars for Christian O On the return trip Christian O, drove on a different route so we could experience crossing the Danube by ferry at the border This experience was definitely the highlight of the trip

We had a fabulous driver Andreii but the towns we visited were not worth going to. We traveled from Bucharest to Arbanassi and basarabov monastery and another small town. Not much to see in the towns. A lot of driving (about 8 hours) with little to see. The trip cost us $398 for two people so quite expensive for the outcome. We could have put the time to better use. I wouldn't recommend this trip but I would recommend the driver. I'm sure there's better towns to see in Bulgaria.

This is was a fabulous experience as a day trip from Bucharest. My tour company was Eastern European Experience. I am very fortunate because Adrian was my private guide and driver. He was very punctual and a very safe driver. I learned a lot about the history of Bulgaria from Adrian. He went out of his way to show me the rock hewn monastery of Basarabovo because the steps to reach Ivanovo monasteries were more difficult for me. He showed me all the highlights in Veliko Turnovo and Arbanasi and the best spots for photo opportunities. Fortunately, the border crossing from Giurgiu to Ruse and return only took a few minutes. To summarize, I highly recommend to all visitors to Romania to go to Bulgaria for a day trip.

We highly recommend this day trip to Bulgaria. Niko our tour guide was excellent. He was well knowledged and made sure our trip was comfortable. He even went out of his way to do an unscheduled stop for us at Comana monastery, after he found out my wife’s obsession with Vlad the Impaler! Good tour, great guide!

We visited a rock hewn church of Ivanovo and then Veliko Tărnovo. Our guide lead us along the merchant street and gave us some history of the area.