The Old Bulgarian Capitals and Madara rider - Day tour

The Old Bulgarian Capitals and Madara rider - Day tour

In its more than a thousand years of existence, Bulgaria has had few different capitals which were important spiritual, cultural and economic centers during the centuries. The Old Bulgarian capitals are a part of our national pride and heritage - on this day we’ll embark on an exploration journey of the first two of them!

Pliska - the first Bulgarian capital and Preslav - the second are the face of the Bulgarian nation since its establishment until nowadays. Those cities have witnessed rise and fall during the different ages.

On our trip, we’ll get to feel the spirit of the past while taking a walk in the Madara reserve, where was created the Madara rider - UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll also see the biggest monument on the Balkan peninsula - “Founders of the Bulgarian nation”.

Come and feel the spirit of the past!

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: Archeological Museum Burgas, Aleko Bogoridi Boulevard 21, Burgas 8000 Bulgaria

The tour starts at 08:00 am when we will take you from your hotel.

We depart for Pliska which is just a 2.5 hours drive from Sunny Beach.

Pliska is Bulgaria’s first capital city established in the year 681 from Khan Asparuh. It was one of the biggest and richest European cities – famous for its architecture. Nowadays we can visit the Eastern Gate which was the city’s main entrance. 1.5km away is the big Basilica. There are trails of big cut stones everywhere – signs of baths, water channels and water repositories which were existing in the city so many years ago!

After Pliska we’ll visit the Madara area where we’ll observe the Madara rider (UNESCO World Heritage Site) – it is considered the oldest rock bas-relief in Europe and is representing the triumphing ruler – a symbol of the power and might of the First Bulgarian state.

On our way to Veliki Preslav, we’ll pass by Shumen city where we’ll have lunch and see the “Founders of the Bulgarian state” monument. This place offers some great panoramic views and therefore taking some pics is a must!

Enriched from the statuesque views we leave for Veliki Preslav where we’ll visit the historical and architectural reserve which preserves parts of the medieval Bulgarian city – the Tzar’s residency, Golden Basilica, Southern Gate, Patriarchy and others.

In the late afternoon, we depart for Sunny Beach. Expected time of arrival in Sunny Beach around 7:00 pm.