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Valley of the Thracian Kings: Exploration Journey Into the Mysterious Ancient Heritage
4.8
22 Ratings
Kazanlak
Embark on an exploration journey into the mysterious ancient heritage of the Thracian Kings. Discover the myths, legends, and archaeological wonders of this ancient civilization.
Embark on an exploration journey into the mysterious ancient heritage of the Thracian Kings. Discover the myths, legends, and archaeological wonders of this ancient civilization.
Duration:
10 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak - The region of the Valley of the Thracian Kings, also known as the Valley of the roses (center for the production of rose oil) was preferred burial ground for the Thracian nobility. This practice bequeathed us about 1,300 tumuli, from which approximately 300 are excavated. The most famous one is the Thracian tomb of…
- Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak - The region of the Valley of the Thracian Kings, also known as the Valley of the roses (center for the production of rose oil) was preferred burial ground for the Thracian nobility. This practice bequeathed us about 1,300 tumuli, from which approximately 300 are excavated. The most famous one is the Thracian tomb of Kazanlak, recognized as a masterpiece of the Thracian artwork. The tomb dates from the end of the 4th century BC and due to its well preserved and original frescoes it has been listed as UNESCO world heritage site. In our itinerary, we are planning to visit 4 more Thracian toms which are very different from each other and will fulfill the picture of this amazing ancient civilization. Grifoni tomb dates from 5th century BC. It consists of three chambers and one corridor. Many valuable artifacts
- works of art were found at the site. It’s one of the richest Thracian burials found till now. The last stop will be the Ostrusha tomb, which dates from the 4th century. It’s mainly famous for its unique ceiling- a combination of relief and fine decoration - different portraits, colorful figures, and floral ornaments.
- Iskra Historical Museum - When we finish with the toms, our final visit will be the Regional archaeological museum where we will see the artifacts from the tombs and some masterpieces of the Thracian art and material culture. After this visit, we will have 2 and a half hours of a beautiful drive back to Sofia.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional guide
- Entrance fees
- Transport by private vehicle
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional guide
- Entrance fees
- Transport by private vehicle
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Food and drinks
Additional Information
On this full-day excursion, you’ll delve into the enigma of the Thracians, renowned for legendary figures like Orpheus (an ancient philosopher and music maestro) and Spartacus (a gladiator and Roman slave who led a historic rebellion). Notably, the Thracians are also credited with the world’s oldest recorded gold treasure. Our tour includes visits to…
On this full-day excursion, you’ll delve into the enigma of the Thracians, renowned for legendary figures like Orpheus (an ancient philosopher and music maestro) and Spartacus (a gladiator and Roman slave who led a historic rebellion). Notably, the Thracians are also credited with the world’s oldest recorded gold treasure. Our tour includes visits to five significant examples of Thracian sepulchral art, including a UNESCO World Heritage site, as well as a trip to the Kazanlak History Museum. As we spend our day uncovering the legacy of the Thracians, we’ll also get to appreciate the scenic landscapes they held in high regard.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- We understand your concerns in relation to COVID 19, therefore we’ve taken the needed measures for you to feel safe. All our guides and drivers go through regular medical checks, wear masks during the tours and in each vehicle, we have a disinfectant spray. Furthermore due to the situation nowadays we organize tours only for small groups (up to 7 persons) and we have the option for private tours.
Location
Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak
General Radetski St., Parc Tubelto
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(22 Ratings)
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Kymbra_w
Oct 28, 2024
Highly Informative and Engaging Tour - The amazing historical information provided by our tour guide! He was amazingly informed and educated! My travel companions were also highly engaging! It was a “perfect storm” of people and we all learned a great deal about beautiful Bulgaria and each other.We enjoyed a wonderful day of discourse and sights
Review provided by Viator
O6422tcandrews
Oct 23, 2024
Masterclass in Thracian history and access to sites you’re unlikely to visit otherwise. Well worth the effort. - This one is for the history & archeology fans…
The things you want to know: Pick up was on time at our location, travel was in a comfortable vehicle and stops for stretching legs, toilets and refreshments were planned in so absolutely no need to worry about any of that. It is a long day but it is worth it…
Our Guide: Hugely knowledgeable and clearly passionate about his subject. Time passed quicker on route simply because of all the information he was able to impart. Spoke very good English so easy to understand and equally happy to take plenty of questions. Good luck asking him something about Bulgarian history he can’t answer!
The Trip: The first stop is just a teaser and then on to the museum. Having the guide is essential, the artefacts in the museum are brought to life through the knowledge of the guide. Stopped for a quick bite and then on to the other tombs. These tombs were all unique but all fascinating and amazing giving an incredible insight into Thracian culture.
Should I go? Well, if history is your thing, when else are you ever going to see and enter burial tombs from the 4th century BC? Or spend time with an expert in the history of Bulgaria or Thrace in particular?
Book it now.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Julio_n
Sep 1, 2024
The best way to learn about the Thracians - It was a fantastic experience: the guide is an expert archeologist, knowing everything about the thracians and about other periods of Bulgarian History.
Review provided by Viator
Richard_k
Jun 27, 2024
Mikla is a great guide - Mikla (? Spelling) was excellent, very knowledgeable and great for talking with, which was great as the drive is almost 3 hours each way and this helped time pass quickly. Was great to see the tombs. During part of the drive you will see fields full of sunflowers that stretch all the way to the horizon.
Review provided by Viator
Meander53485804260
May 17, 2024
A fascinating contextualization of the history of Thrace and its position in the history of Bulgaria. - This was a full day, small group, tour into the valley of the roses, which is also known as the valley of the Thracian Kings. If you are interested in the history of Bulgaria, early or modern, then this tour is for you. This amazingly fertile valley with its fields of roses and lavender is also the home to tumulus burial mounds of the Thracian Kings. A longish trip from Sofia provides the time to set the context for what we were about to see.
Meto, our guide, was passionate about his subject and was a font of information on the history of the area and of Bulgaria in general. Our conversation covered history, archeology, geography, and economics. Once Meto realized that we were really interested in Thrace and its part in Bulgarian history, he was prepared to give up the lunch break and free time to fit in a visit to two extra tombs.
We had seen some of the artifacts relating to the Kings of Thrace in the National Archaological Museum in Sofia, and thus it was a privilege to see the actual tombs and gain an insight into the scale and drama of their creation and the process of their discovery. Even a wet and blustery day didn't dampen our pleasure.
This is a long day. The journey from and back to Sophia is three and a half hours each way, but we felt it was well worth it. It is a fascinating, worthwhile tour for those people who are truly interested in contextual history.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Murphdean
Apr 21, 2024
Wonderful day trip! - Our tour guide, Metodly, was wonderful -- engaging, knowledgeable, and fun. We learned about ancient Thrace and about modern Bulgaria. In addition to touring the tombs and other sites, he took us to an archaeological museum and led us to the most interesting historic (and prehistoric) artifacts. It's great to visit a museum with someone who already knows the collection and can direct your attention to key items. He has a love for history and ancient culture, so the tour was never dull.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Calvin_p
Apr 10, 2024
Awesome archeology tour - Our guide is actively pursuing archeology so we received so much insight on all of the Thracian history. It was a great experience learning about how the tombs were maintained over time and excavated. From our stops at the Thracian tombs we could also see Shipka and Buzludzha in the distance.
Review provided by Viator
Laura_m
Sep 26, 2023
Hey Rich Experience in ancient and modern Bulgaria - If you’re into history and archaeology, then this is a great tour for you. We saw four tombs, one of which was a reconstruction, an excellent one. The tombs are in the countryside, so you get to see a lot of rural Bulgaria - towns and small villages, industry, mountains, plains and agriculture. Our guide, Lyubo, spoke great English, and was lively and entertaining. He has a masters in history and was therefore very knowledgeable and able to give in-depth explanations of the history of the tombs and Bulgaria in general. It was all interesting. I learned a lot on this tour!
Review provided by Viator
506rics
Jul 1, 2023
Unexpectedly delightful - The fact that these tombs are under-recognized is a shame. There isn’t a huge museum or complex here, but the display and artistic accomplishments are well worth the time to go through it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jessika_r
Sep 9, 2024
Ask about guide prior to booking!! - I was really looking forward to this tour but unfortunately it is by far the worst tour I have ever done. The driver/tour guide obviously didn’t want to be there. He kept mentioning that it was Sunday and a holiday and that he had to drive there and back but “this is what you wanted.”
He asked us to not interrupt him during the 3 hour drive because he needed to concentrate on driving and while I am glad he took our safety so seriously, it was an incredibly long drive (6 hours in total) with zero commentary…not even music! To be fair, on the way back he pointed out the Centre of Bulgaria and a statue in some random town but that was seriously it.
The description of the tour said we would hear about Spartacus and Orpheus and learn about Thracian secrets but there was nothing of that. He didn’t understand most of our questions and often answered “I don’t know” or said something that didn’t make sense. We tried to re-phrase the questions but even if he did end up understanding the question he gave vague answers and seemed completely uninterested in the topic. Eventually we gave up and we endured awkward pauses.
Without exaggeration, he only spoke about the Thracians for about 10 minutes all together, and even that is a generous estimate because he repeated a lot of the information.
I realise that there is still a lot that is unknown about the Thracians but I literally learned more about the Thracians from a YouTube video I saw prior to the tour.
Because of the nature of the tour (many artifacts have been taken to the Archaeological Museum in Sofia and the tombs are very small) the guide is crucial to the experience.
Although our guide said he was a professional with 40 years experience, I cannot recommend him.
On a more positive note, my experience with Bultrips was actually good. Adrian responded to my questions and gave good instructions about the pick-up point. The one star goes to you, Adrian.
Please, Bultrips, in the future, if you can’t find a suitable guide/driver please just cancel the trip. I would have preferred not to have gone at all to this “tour.”
Review provided by Viator
