Day-by-day itinerary
Departure at 08:00 from Serdika Bus Station in Sofia. Travel along the Hemus Motorway towards the village of Oreshak, with a short break along the way.
Visit to the National Exhibition of Arts and Crafts – Oreshak. This is the only exhibition in the country whose halls showcase unique works of traditional craftsmanship created by distinguished artisans from all ethnographic regions of Bulgaria. The complex is set in a beautiful park covering 50,000 sq. m (5 hectares) and comprises nine exhibition halls with a total display area of 4,200 sq. m.
Visit to Troyan Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God – the third-largest monastery in Bulgaria and one of the country’s most significant spiritual and cultural centres. Situated at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, it impresses visitors with its Bulgarian National Revival architecture, rich history and the miracle-working icon “The Three-Handed Mother of God”. The monastery preserves valuable relics, frescoes and manuscripts and holds an important place in Bulgaria’s spiritual and educational heritage.
Departure for the village of Cherni Osam and a visit to the Natural History Museum – one of Bulgaria’s most significant natural history museums. Established from a school collection dedicated to the rich flora and fauna of the Balkan Mountains around Troyan, the museum showcases the diversity of local nature. Its extensive displays of taxidermy specimens and herbarium collections, together with its interactive galleries, contribute to the study and conservation of the region’s natural heritage.
Visit to Troyan. If you wish, you can explore the Museum of Traditional Crafts and Applied Arts, a museum unique in Bulgaria. Its exhibitions feature ceramics, woodcarving, icon painting, artistic metalwork, traditional clothing and textiles.
Departure for Sofia in the late afternoon. Arrival after 19:00.
Additional information: the feast day of Troyan Monastery
The monastery celebrates its feast day on 15 August, when the Orthodox Church commemorates the Dormition of the Mother of God. The festive services on this day are traditionally led by the Bulgarian Patriarch.
Following the festive liturgy, the miracle-working icon “The Three-Handed Mother of God”, which is kept in the monastery, is carried in a religious procession and placed in a small chapel nearby. There, anyone who wishes may pass before the icon and offer a prayer.
The feast, together with the Crafts Fair in the village of Oreshak held at the same time, attracts tens of thousands of worshippers.