Uncover three culturally rich countries in the heart of Eastern Europe.
Eclectic architecture, fascinating history, breathtaking landscapes—Bulgaria, Serbia, and Romania have it all. Set off on an immersive journey to discover these unique destinations, where Old World appeal meshes with the excitement of present-day. Admire Ottoman mosques in Sofia before soaking in Belgrade's storied past. Continue on to the wine region of Novi Sad, the museums of Sibiu, and "Dracula's Castle" in Transylvania. Round out your journey in Bucharest, a dynamic capital that still sings an ode to past empires.
Your tour package includes
10 nights in handpicked hotels
10 breakfasts
5 dinners with beer or wine
8 sightseeing tours
Expert Tour Director & local guides
Private deluxe motor coach
Included highlights
St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Niš Skull Tower
Belgrade Fortress
Fruška Gora National Park
Živanović Wine Cellar
Transylvania
Bran Castle
The People’s Palace
Itinerary
Overnight Flight1 night
Day 1: Travel day
Board your overnight flight to Sofia today.
Sofia2 nights
Day 2: Arrival in Sofia
Included meal: Welcome dinner
Welcome to Bulgaria! Meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner.
We handpick every hotel to strike the balance of comfort, location, and local charm. Specific accommodations will vary based on your departure date, but these are frequently used hotels for this tour and we're confident you'll be satisfied.
This elegant hotel is located in the heart of Sofia. Guests enjoy an on-site restaurant, rotating art galleries, and spacious rooms. Nearby, you’ll find the National Palace of Culture, Vitosha Boulevard, and Boyana church.
Belgrade - Mercure Belgrade Excelsior
This charming hotel is located in Belgrade. Guests enjoy elegant rooms with city views, a cozy on-site restaurant, and a stylish lobby bar. Nearby, you'll find Republic Square, the historic Kalemegdan Fortress, and the vibrant...
Timisoara - Hotel Timisoara
This elegant hotel is located in Timisoara. Guests enjoy beautifully decorated rooms, a luxurious spa, and a refreshing indoor pool. Nearby, you'll find the historic Piata Unirii, the fascinating Timisoara Orthodox Cathedral...
Sibiu - Golden Tulip Ana Tower Sibiu
This comfortable hotel is located near the city center. Guests enjoy a restaurant, sauna, and fitness center. Nearby, you’ll find the Brukenthal National Museum, ASTRA National Museum Complex, and Gothic Lutheran Cathedral.
Brasov - Aro Palace Hotel
This contemporary hotel is located in Brasov. Guests enjoy the indoor pool, fitness center, and on-site restaurant. Nearby, you'll find the Ethnographic Museum of Brasov, Muzeul de Arta, Nicolae Titulescu.
Bucharest - Novotel Bucharest City Centre
This modern hotel is located in Bucharest’s city center. Guests enjoy the farm-to-table meals at the on-site restaurant, fitness center, and spa. Nearby, you’ll find the Old Town, National Art Museum, and Cismigiu Gardens.
Round-trip flights are one more thing we handle to make your journey as smooth as possible. Our team of travel experts will find the best flight itinerary for you at a competitive rate, thanks to our partnerships with top airlines.
Add our airfare and you’ll get:
Round-trip flight for your tour
Airport transfers at your destination
A great price locked in today
24/7 support from our dedicated service team
Options for arriving early, staying longer, or requesting an upgrade
Flexible rebooking options if your tour itinerary changes
This tour visits Bulgaria, Serbia, and Romania. In order to enter these countries, U.S. and Canadian citizens need a valid passport with an expiration date extending at least six months beyond the date of reentry.
We recommend having at least two blank passport pages for entry stamps.
Beginning in 2026, U.S. and Canadian passport holders must register for an ETIAS travel authorization in order to enter many European countries.
Passport holders from over 60 visa-exempt countries (including the U.S. and Canada) will need to apply for an ETIAS travel authorization in order to visit 30 European countries. That means that even if you’ve previously traveled to any of these European countries without a visa, starting in 2026, you’ll need to get ETIAS authorization to visit them again. If you’re traveling to multiple countries with this requirement, you only need to complete the form once. All Go Ahead travelers are responsible for obtaining their own ETIAS travel authorization before departure. For more details, please visit our Help Center.
If you are not a U.S. or Canadian citizen, you must contact each country’s consulate for your specific entry requirements.
You can see the most up-to-date entry requirements for the destination(s) you’ll visit on tour by going to goaheadtours.com/entry-requirements and searching the code BSR.
Round-trip flights booked through Go Ahead Tours arrive in Sofia and depart from Bucharest. A representative from Go Ahead Tours will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. Please remain in the arrival lounge, as the representative might be escorting one of your fellow travelers to the bus at the time of your arrival.
Transfers to and from the airport at the beginning and end of the tour are included for travelers who purchased their flights through Go Ahead Tours. Travelers who booked their own flights are responsible for securing their own airport transfers.
All other included transportation on this tour is by private motor coach.
You will walk for at least 2.5 hours daily across uneven terrain, including paved roads and cobblestone streets, with many hills and stairs.
Travelers should be healthy enough to participate in all included walks without assistance. Adding optional excursions may increase the total amount of walking on your tour.
You should feel comfortable managing your own baggage at times.
Go Ahead Tours and the Tour Director who accompanies your group are unable to provide special, individual mobility assistance to travelers on tour. The responsibility of the Tour Director is to ensure the group as a whole enjoys a relaxing and informative journey, and he or she cannot be relied upon to provide ongoing, individualized assistance to any one traveler.
If you have mobility concerns or physical restrictions, please contact our Customer Experience Team.
Please note that our travelers are limited to one checked bag and one carry-on bag per person due to storage limitations on motor coaches and other transfers, which may include train connections or flights.
Contact your airline(s) for baggage size and weight restrictions for your flights, which may include on-tour flights in addition to your round-trip flights to and from tour. Please note that your included on-tour flights may have more restrictive baggage limits.
Some airlines may impose additional charges if you choose to check any baggage or exceed baggage size and weight restrictions. Be advised that you are responsible for any baggage fees incurred on all flights.
Make sure you label your baggage and keep valuables, medication, and documents in your carry-on bag.
We recommend packing lightweight, loose-fitting clothing that can be easily layered to accommodate varying temperatures, as well as a light jacket or rainwear.
A sturdy pair of walking shoes or sneakers is recommended for sightseeing.
You may want to pack dressier attire if you plan to visit a high-end restaurant or attend a special performance.
It is preferable not to visit churches or other religious sites with bare legs and shoulders (and entrance may be denied on this basis).
At least 60 days prior to departure, check with your doctor or healthcare provider for the latest updates and entry requirements, or visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov.
If you have medication that you take daily, be sure you have enough for each day of the tour as well as any possible delays encountered.
If you have dietary restrictions and/or food allergies please notify Go Ahead Tours at least 30 days prior to departure by logging in to your account and updating your traveler info. To update this information closer to your departure date, please call our Customer Experience Team.
You can see the most up-to-date entry requirements for the destination(s) you’ll visit on tour by going to goaheadtours.com/entry-requirements and searching the code BSR.
In Bulgaria, fresh vegetables are often readily available due to the area’s warm climate, and salads will be an integral part of most meals. Other mainstays are chorba, a bean soup, and tarator, a cold cucumber soup. Pork is the country’s meat of choice, and you’ll find it in countless combinations of soups, stews, and mains. When raising a glass with your fellow travelers, be sure to try some of the local spirits, such as rakia or menta.
Serbian food typically incorporates influences from central Europe as well as flavors borrowed from the East. Meals usually center around meats like pork, lamb, and goat. Serbians also love pastry, often in the form of varieties of pie.
Romanian food takes much of its influence from the Balkans, Hungary, and Turkey. Throughout the country, sour soups called ciorbă are available in endless varieties and are the perfect way to start any meal. Along the Black Sea coast, fresh fish is prevalent, but the area’s true culinary delight is salata de vinete, a salad made from grilled eggplant, onions, and sunflower oil.
All destinations on this tour operate on the European standard 220-240 volts and use Types C or F plugs with two small, round pins.
We recommend packing a universal adapter, as well as a voltage converter if you plan on using your own hairdryer or other device without a built-in converter.
The strength of the air conditioning in European hotels is often not as strong or as cool as what you might be used to in the U.S. or Canada. When air conditioning is available, it is usually regulated seasonally and controlled centrally by the hotel.
Your hotels may provide hairdryers, irons, and other small appliances. However, these amenities cannot be guaranteed.
Wi-Fi is available in most hotels, though some charges may apply.
There is no Wi-Fi on any of the motor coaches.
Please contact your mobile service provider for information on roaming charges.
Bulgaria and Romania are two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and seven hours ahead of Eastern Time (ET).
Serbia is one hour ahead of GMT and six hours ahead of ET.
When it’s noon in New York, it’s 7pm in Bulgaria and Romania and 6pm in Serbia.
You will use the Bulgarian lev in Bulgaria, the Serbian dinar in Serbia, and the Romanian leu in Romania.
Better rates of exchange are usually available overseas, although it’s worth ordering some currency from your local bank to use when you first arrive.
We strongly advise that you take debit/bank cards and credit cards, which can be used to withdraw cash at local banks as needed.
You can use most debit/credit cards at ATMs on the international networks Cirrus and Plus, but make sure to check with your home bank about withdrawal fees.
Inform your bank and credit card company of your travel plans so that they won’t confuse your international purchases for fraudulent charges.
International banks and businesses primarily accept debit and credit cards that work with the EMV chip system. If you do not already have at least one debit or credit card with a chip in it, we strongly recommend requesting one from your bank prior to your tour.
At the conclusion of your tour, it is customary to offer your Tour Director and driver a gratuity in local currency. Please keep current exchange rates in mind.
We recommend tipping the equivalent of $10USD to $12USD per person per day for your Tour Director and the equivalent of $4USD per person per day for your driver.
If applicable, we also recommend the equivalent of $2USD per local guide.
Tips can only be paid in cash.
If you are traveling to multiple countries with different currencies and the same Tour Director, ask them what currency they prefer for their tip.
The cost of porterage is included in your tour price, and it is not necessary to tip baggage handlers.
Most optional excursions will be available for purchase while you are on your tour.
Your Tour Director will only accept cash (in USD only), Visa, or MasterCard as payment for optional excursions.
Please be advised that if you pay for an excursion by credit card while on tour, it may take up to three months for your card to be charged.
Some optional excursions may only be purchased in advance. See page four of your tour itinerary for more information.
I was very happy with this tour, even though the unexpected cold weather created some discomfort (beyond EF's control of course).
The tour provided a significantly large coverage of the eastern Balkans to allow an understanding of the contemporary state of these crucial...
EF Go Ahead Tours
Thank you for taking the time to review your tour! We are thrilled to hear that, despite the unexpected cold weather, you were still able...
Romania, with a touch of Bulgaria and Serbia
5 out of 5 stars
25th-time traveler Kenneth, travelled in Apr 2025
First off, Pawel proved himself to be an all-star guide and a gem of a friend to every guest. For travelers that have visited a dozen or more countries in Europe, a new idea could be this excursion in the Balkans. The residents are very glad to show-case the beauty of this...
EF Go Ahead Tours
Thank you for taking the time to review your tour! We are so happy to hear that Pawel made such a positive impression and that your...
Bulgaria Serbia and Romania
5 out of 5 stars
1st-time traveler Tere, travelled in Sep 2024
This tour was excellent and a real discovery of the Balkan area The three countries offered an array of unique experiences that were very enjoyable and enriching The tour director Zoran is excellent and shared his knowledge of the history and culture of each country...
EF Go Ahead Tours
Thank you for your review! We hope to see you on another tour soon!
Met and Exceeded Expectations!
5 out of 5 stars
1st-time traveler Alex, travelled in Jun 2024
This tour was everything I ever hoped for and more. I loved every minute of it! I went on this trip to see Romania, but ended up falling in love with Serbia and Bulgaria as well. Our guide, Jelena, was knowledgeable about all three countries, and her love for the Balkans was...
5 out of 5 stars
1st-time traveler Anonymous, travelled in Jun 2024
Overall a great tour. Guides well versed and had good command of English. Food at hotels good.
Georg our bus driver awesome. Jelena our tour director was so caring and friendly.
Balkan Bests
5 out of 5 stars
27th-time traveler Davara, travelled in May 2024
Having just recently returned from this itinerary through three Balkan countries, we can say that we found the tour to be amazing, and this for multiple overriding reasons. -We greatly benefitted from the skills of our very experienced Tour Director, Fedi. He was personable...
EF Go Ahead Tours
Thank you for sharing such a detailed and enthusiastic review of your recent tour through the Balkans! We're thrilled to hear that you...
