From Sofia: Day Tour to Cherry Festival 2026 in Kyustendil

Join us for an off-the-beaten-path experience into the heart of the Cherry Holiday celebration: taste 100+ cherry varieties, browse artisan stalls, watch live cooking demos, and enjoy the folk music.
Most travelers visiting Bulgaria in late June have never heard of Kyustendil. That's exactly why this tour is worth doing.

Nestled in a fertile valley close to the Serbian border, Kyustendil has been known as the Orchard of Bulgaria for generations. Its cherries aren't just agricultural produce; they're woven into the city's identity, folklore, poetry, and pride. The Cherry Holiday celebrates all of that, and this day trip from Sofia is your ticket in.

The festival runs across three days each year, and the tour is timed to capture the best of it. From the moment you arrive, the city's main garden and central streets are alive with activity: a cherry market overflowing with fruit, a crafts alley where dozens of Bulgarian artisans display cherry-inspired work, such as jewellery, ceramics, icons, sculptures, and a park chill zone that invites you to slow down and simply enjoy the atmosphere.

The competitive cherry exhibition is the festival's centrepiece and one of its most charming features. Community centers, schools, kindergartens, and local growers lay out elaborate tables adorned with cherries in every form imaginable. The Institute of Agriculture in Kyustendil presents newly developed cherry varieties, while a guest chef judges the culinary entries: cakes, jams, syrups, cherry liqueurs, and more. Visitors are invited to try everything.

The "Cherries in the Kitchen" exhibition on Sunday, the 28th of June, adds a dedicated culinary dimension, with live cooking demonstrations by guest chefs showing just how creatively Bulgarian kitchens use this fruit. It's interactive, generous with tastings, and a wonderful window into local food culture.

Throughout the festival, folk choirs and dance ensembles perform, maintaining the connection between the cherry and Bulgarian musical tradition that stretches back well over a century. Your local guide will share the deeper stories: how Kyustendil hosted Bulgaria's first National Fruit Exhibition in 1896, how the cherry became a symbol of goodness and the herald of summer in Bulgarian folklore, and what the city means to the country's agricultural identity today.

Om de beschikbaarheid te garanderen, dient u zo snel mogelijk te reserveren. Vroegboekkorting is het overwegen waard, vooral als u de reis plant tijdens het hoogseizoen, zoals op feestdagen of in het weekend.

Deze excursie kunt u kosteloos annuleren tot: annuleringstijd voor aanvang van de reis. Bij annulering na: annulering na: annuleringstijd of niet aanwezig zijn op de excursie wordt de volledige prijs van de activiteit alsnog in rekening gebracht. Te laat komen bij het ophalen of vertrekken wordt beschouwd als niet komen opdagen.