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  • Jagiellonian March <br />Cycling Tour
    Jagiellonian March
    Cycling Tour

Crusade of Varna - Jagiellonian March
7 days

Guided Biking And Kayaking Tour Following The Crusader Route To Varna

Review

Crusade of Varna - BIKE AND KAYAK TOUR.
Moderate terrain, varying road surfaces for cycling and diverse kayaking places - the Black Sea, Kamchia River and the Lake of Conevo. We cycle by the ruins of the medieval fortresses along the Provadia River Canyon and find out the preserved Muslim and Christian heritage of the region. Once we reach Balkan foothills we’ll change the bicycles with kayaks to pass the beautiful Conevo Lake which occupies Luda Kamchia Gorge. Then we gently paddle amidst mountain scenery, floodplain forests and the lonely beaches of Bulgaria. We’ll see majestic landmarks en route such as Madara Rider – UNESCO site, The Wonderful Rocks, the gorgeous Tombul Mosque, Ovech Fortress, Kamchia UNESCO reserve, quaint villages, unspoiled seaside nature and the fascinating city of Varna.
This exciting tour follows the medieval route of the last European crusaders to Varna in XV century and commemorates the Battle of Varna, which took place on 10 November 1444. The aftermath was that the defeated European Christian army failed to prevent turning the Byzantine Constantinople into the splendid Ottoman Istanbul, which happened 8 years later.

Jagiellonian March - CYCLING-ONLY TOUR.
The bike tour Jagiellonian March follows the same route with two dates out of the kayaking season.


Map

Crusade of Varna - Jagiellonian March Cycling Tour MAP
Cycling Tour: CRUSADE OF VARNA -
JAGIELLONIAN MARCH
TYPE: Guided
LENGTH: 312 km (194 miles)
DURATION: 7 days
NIGHTS: 6 nights + 1 bonus
LOWEST POINT: 2 m (7 feet)
HIGHEST POINT: 394 m (1293 feet)
DIFFICULTY: EASY or ADVENTUROUS

Highlights

 


Itinerary


Day 1 Arrival in Kalimantsi (close to Maglizh stronghold)

Arrival and transfer to the hotel. We have tour details and safety instructions meeting. Take a short walking or cycling round trip.

Day 2 Cycling from Kalimantsi to Provadia (from Maglizh stronghold to Ovech Fortress)

The cycling day begins with a great downdrop to the lovely nature area Barite. Pedaling among the lonely hills we stop at the industrial town of Devnya, where are exposed the well-preserved ruins and mosaics from the Roman provincial capital city of Marcianopolis. We leave Devnya and take the road across the rustic landscape of Provadia Plateau. After we passed by the scenic village of Dobrina and saw the medieval Dubrovnik church we cycle on the steep downhill to Provadia. On the top of the cliffs, embracing the town, are perched the remains of the big medieval Ovech Fortress.

Day 3 Cycling from Provadia to Madara (from Ovech Fortress to Madara stronghold)

We pedal on the trail through the imposing Canyon of Provadia River. The canyon fascinates with stunning rocks, volcano-like hills and wrecks of medieval buildings. In the afternoon we cycle the ascent to the renowned UNESCO site – the Madara Rider. This is a majestic relief of a horseman, a lion and a dog from the end of 7th century A.D., which is carved in an almost vertical 100-metre-high cliff. It is the most valuable monument of the Bulgarian stone masonry art. Finally we pass by the pretty village of Kuylevcha and reach our lodging place in the village of Madara.

Day 4 Cycling from Madara to Cherni Vrah (from Madara stronghold to the Kamchia Gorge)

From Madara we pedal the mild hilly terrain to the city of Shumen. We stop to see en route the only Catholic monastery in Eastern Bulgaria and Dobrogea located in the village of Carev Brod. Shumen was important medieval Bulgarian and Ottoman fort captured by the crusade army in 1444. The greatest landmark of the city is the Tombul Mosque – the biggest in the EU, a masterpiece of the Ottoman Baroque style. After lunch we head toward the Balkan foothills along the Kamchia River. At the entrance of a small gorge we pedal the uphill to the picturesque village of Cherni Vrah.

Day 5 Cycling from Cherni Vrah to Debelec (kayaking and cycling through the Kamchia Gorge)

After having a breakfast with the best Shkembe Corba soup in the whole Eastern Bulgaria we follow the route to the banks of the splendid Conevo Lake. First we visit the amazing Wonderful Rocks landmark and then sit in the kayaks and paddle by the beautiful scenery along the lake, where on the top of one of the hills are the ruins of the strong Ovchaga Fortress. Enjoy the spectacular mountain sights and endless woods while we pass through the Luda Kamchia Gorge. In the late afternoon we arrive on the bank of Debelec village. We’ll stay for the night in good quality hotel just by the lake.

Day 6 Cycling from Debelec to Kamchia (kayaking and cycling along the Longoza Forest)

In the morning we ride out of the mountain gorge, which was the main Ottoman pass between Thrace and Lower Danube Plain. Cycling across the open valley of Kamchia we reach the famous Longoza forest. From now on we’ll be kayaking along the riverine forest through the UNESCO biosphere reserve to the fabulous mouth of Kamchia into the Black Sea. We overnight in Kamchia resort, which is the most eco-friendly seaside tourist settlement in Bulgaria.

Day 7 Cycling from Kamchia to Varna (kayaking and cycling by the sea coast)

Today will be our sea kayaking tour, which most of all depends on the weather conditions. We paddle by the unspoiled wild coast of Avren Plateau to the beaches, south of Cape of Galata. We take a rest on the beach of Liman protected area. Again on the kayaks we reach Fichoza coast. After tasty seafood lunch we ride the bicycles on the scenic seaside road, which goes down to Varna. The city of Varna offers remarkable sites and attractions. It’s worth mention the world oldest golden treasure from Varna necropolis, the Roman baths, the old beautiful churches, the Secession and Mediterranean architecture, the ancient Thracian mound tomb where is placed the cenotaph of king Vladislav III Jagiello, the leader of the last crusade, who died in the Battle of Varna on 10 November 1444.

Thematic Version

 

ThV: On some of the volcano-like hills once there were strong fortresses keeping the roads from the medieval capitals of Bulgaria Pliska, Preslav and Turnovo to the port of Varna. The crusaders defeated the Ottomans and take the major of them Stan and Venchan situated on the entrance and on the exit of the gorge.

 

ThV: The crusaders stayed in this plain for a couple of days, captured the small stronghold of Madara and seized the fortified town of Shumen to secure their back.

 

ThV: The fall of the strategic and unapproachable fortress of Ovech, a key crossroad connecting Thracia with the Danube and Wallahia made a great impact to sultan Murad , who immediately began to prepare his forces.

 

ThV: The recent dam Conevo was a part of Kamchia pass, the main route from Ottoman capital Edirne to Danubian plain. Many garrisons guarded the gorge some of which could be seen on the hills along the lake. Sultan Murad succeeded to join Anatolian and Rumelian armies with the help of the Genovese fleet and relocated them north of the Balkan using exactly this way.

 

ThV: Vladislav captured Petricha stronghold in the hinterland of Varna and opened his way to the sea. The crusaders had to wait for the venetian fleet to bring them southwards to attack Edirne, the capital of the Turks. The surprise was that the venetians never intended to do this favor.

 

ThV: The Christian army occupied the port of Varna and the coastline of the bay while Murad cut their way back and came from the west. The crusaders lost the battle because of king Vladislav’s lack of experience but didn’t lose their honor and braveness due to the efforts of the great general John Hunyadi the father of the notorious Hungarian king Mathtias Corvinus. The fate of Constantinople, Eastern Roman Empire and the Balkans was signed here and the rest was just aftermath which Ottomans coped brilliant.


What’s Included

 

  • Transfer from/to Varna airport to your accommodation at the day before and the day after the tour. Transfers in two directions from/to Burgas airport will cost 35 € per person and from/to Bucharest airport 85 € per person (min 3 persons). One way transfers will cost respectively 20 € and 45 € per person
  • 24-gear lightweight trekking Bike without helmet (Helmets at your disposal by renting - 20 Euro per tour)
  • English/Russian speaking ride leader with local knowledge
  • Map
  • Kayak and Life jacket - supplement +40 Euro for Crusade of Varna - BIKE AND KAYAK TOUR
  • Accommodation during the tours at family run hotels and guest houses, spa and other hotels at the quality of 3 stars including breakfasts
  • Entrance fees
  • Three (3) Picnic lunches and One (1) Wine tasting program at local winery
  • Refreshing drinks (non alcoholic) during the cycling time
  • Support vehicle and luggage transfer
  • Permanent technical bike support
  • Medical insurance for Bulgaria
  • Bonus for direct booking on our site after-the-tour accommodation in the itineraries and cost-free transfers to/from Burgas Airport

Price and Dates

 

TOUR DATES: Crusade of Varna - Bike And Kayak --- ask ---

TOUR DATES: Crusade of Varna - Jagiellonian March (Bike And Hike)06 Aug 2025

 

PRICE: 720 €