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Excursions
Rila Monastery (90 km from Sofia)
Individual trip, available with professional guide
  
Discover the biggest spiritual and cultural center in Bulgaria for hundreds of years.
A part of UNESCO's World Heritage. A touch of the Balkan medieval history - Rila Monastery gives you the impression of a fortress. However, a step through the archway produces a wonderful surprise. With its 1200 scenes of decorative paintings and a multitude of figural images, the open arcade is a genuine art gallery. At the center, the church itself, with richly colored frescoes in the shelter of its porch is the focus of attention. The intricate carvings of the gilt iconostasis, the church plates and murals will amaze and captivate you.
Åvery three hours the bells of the Rila Monastery mark the passage of time, taking us to that unknown, which we call eternity. When you measure time with the chime of bells, it assumes a slow, biblical aspect, and man, living at the rapid pace of our civilization, is eager to grasp the opportunity of spending a day of leisure, This day is exceedingly long from sunrise to sunset, full of cool mountain breezes, the rustle of deep forests and the scent of moss and crane's-bill. The Rila Monastery is a place for hermits and runaways. Man has always tried to escape from something, and the absurdity of this escape has led him to change his mode of life. If this had not been so, the Rila Monastery would not have come into being...
The monastery is surrounded by spectacular scenery. You may enjoy a tasty trout menu in the nearby restaurant.
Prices from 45 EUR for a group minimum 4 people (including car rental, fuel costs, driver, professional guide, entrance taxes)
Price varies according to size of the group: price for 2 people 55 EUR per person
Koprivshtitsa (110 km from Sofia)
Individual trip, available with professional guide
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Koprivshtitza is a museum town displaying the best-preserved authentic architecture of the National Revival Period (18-19 century). As you wander along the cobble stone streets, you will see some of the best museum houses as well as the Church Virgin Mary. Nestled amidst the picturesque slopes of the Sredna Gora Mountain, Koprivshtitza is a unique place - every house here is a work of art: blue, yellow, red houses with verandahs, bay windows and eaves, rooms decorated with wood carvings, lit up by brightly colored rugs and cushions, its cobblestone streets, winding between high white stone walls and gardens full of greenery.
Prices from 45 EUR, group 4 people (including car rental, fuel costs, driver, guide, entrance fees)
Price varies according to size of the group – 2 people: 60 EUR per person
Plovdiv & Bachkovo Monastery (150 – 170 km from Sofia)
Individual trip, available with professional guide
  
For a true glimpse of Bulgaria it is worth to tour the sights of tradition and natural beauty in Plovdiv - a town with a prominent ancent past, an open-air museum with fascinating architecture. There is so much to see and so in the Old Town of Plovdiv. Discover the delightful Bulgarian cuisine in a last century house-restaurant.
Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria, situated on the Maritsa River. Its unique location on these ancient crossroads has stimulated strong cultural and political influences from East and West civilizations, and yet maintained its unique cultural identity. Being older than most of the oldest towns like Rome, Athens, Carthage or Constantinople, an almost contemporary of Troy, Plovdiv is a town built upon layers of towns and a culture developed upon layers of cultures. Plovdiv is a picturesque town, with many parks and gardens, museums and archaeological monuments. Its old part, called the Old Town, with houses from the National Revival period (18-19th century), is an imposing open-air museum situated on the three hills of the ancient Trimontium. One of the most remarkable sights of the town, the Ancient Theatre (a well-preserved Roman theatre), is located there and is still used for open-air performances.
And if you are in the mood of adventure, explore the famous Bachkovo Monastey (11th c.) nestled amidst the slopes of the Rhodope Mountains nearby. Enjoy the murals (17th c.) of the monastery’s churches.
Prices from 50 EUR for a group minimum 4 people (including car rental, fuel costs, driver, professional guide, entrance taxes)
Price varies according to size of the group: price for 2 people 65 EUR per person
Melnik and Rozen Monastery (180 km from Sofia)
Individual trip, available with professional guide
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The small village of Melnik is a unique combination of almost sub-tropical landscape and 18th century architecture nestled in the very southwest end of Bulgaria, only few miles from Greece. Not only that but also it is one of the most famous regions for red wine production. It is not a joke that Winston Churchill was a fan of Melnik wines and had them in his collection.
Melnik (pop. 800) is the smallest Bulgarian town, picturesquely situated amidst a fantastic scenery - strangely shaped pyramids of sand and limestone. The beautiful fortress-like houses with broad wine-cellars cut in the limestone rocks date from this period. Steep, strangely shaped sandstone rocks, lovely white houses perched on their slopes and a single street which leads to the finest example of the former splendour of this small southern town.
the Rojen Monastery (6-km from Melnik), founded in 12-13c.
The monastery is a perfect example of the traditional Bulgarian religious spirit and building style, with masterpieces of religious art, admired for the miraculous icon of Virgin Mary.
Prices from 55 EUR for a group minimum 4 people (including car rental, fuel costs, driver, professional guide, entrance taxes)
Price varies according to size of the group: price for 2 people 70 EUR per person
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