Welcome to
Sofia
Rila Monastery and Melnik One-Day Tour
- Max Travelers7 people
- CategoryBus Tours, Car Tours
Overview
Melnik is the smallest town in Bulgaria yet it is so well known for its amazing sandy rock formations known as “Melnik pyramids”. We’ll get there after a bit longer than a 2-hour drive and will arrive on the foot of the biggest house built in 18th century in Bulgaria – Kordopulova! We will discover about the interior of the house as well as the underground cellar where the owners of the house still keep the newly produced wine! Not only this but you will have a taste of the popular Melnik Broad Leaf young wine!
After having had some lunch at a local MEHANA (traditional restaurant) we’ll drive off to Rila monastery – certainly the most visited site by the travelers coming to Bulgaria. We will have another 1 1/2 hours of sightseeing together and eventually will start driving back to Sofia with our souls satisfied with the beauty, the history and the culture of the South-Western Bulgaria.
Gallery
What's included
All Fees and Taxes
Air-conditioned vehicle
What's Not included
Snacks
Lunch
Itinerary
Melnik is a very small town in SouthEastern Bulgaria. It is famous with its sandy pyramids, the locally produced young wine and the typical authentic atmosphere with the local houses architecture.nWe'll start from Sofia and it will take us 2 1/2 hours driving along an interesting and changing landscape finally reaching Melnik. After our sightseeing time we will take a short 20-minute drive to Rozhen monastery and on the way we can take some beautiful photos of the scenery with the conically shaped sandstone rocks.
Kordopulova house is a private museum and it dates from the mid-seventeenth century, being the biggest one from this historical period.nThe house is impressive for its summer and miniature winter gardens. with the seven staircases, the very welcoming cellar and particularly with its more than 300 meters of underground cellar tunnels, where they still keep the barrels with their newly produced wine!
Rozhen monastery dates from the 13th century and certainly its location has contributed a lot for the monastery having gone through a lot of historical events.nWe will be coming from Melnik after driving for about 20 minutes and eventually a great open view will show us the beauty of mountain Pirin with its peaks and the close by tall sandy pyramids!nThe monastery is active and the church keeps a rich collection of murals dated 17th century from which we can admire both for their quality and richness in expression!nAt the foot of the monastery there is a very suitable stop if you'd like to have some local meals for your lunch break before we hit the road to Rila monastery!
Rila monastery has been for centuries the driving power for people to visit this area and even to make them decide to visit Bulgaria!nNot only is the monastery impressive for its location, size and history, but it was also recognized by UNESCO for World heritage with the amazingly colorful mural that tells us the stories from the Old and the New testaments!nAfter having driven for 2 hours from Rozhen monastery we will have a tour to introduce to you the history of the monastery with some interesting and curious facts. You will have some nice time to yourself to just relax or to further explore the monasterial museums, take some photos, etc.nAfter our visit we are going to drive back for about 1 hour and 45 minutes to Sofia.
Good to know
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.