Full-Day Tour to Rila Monastery and Melnik

Full-Day Tour to Rila Monastery and Melnik

Name: Full-Day Tour to Rila Monastery and Melnik
Address: Bulgaria

14 Reviews

Culture & history Tours Day trips Activities Day Trips From Small group activities Religious & spiritual activities UNESCO sites Rainy-day activities Architecture Churches & cathedrals Archaeology

Explore the highlights of southwest Bulgaria in just one day with your experienced guide. Visit Rila Monastery and spend time in the town of Melnik.

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Highlights

Visit the incredible Rila Monastery
Tour the smallest Bulgarian town, famous for its architecture and wine
Phenomenon of the Melnik Pyramids (NOT valid for Rila Monastery tour option)

Description

This 11-hour guided small-group tour focuses on the highlights of Rila Monastery and Melnik. You will be also introduced to nature conservation, Bulgarian geography, as you will see two of the highest mountains in the Balkans, agriculture, and the economy during and after communism. There are plenty of other interesting themes that you can discuss with your experienced guide while on the road. Depart early in the morning from busy Sofia and head to Melnik. Admire the strangely shaped sand and clay formations. Now the smallest town in Bulgarian with only 208 inhabitants, Melnik still preserves part of its glory from the 17th to 19th centuries, when it was a flourishing tobacco and wine-producing center. Today, the city is famous for its lovely white houses and cobbled streets, mild climate, and of course internationally recognized brands of red wine. You will have a guided walking tour through the city and enter the biggest Bulgarian Revival Period style house and its tunnel-like wine cellar. Your tour continues to the tranquil heart of the Rila mountains, where you can admire the impressive Rila Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Its architecture and the frescoes represent the apogee of Bulgarian Renaissance art. In a one-hour guided tour of the most treasured monuments in the inner yard and the Monastery museum, you will learn the most fascinating facts and stories about the biggest Bulgarian monastery complex. Enjoy free time to buy souvenirs, take photos, or continue to explore it by yourself. The local tour operator, Traventuria, was awarded a “Business Which Supports Biodiversity” certification by the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation for its “Tours with a Cause” initiative.