Rila Monastery and Melnik One-Day Tour
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.
Options
Rila Monastery and Melnik One-Day Tour
What's included in Rila Monastery and Melnik One-Day Tour
(Subject to Option Inclusions)Itinerary
Melnik
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. We'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
Kordopulova house is a private museum and it dates from the mid-seventeenth century, being the biggest one from this historical period. The 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
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. We 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! The 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! At 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!
Inclusions
- All Fees and Taxes
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Snacks
- Lunch
- 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
Meet
Pickup and Dropoff
You will make your own way to the meeting points
Meeting / End Points
- Please let's meet in front of the ruins of Ancient Serdica - 50 meters before the Mosque.
