2-Day Trip to Razlog Valley & Melnik from Sofia

Rila Monastery

Highlights

Marvel at the sacred Rila Monastery

Stay with local hosts and learn about their culture in Razlog Valley

Visit the spectacular Rozhen Monastery

Check out historical ruins of the Medieval period at Kordopoulov's family house

Sofia, Rila Monastery, Melnik

art, cultural, historical

Private Tour

2 Days

Easy

English

Description

Embark on this short 2-day tour and explore the traditional Melnik town and the gorgeous Razlog valley. Visit the famous Rila Monastery and stay in a small village in Razlog valley with local hosts and learn about their culture. Next, see a wine cave at Kordopoulov's family house and pay your respects at Rozhen Monastery, with spectacular views.

Itinerary

Day 1- Sofia - Rila - Razlog
- After a 2 hour drive from Sofia, we will reach the most visited UNESCO site in Bulgaria - the Rila Monastery. Admire the beautiful frescoes and incredible mountain landscapes here.
- Try a local speciality - fresh grilled trout.
- After the delicious meal, we have another 1 h 20 min drive to a small village in Razlog Valley where we will meet a local family and check-in at their house. If you wish, you can do a donkey ride around the village to the water well.
- In the evening, our hosts will show how they prepare their food and live and have fun (singing and dancing). They will serve you homemade food and a glass of rakia (grape brandy) to welcome you and invite you to join their dances.
Day 2- Melnik - Rozhen Monastery - Sofia
- After breakfast, in the morning, bid goodbye to our hosts before visiting a church in Dobarsko, a 10-minute drive from the village.
- Head to Melnik and spend the rest of the day here. The walk into the town is relatively short; some steep steps and streets will take you to the ruins of the flourishing Medieval period of the city.
- Visit Kordopoulov's family house, where you will learn about 19th century Melnik history, people, grapes, winemaking, and you will see a real wine cave. You will taste some wine also of course.
- Have lunch in Melnik itself or on the way to nearby Rozhen Monastery (another 15-minute drive). At the Monastery, enjoy beautiful views of sandstone rocks and mountains.
- After this lovely journey, we will head back to Sofia.

What's Included

Transfer to/from your hotel/accommodation in Sofia

English speaking Bulgarian tour guide

Parking fees

Entrance fees

Meals (lunch, dinner and breakfast)

Nights in double room (family hotel)

What's Excluded

Personal expenses

Single room use

Hotel upgrade

Know Before You Go

Razlog valley overview:

Razlog is located about 160 km from Sofia, and it is a valley between three mountains - Rila, Pirin and Rodopi. This unique location gives you a great variety of cultures, traditions, landscapes and typical food. Dobarsko is a small village not far from Razlog. The Church of Theodore Tyro and Theodore Stratelates was built in 1614 and painted in 1672. The church donors are depicted in a donors' fresco left of the door. The church is included in the list of the 100 national tourist attractions for its abundance of original frescoes and icons, which are interpreted as portraying Jesus in a rocket. The holy spring in the churchyard is curative and indeed the one that cured Samuil's soldiers that founded the village, as depicted in one fresco. A small swastika and a cross on the eastern wall are the only items on the exterior that show that the small stone building is a religious temple. The frescoes were cleaned up and partially restored in 1974-1978, and the church is a national monument of culture. Razlog is very close (10 min by car) to Bansko, and its old town is charming with its cobblestone streets and local tavernas. It offers a great variety of hiking trails, and it is often visited by mountain trekkers and skiers in the winter.

Melnik overview:

Melnik is a declared architectural reserve. The first to settle in the area were the Thracian tribe Medi (the famous rebel Spartacus belonged to this tribe). The Slavs who came later in these parts named the settlement Melnik after the sand formations surrounding it. Melnik became a part of the First Bulgarian Empire under the rule of Khan Presian I (836-852) and prospered greatly in the period. Melnik became the capital of an independent feudal principality ruled by Despot Alexius Slav in 1209 and had economic and cultural prosperity. The town flourished under Tsar Ivan Assen ІІ because of the duty-free trade with Dubrovnik (ruled by Venetians). In the late 18th century, the town had 1300 houses, seventy churches, and 20,000 people. The city had trade connections with Venice by exporting the famous Melnik wine, which you will have the chance to taste in one of the wealthiest houses of the 19th century.

Cancellation Policy

For cancellations upto 2 days before the tour -

Refund of 80% of the tour price.

Price

Persons
1 to 1	/person
2 to 2	/person
3 to 8	/person
9 to 16	/person
This is a private tour

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2-Day Trip to Razlog Valley & Melnik from Sofia

Highlights

Description

Itinerary

Day 1- Sofia - Rila - Razlog

Day 2- Melnik - Rozhen Monastery - Sofia

What's Included

What's Excluded

Know Before You Go

Cancellation Policy

Price

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2-Day Trip to Razlog Valley & Melnik from Sofia

Highlights

Description

Itinerary

Day 1- Sofia - Rila - Razlog

Day 2- Melnik - Rozhen Monastery - Sofia

What's Included

What's Excluded

Know Before You Go

Cancellation Policy

Price

Check Availability Hide

Starting from

Can't Find the Perfect Tour? Tailor Your Dream Trip!

Create your own adventure!

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