Melnik, Bulgaria

Tours

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.

Three different experiences that will create a day full with emotions. Rila monastery is part of UNESCO world cultural heritage list and It’s one of the symbols of Bulgaria. Rila Monastery was founded in the 10th century by St John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church. His ascetic dwelling and tomb became a holy site and were transformed into a monastic complex which played an important role in the spiritual and social life of medieval Bulgaria. A characteristic example of the Bulgarian Renaissance, the monument symbolizes the awareness of a Slavic cultural identity following centuries of occupation. You will have enough time to explore the monastery, the main church and the monastery museum. Melnik is the smallest town in Bulgaria nowadays. The first settlers of this region were the Tracian tribe Medi, from which the legendary rebel Spartacus originated. During the Revival Melnik was a blooming big city with big market. Since that times the city is famous with its high quality wines. During the tour we will visit the Kordopulova house where we can taste the local wine. Around Melnik we will see the Pyramids of Melnik.

The tour starts from your hotel. From that point, a professional guide with an air-conditioned car will take you on the individual tour. Heading on the motorway, your first stop will be Melnik. The smallest town in Bulgaria, Melnik, is nested in the south slopes of Pirin, among sand pyramids with queer forms. It is situated in the Sandanski Municipality, Blagoevgrad county, 175 kilometers north of Sofia and only 30 kilometers from the borderline with Greece. Antiquities found from archaeological excavations testify to a centuries old history. Melnik was declared a natural and architectural reservation, and it attracts thousands of tourists annually. The wine produced by the unique Bulgarian brand Wide Melnik Vine has a wonderful quality, scents of ripe cherry, herbs and in the presence of an oak, it develops nuances of tobacco and leather. It is one of the attractions of the town and the region, and it attracts many admirers from the whole world. You can sample it in some of the wineries and cellars in the town and the surrounding area. After a stop for lunch in a typical Bulgarian style, you will start the hiking tour to Rozhen Monastery. Rozhen Monastery situated 5 kilometers east from Melnik was recognized as a center of ecclesiastic life in the region. It is also the largest Orthodox monastery in the Pirin region. The monastery is comparatively well preserved to the present day and every year it is visited by many tourists from various countries. The monastery holiday is on 8 September, when people from the whole region gather in order to participate in the celebrations.

Escape the hustle and bustle of Sofia and discover the charm of the Bulgarian countryside on this day trip. After getting picked up from your hotel in Sofia, begin the journey to Melnik, the smallest town in Bulgaria, nestled in the Southern slopes of Pirin mountain and famed for its red wine production. Spend some time exploring Melnik's unique buildings, museums, and churches before breaking for lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, continue to the nearby Rupite area, a place considered as a sanctuary because of its associations with the Bulgarian prophet Baba Vanga, who famously predicted Brexit and 9/11. Visit the house where baba Vanga spent the last few years of her life, as well as the church she built, before beginning the journey back to your hotel in Sofia.

Melnik overview Melnik is a declared architectural reserve and one of the most famous wine region in Bulgaria. 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 on all sides. 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 an economic and cultural prosperity. The town continued to flourish 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 a population of some 20, 000 people. Your wine day in Melnik region Your guide will pick you up from your hotel in Sofia at 8:30 AM and after a 2 hours and 30 minutes drive through various landscape (highway, mountains, river canyon and valleys). The first stop will be town of Melnik. You will visit one famous house, owned by a very rich family in middle 18th century, who was dealing with wine trade, including export to Venice. You will enjoy some time in the private cellar of the house. Then you will have a little walking in the smallest town in Bulgaria, option to visit the Wine museum. After that you will head to a nearby village - Rojen, where you could have nice lunch and a glass of excellent local wine. Next to the village is a old monastery, which you can visit. The final stop will be one of the good wine cellars of Bulgaria - Villa Melnik. You will have a guided tour in side, by member of the family, that owns the cellar. After wine tasting of their products you will head back to Sofia.