Day trips from Sofia
The day trip from Sofia to Rila Monastery and the Rile mountains was one of the several highlights of our stay in Bulgaria. The drive from Sofia to Rila was about 2 hours but was really picturesque with sunflower fields on both sides.
Endless fields of sunflowers
Driving past blurred yellows and greens, we were heading closer to the foothills of the Rila mountains. A few tunnels and winding mountain roads later, we reached the beautiful Rila Monastery perched on the Rila mountains.
Rila Monastery
Rila Monastery is one of the most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria enjoying UNESCO World Heritage Site status. It is named after its founder, hermit St Ivan of Rila. Today the monastery is home to several monks.
The monastery was buzzing with tourists and devotees visiting.
Rila monastery and the mountains
The monastery complex
The courtyard
The front of the church
Colourful frescos adorning the ceilings
More frescos on the walls depicting religious scenes
After spending time at the Monastery, we decided to spend time in the Rila mountains and were hoping to get a few glimpses of the Seven Rila lakes.
In the past few years, the Rila mountains and the Seven Lakes have become an increasingly popular hiking spot.The Rila Lakes chair lift is a super convenient option for those who would prefer getting to the top the easy way while admiring the beauty of the mountains and valleys.
The chair lift goes from a height of 1585m at the bottom of the station to 2100m when at the top.
The views are breathtaking on the way to the top of the station. At the top of the station, there are options for food, although they are pretty limited to basics such as soups, bread and salads.
From here on, we walked towards the lakes that were at different heights. Each of these glacial lakes has a unique name that essentially describes it.
The highest lake is called The Tear because of its extremely clear waters. Another lake is called The Oval because of its obvious oval shape.
We were lucky to have visited Rila and the Seven Lakes in the summer months because in the other seasons it is extremely inhospitable weather.
If you are visiting Bulgaria, I would highly recommend a trip to Rila Monastery and the Seven Rila Lakes. A true hidden Bulgarian gem!
Wow, beautiful monastery! I have traveled twice to Sofia, but with work affairs, and did not have the time to explore too much… maybe this is why I did not really like it.
But what I loved were the mountains in the backdrop of the city, and from your post the surroundings are really spectacular as well.
I have however traveled this year in june, in a 5 days trip to Veliko Tarnovo, Arbanasi and Plovdiv, and enjoyed every places.
These are my first articles about the trip, would love to have your support and follow back as you have mine, let’s share inspiration:)
https://egodiary.com/2017/07/27/day-trip-ideas-the-rock-hewn-churches-from-russe/
https://egodiary.com/2017/07/12/a-car-trip-to-bulgaria-but-not-to-the-sea-side/
Hugs from Romania,
Julia
Thank you Julia for your lovely comments. I spent 3 months in Sofia on work assignments, and during that time, I managed to explore Sofia quite a lot. However, most memorable was going to the top of Vitosha mountains and taking in the views of the sprawling city of Sofia.
We also did a road trip to Sunny beach which was lovely, passing Plovdiv on the way . I will write about it soon.
I am glad that you stumbled across my blog and left me a comment. Happy travels to you and good luck with your blog.
Hugs,
Priyanka