Meet the locals

Meet The Locals Tour (2 Days)

 Rila Monastery, Bansko and Dobarsko Fairy Tale

Area Overview

Razlog valley. 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 is 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, some of which are interpreted as portraying Jesus in a rocket. The holy spring in the church yard is said to be 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 in 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 it's 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.

 

Your 2 Days In Rila and Pirin Mountains

After a 2 hour  drive we will reach the most visited UNESCO site in Bulgaria — the Rila Monastery. Our visit there takes 2 hours, admiring beautiful frescoes and wonderful mountain landscapeas a background. Then we go to try the local specialty fresh grilled trout. Then we have another 1h 20min drive to a small village in Razlog Valley where we will meet a local family and check-in in their own house. If you wish you can have a donkey ride around the village all the way to the water well. In the evening our hosts will show how they prepare their food, how they live and have fun (singing and dancing). They will serve you home made food and a glass of rakia (grape brandy) to welcome you and invite you to join their dances. 

In the morning after a nice breakfast we say good bye to our hosts and  we will visit the church in Dobarsko, a 10 minute drive from the village. Then we head to Bansko  and spend the rest of the day around its old town, the house of Neofit Rilski (monk from the Monastery) and its charming cobblestone streets. After this very hospitable visit we go back to Sofia.

Transfer to/from your hotel/accommodation in Sofia, guide in English, parking fees, entrance fees, meals (lunch, dinner and breakfast), nights in double room (family hotel).

Personal expenses, single room use and hotel upgrade are not included.

For cancellation up to 3 days, a full refund will be given. For cancellation up to 1 days, 50% refund will be given.