Tour Duration: 7 – 8 hours

Tour Dates: Every day (private trip)

Starting Point: Sofia

After breakfast, at around 9 o’clock, our driver will meet you at the Reception desk of your hotel in Sofia for a pleasant and comfortable 4 hours drive to Melnik.

The town of Melnik is the smallest town in Bulgaria with just 230 permanent residents. It lies in the southwestern slopes of the Pirin mountain and 190 km to the south of Sofia. The town, together with the neighbouring Rozhen monastery is declared a cultural and historic reserve.

Apart from the unique natural surroundings, the town also boasts for the fascinating architecture of its old Melnik houses, most of which were built during the Bulgarian Renaissance to testify for the grandeur and richness of the commercial hub with 25,000 inhabitants, which Melnik once used to be. Some of these are the famous Kordopoulov’s House with its impressive wall paintings and huge private cellar and the Boyar House, the latter being the oldest house in Bulgaria.

At lunchtime or after the walk in Melnik, you will have free time for lunch in one of the famous Melnik taverns with specialties from the Bulgarian national cuisine. Tasting the famous Melnik red wine is a must!

The ruins of the St Nicholas monastery (12th century), Slav’s fortress (13-14th century), the Roman bridge and the old Turkish bath are other places of interest there. Moreover, some 7km away from the town, up in the Pirin mountain, one can ride to one of the largest and most beautiful monasteries in Bulgaria – the Rozhen monastery.

After visiting the Rozhen monastery we’ll drive back to Sofia and arrive at the hotel at around 18:00