Wonderful Bridges-Bachkovo Monastery-Assen's Fortress - day tour from Plovdiv
Description
Discover 3 of the most famous 100 National Tourist Landmarks of Bulgaria during this bestselling day tour from Plovdiv to the stunning Rhodope Mountians. First visit the impressive Asen's Fortress from 13th century and the second largest Bachkovo Monastery, founded in 11th century. In the main cloister court yard visit the main church of Virgin Mary, which was built in 1604. Walk around the 45 m high rock bridges named the Wonderful Bridges, situated at 1450 m. a. s. l. in the heart of the mystical Rhodope Mountains. Before exploring the exceptional nature phenomenon have lunch at a small local restaurant in the nearby chalet amid refreshing conifer tree forests. Note : Often this trip is actually delivered as a private one as there are no other travelers to join the experience.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The remarkable Asen’s Fortress from 13-th century is located on a panoramic hill in the Rhodope Mountains som 30 min south of Plovdiv. There you’ll also find very well preserved Christian Orthodox church dating from the 13-th century painted with some authentic pieces of iconography. At the top of the fortress you’ll enjoy an awesome 360 degrees panorama all over the Rhodope Mountains, Asenovgrad town, The Thracian Valley and the imposing Balkan Range with its highest Botev Peak in the far distance.
Founded in 1083 Bachkovo Monastery is the second largest in Bulgaria. Inside the monastery you’ll visit the main church of Virgin Mary built in 1604 where a valuable miracle working icon of Saint Mary from 11-12th century AD is being kept together with some very well preserved original frescoes. The monastery refectory is another jewel in the complex which has preserved colorful murals from 1643. The refectory’s visit is optional at an extra charge for a small entrance fee. Inside together with the Doomsday fresco, you’ll witness the images of many prophets, saint-monks, ancient philosophers and writers such as Socrates, Aristotle, Plato etc. In the second monastery yard you’ll finally visit the Saint Nikola church built between 1834 and 1837. Optionally, for the nature enthusiasts you may continue the tour with a short and easy walk in the Red wall nature reserve nearby Bachkovo Monastery where you’ll discover a beautiful waterfall, green meadows and lush forests.
The Wonderful Bridges are situated at 1450 m. a. s. l. in the heart of the lovely Rhodope Mountains. This unique nature phenomenon consists of two rocky bridges (height of 45 m) over a small river. The marble bridges were formed by an earthquake and the erosive activity of the once high-water river and winds. Together with the Bachkovo Monastery and the Assen’s Fortress these outstanding nature bridges are also on the list of the 100 national tourist sites of Bulgaria. In summer on the weekends the longest zip line on the Balkan Peninsula (240 m) stretching between the 2 bridges is available for the more adventurous travelers. The zip line ride takes place some 50 m above the river flowing through the 2 rocky bridges.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Travelers are collected from any hotel (accommodation) or location within Plovdiv city. Travelers must provide their pick up location upon booking or closer to their tour date.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- The short walk on and around the Wonderful Bridges also includes some uneven rocky path and very short but steep and slippery terrain.Trainers with proper sole and grip or hiking shoes are advised if you are not comfortable on such terrain.
Reviews(38)
This was a great tour. We got picked up right outside our apartment, and it ended up being a private tour. Our guide Ekran was very knowledgeable about both the the sites that we saw as well as general history about Bulgaria, so the tour was very informative. He was very flexible in the itinerary and made sure that we spent as much or as little time at the sites as we wanted to. I highly recommend this tour, and if you can get Ekran as your guide, bonus points!
Excellent tour, smoothly adapted to my interests (more time at the bridges). Sites were gorgeous. Lunch stop was great.
Thanks!
Amazing day trip and only booked the day before! Thank you Arkans (sorry if I spelt wrong) for being an amazing guide and very knowledgeable with history. We were also given a choice in what order we wanted to see things (in case the rain started) for the day so we ended up seeing the fortress ( 4 euro entry), then the wonderful bridges before eating lunch at a local traditional Bulgarian restaurant and lastly the monastery. Very happy to experience the mountain air outside Plovdiv and would recommend to anyone :)
Thanks!
We had a very competent guide, the nature is fantastic, and the monastery was very impressive.
The tour was chosen for convenience as navigating via public transport was not the best idea. I corresponded with Kamen via email and was given very detailed explanation of the tour. The confusion at one point was also professionally handled. On tour day, Kamen himself made sure we had the most wonderful time. There were 3 people in the group. He was punctual, drove safely and ensured we were comfortable throughout. We learnt interesting facts about the sights which enabled us to appreciate Bulgaria's historical & natural treasures even more. Timing was good at all sights and we had a quick lunch at the Wonderful Bridges before heading back to Plovdiv. We had a great daytrip, thanks to a great tour guide. We highly recommend this tour operator to others.
Thanks a lot!
This was a fabulous tour that cannot be missed, but it needs good weather which we were lucky to have. The Asen fortress has magnificent views of the surrounding forest. The Marvelous Bridges are breathtaking. Bachkovo Monastery is beautiful. Our knowledgeable guide collected us on time from our hotel and gave us useful historical information about each place we visited. The trip lasted from 9:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. There is a lot of driving and some of the roads are very bumpy. In late April, when we went, the weather is cool, the spring flowers are in bloom and there are not too many tourists.
Thanks for the good feedback! This tour normally lasts for about 7-7,5 hours so I guess you were given some extra experience.
A wonderful day trip combining amazing views and very interesting historical/religious places. Nice short walks, that are niether too hard, nor too easy. Great communication with Kamen, who was very knowledgeable and friendly. The hot chips at the restaurant is not to be missed. Highly recommend the trip!
Thanks for the wonderful review!
Absolutely amazing! Our guide was so kind, educated, and informative. He gave us a really good overview of Bulgarian history, the area and the religious icons. This particular was the perfect combination of nature and culture. Thank you.
Thanks Celia!
Great tour, made exceptional by our guide Christian. Christian was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the tour content, he answered hundreds of questions thrown at him on the day, and he was friendly and a joy to be around. The tour itself is also worth it and I’d recommend to anyone, being able to see all three points of interest in one day as well as having someone to explain everything was great. I’d recommend to anyone and also use this company again.
Thanks!
We did the tour with Kamel, on the tour we were a small group of 8 people, . Kamel told us everything about what we saw, and answered all our questions. We had enough time for everything, Excellent tour with Kamel, recommended, would do it again
Gracias!
