Rila Monastery位處Rila山脈中的一個山谷內。在公元9世紀，僧人Ivan of Rila來到這一帶山區潛心修行，一些平民無意間得知這一位隱世高僧，故紛紛入山祈求他的幫助。隨著Ivan of Rila幫助的人越來越多，慕名而來的人也隨之增加，一些信眾更開始跟隨Ivan of Rila的步伐留在山區靜修。Ivan of Rila逝世後，信眾便在山區興建一間修道院來紀念這一位聖人。修道院在10世紀落成，這一千多年來修道院曾被多次破壞、亦經過多番重建，今天我們看到的建築主要是19世紀時所重建，修道院外圍豎立了一棟高四層、彷如城牆般的建築，從正門進入修道院後便看到「城牆」上各層建有不同的房間，供僧人或有心修道的信徒居住及活動，修道院亦設有客棧供遊客入住。在修道院中間的空地裏，一座小小的Church of the Nativity豎立其中，教堂外繪有精緻的壁畫，內裏則有華麗的iconostasis，這些美麗的藝術品每年吸引著數以萬計的遊客來到這偏遠山谷中參觀。
Day 1: June 17 (Sun) – Sofia
Flight: [Emirates] Hong Kong > Dubai; [Flydubai] Dubai > Sofia
Metro: Sofia Airport > Serdika (M2, 35 mins)
– Banya Bashi Mosque
– Ceatral Market Hall
– Church of Sveta Nedelya
Dinner @ The Pizza Shop
Accommodation: Santa Sofia Luxury Guestrooms @ Sofia (60 Euro / 2 nights)
Day 2: June 18 (Mon) – Sofia
Breakfast @ Atehe
– St. Sophia Basilica
– Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
– Sophia University
Lunch @ Krivoto
– Monument to the Soviet Army
– National Palace of Culture
– Ruski Pametnik
– Mall of Sofia
– Sofia Central Railway Station
Dinner @ Pri Makedoneca
Accommodation: Santa Sofia Luxury Guestrooms @ Sofia
Day 3: June 19 (Tue) – Sofia – Koprivshtitsa
Train: Sofia 7:20 AM > Koprivshtitsa 8:56 AM [Fast3621]
Bus: Train Station > Koprivshtitsa
– Apriltsi Mausoleum
– Church of Sveta Bogotoditsa
– Bridge of First Shot
Lunch @ Pizzeria Koprivshtitsa
– Benkovski Monument
Dinner @ 20th April Restaurant
Accommodation: Gozbrarov’s Guest House @ Koprivshtitsa (50 lev)
Day 4: June 20 (Wed) – Koprivshtitsa – Veliko Tarnovo
– Morning run
– Karavelov House
– Debelyanov House
– Church of Sveta Bogoroditsa
– Kableshkov House
– Bridge of the First Shot
– Lyutov House
Lunch @ Complex Galeria
Bus: Koprivshtitsa 2 PM > Train Station
Train: Koprivshtitsa 3:02 PM > Tulovo 5:12 PM || Tulovo 5:19 PM > Veliko Tarnovo 7:28 PM [Fast3623 || Fast4652]
Bus (VT Train Station) to Street@Play Hotel
Dinner @ Casa di Bianco
Accommodation: Play Hotel @ Veliko Tărnovo (54 Euro / 2 nights)
Day 5: June 21 (Thu) – Veliko Tarnovo
Bus to Tsarevets
– Tsarevets
Lunch @ Ivan Asen Restaurant
– Church of the Forty Martyr
– Church of the Dormonition
Afternoon tea @ Art and Coffee Vladishki Most
– Church of Sveti Dimitar
– Dinner @ Shtastkiveca
Accommodation: Play Hotel @ Veliko Tărnovo
Day 6: June 22 (Fri) – Veliko Tarnovo – Burgas
– Monument to the Assens @ Assenovtsi Park
– Sts Cyril and Methodist Church
– St Nikolai Church
– Arterial route @ Varosha district
– Sarafina House
– Nativity of Saint Mary’s Church
Lunch @ Ethno
Bus to West Bus Station
Coach: Veliko Tarnovo West Bus Station 2:30 PM > Burgas West Bus Station 5:50 PM [M-Bus]
Taxi: Burgas West Bus Station > Hotel Bulair (10 lev)
Dinner @ Hugo’s Pizza and Bar
Accommodation: Hotel Bulair @ Burgas (72 Euro / 2 nights)
Day 7: June 23 (Sat) – Burgas – Nessebar
– Morning run
Breakfast at Hotel Bulair
Bus: Burgas South Bus Station 9:40 AM > Nessebar 10:40 AM [Bus 11]
– Old Nessebar
Lunch @ Robinzon Fish and Grill
Bus: Nessebar 5 PM > Burgas South Bus Station 6 PM
Dinner @ Ethno
Accommodation: Hotel Bulair @ Burgas
Day 8: June 24 (Sun) – Burgas – Plovdiv
– Morning run
Breakfast at Hotel Bulair
– Maritime Park & Beach
– Port Burgas
Lunch @ Rose Restaurant
Train: Burgas 2:30 PM > Plovdiv 6:50 PM [8612]
Taxi: Train station to Mini Hotel (10 lev)
Dinner @ Terzo Mondo
Accommodation: Mini Hotel @ Plovdiv (65 Euro / 2 nights)
Day 9: June 25 (Mon) – Plovdiv
Breakfast @ Da, ze Teb
– Old Bath
– Nebet Tepe
– Ethnographic Museum (outside)
– St. Constantine and St. Helena Orthodox Church
– Zlatyu Boyadzhiev Gallery
– Sv. Dimitar Church
– Lamartin House
– Roman Amphitheatre (outside)
Lunch @ Bar and Dinner Arena
– Roman Stadium
– Dzhumaya Mosque (outside)
– Sahat Tepe
– Sv. Marina Church
– Trakart
– Sv. Ludvig Catholic Cathedral
– Small Basilica
Dinner @ Restaurant Piacere
Accommodation: Mini Hotel @ Plovdiv
Day 10: June 26 (Tue) – Plovdiv – Bansko
Taxi to train station (5 lev)
Train: Plovdiv 11:23 AM > Septemvri 11:58 AM
Narrow Gauge Railway: Septemvri 12:34 PM > Bankso 5:07 PM
Accommodation: Family Hotel Dzhangal @ Bansko (34 lev / 1 night)
Day 11: June 27 (Wed) – Bansko – Blagoevgrad
Breakfast at Family Hotel Dzhangal
– Hiking at Pirin National Park
Car: Family Hotel Dzhangal to bus station (10 lev)
Bus: Bansko 4:15PM > Blagoevgrad 5:15PM
Dinner @ Bar Diva II
Accommodation: Hotel Kardinal @ Blagoevgrad (47 lev / 1 night)
Day 12: June 28 (Thu) – Blagoevgrad – Rila – Sapareva Banya
Bus: Blagoevgrad 7 AM > Rila Town 7:40 AM
Bus: Rila Town 7:40AM> Rila Monastery 8:10 AM
– Rila Monastery
Lunch @ Nearby restaurant
Bus: Rila Monastery 3 PM > Dupnitsa 4:15 PM
Bus: Dupnitsa > Sapareva Banya 5:10 PM
Dinner @ Bokhemi
Accommodation: Guest House Dani @ Sapareva Banya (40 lev / 1 night)
Day 13: June 29 (Fri) – Rila Seven Lakes
Car: Sapareva Banya -> Chairlift (18 lev)
Chairlift -> Rilski Lakes Hut (18 lev for 2 ways)
– Hiking at Seven Lakes, Rila National Park
Dinner @ Geĭzera
Accommodation: Slavina Guest House @ Sapareva Banya (20 Euro / 1 night)
Day 14: June 30 (Sat) – Sapareva Banya – Sofia
Bus: Sapareva Banya 9:10 AM> Dupnitsa 9:50 AM
Coach: Dupnitsa 10:50 AM > Sofia Central Bus Station
Metro: Central Railway Station > NDK
Lunch @ Warsteiner Pub
Taxi: DITER Hotel > National Museum of History (< 7 lev)
– National Museum of History
Taxi: National Museum of History > Starbucks@NDK (< 7 lev)
Dinner @ Avtentichno by SIS Coop
Accommodation: Hotel DITER @ Sofia (96 lev / 1 night)
Day 15: July 1 (Sun) – Sofia
Breakfast @ Hotel DITER
– Church of St. George
– Sofia Synagague (outside)
– Zhenski Pazar Women’s Market
Lunch @ Restaurant al-Baghdad
Metro: NDK > Sofia Airport (45 min, M2, switch train at Serdika )
Flight: [Flydubai] Sofia > Dubai
Day 16: July 2 (Mon)
Flight: [Emirates] Dubai > Hong Kong
– Veliko Tarnovo Hotel Play: 54 Euro，從酒店走約5分鐘便已進入古城區，但若要到城堡Tsarevets則約需20分鐘，還好在酒店坐公車只需十分鐘便到。酒店房間超級大設備也很新淨，性價比來說挺不錯。
酒店大廳，房間及酒店都是現代簡約的設計
– Burgas Hotel Bulair: 72 Euro含早餐，酒店附近有火車站、公車站(南站)、食肆、步行街、漁人碼頭及海灘，位置非常方便，在這一個熱門的旅遊區域來說它算是一間性價比很高的酒店。
– Plovdiv Mini Hotel: 65 Euro，酒店位於文創區Kapana 內，從火車站/公車站坐車過來約需10分鐘，不過酒店離古城區和其他景點不遠，房間則屬不過不失。
酒店正門
– Bansko Family Hotel Dzhangal: 64 lev，顧名思義就是家族經營的旅館。從火車站/公車站要走20至30分鐘才到旅館──而且還是上坡路，所以建議在預訂後和旅館聯絡pickup。我們雖然訂的是雙人房，結果獲分配到頂樓的房間，內裏有一大一小房間，房間面積大概可以再多住2、3個人吧。
Family Hotel Dzhangal
– Blagoevgrad Hotel Kardinal: 47 lev，酒店離火車站/公車站約15分鐘路程，從酒店走5分鐘便是大學區，房間的設備不過不失。
– Sapareva Banya Guest House Dani: 40 lev，是家族經營的民宿，離巴士站約5分鐘路程，房間有點小。
保加利亞遊 