Kyustendil

Bulgaria's best-known landmark isn't in a big city but in a wooded valley in Kyustendil Province: Rila Monastery. A trip to Kyustendil combines this site with the Seven Rila Lakes, hot springs, and a provincial capital famous for its cherries.

Rila Monastery and the Mountains

Rila Monastery was founded in the 10th century by the hermit Ivan of Rila and rebuilt in splendid style after a fire in the 19th century. Behind the high outer walls, a courtyard opens up with striped arcades; in the middle stands the main church with its colorful frescoes, and next to it the medieval Hrelyo Tower. The monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To the east, above the spa town of Sapareva Banya, a chairlift runs from Panichishte to the Rilski Ezera hut, the starting point for the hike to the Seven Rila Lakes, glacial lakes at more than 2,100 meters (about 6,900 feet). In Sapareva Banya itself, a geyser spouts water at over 100 degrees Celsius (212°F), one of the hottest springs in Europe.

Kyustendil and Dupnitsa

Kyustendil, the Roman Pautalia, lies in a fertile basin near the border with North Macedonia and Serbia. Worth seeing are the remains of Roman baths, the Hisarlaka fortress, the Church of St. George in Kolush, and the art gallery of the painter Vladimir Dimitrov, known as "the Master." In spring, countless cherry and apple trees bloom here, and in June the town celebrates a cherry festival. Dupnitsa is an industrial and trading town at the foot of the Rila Mountains. Around Kyustendil there are also mineral springs with temperatures above 70 degrees Celsius (158°F), which the Romans already prized; the open-air pool on the edge of town is popular with locals. In the Osogovo Mountains on the border with North Macedonia, hiking trails lead through beech forests to Mount Ruen, and the small monastery of St. Joachim of Osogovo lies just across the border.

Food, Getting There, and the Best Time to Visit

Restaurants around the monastery serve trout from the mountain streams and mekitsi, fried dough rounds that you eat with powdered sugar or cheese. From Sofia, you can reach Rila Monastery in about two hours; one bus runs daily, and many visitors come on guided day trips. The best time to visit the Seven Lakes is July through September; the monastery is open year-round.