Year: 2013

Before we arrived in Bulgaria, we heard from a lot of past travelers that the country is a difficult one to travel in. 

Many of the stories always came down to the fact that the Bulgarian alphabet is Cyrillic based and does not use the Roman characters most of us are familiar with.

While it is true that the writing system is different in Bulgaria, the notion that it makes travel difficult is one we found to be a bit misguided.

Bulgaria is not difficult to travel in because of the Cyrillic text.  It is difficult because there is hardly any infrastructure built for foreign tourists.

And when you compare the two, the latter is much easier to get over.

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The Rila Monastery in Bulgaria is the most impressive sight you’ll see during your visit to the country. In fact, we would go as far as calling it the world’s most beautiful monastery.

We don’t often make that distinction on this website because we know everyone has different interests, but Rila Monastery goes beyond anything we ever would have hoped for. 

It is one of the most beautiful complexes we’ve ever been to, and the paintings inside rival that of the Sistine Chapel or Florence’s Duomo in Italy (although may not match up in terms of origin by a master artisan or age).

The one downside to the Monastery is that it is remote. Very remote. 

As it is located in the mountains of Bulgaria, every city is at least a one to two-hour drive away (with the exception of the tiny village of Rila right next door). 

Luckily private tours exist from all corners of the country to visit this famous monastery, making the long journey an easy option for all visitors.

The point we’re trying to make is simple: if you go to Bulgaria you must visit Rila Monastery, and you have no excuse to miss it.  It is one of the few sights we’ve ever been to that we would have seriously regretted skipping, and it takes a lot for us to say that.

But why are we making such a fuss about Rila Monastery?  Check out the following photo essay to see why.

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