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Bachkovo Monastery: A Day in the Rhodope Foothills

A monastery founded in 1083 south of Asenovgrad, with 19th-century frescoes and a refectory, reached on a half-day trip that leaves your luggage in your Plovdiv hotel.

DurationDay trip
TransitPrivate transfer or rental car from Plovdiv, about 27 km
DepartsPlovdiv

After the Plovdiv Marathon: Bachkovo Monastery

The Route: Plovdiv → Bachkovo Monastery → Plovdiv Logistics: About 27 km each way by private transfer or rental car. No luggage moves, because you keep your Plovdiv room. Marathon Month: April Duration: Day trip

Plovdiv ──(about 27 km by road, 40 to 60 minutes)──> Bachkovo Monastery
   ▲                                                        │
   └──────────────(same road back)─────────────────────────┘

The Plovdiv Marathon finishes on a Sunday in April, and Monday is for something that asks for a seat and not a summit. Bachkovo is a monastery in the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains, 10 km south of Asenovgrad, and it was founded in 1083. Nine centuries is a long time to be adding to a building, and it shows in the stonework.

April at Bachkovo: opening hours, entry fees and the rules for visitors have not been confirmed for April, so check them before you set out. The foothills are cooler than Plovdiv and the stone courtyards hold the chill, so bring a layer you can take off indoors.

The municipal distance table gives 27 km from Plovdiv. Allow 40 to 60 minutes each way by road, which is a planning estimate and not a timetable. No public bus or train timetable was verified for this trip, so book a private transfer or a rental car the evening before. A transfer is the better choice for legs that have just done 42.2 km, because it drops you close to the entrance and picks you up there.

What to see

The Church of the Assumption dates from 1604 and the refectory from 1601. The frescoes were painted by the artist Zahariy Zograf between 1838 and 1840. The monastery also holds an icon dated to 1311, and a small museum. Allow two to three hours for a slow visit, and sit whenever a bench appears.

The ground is the thing to plan for. Monastery courtyards are cobbled, and steps lead between the buildings. Take it in short stages, rest between them, and skip any upper level that looks steep. If stairs are painful on Monday, the courtyard and the church are enough.

The monks offer overnight accommodation, but the details have not been confirmed, so treat that as a lead to ask about and not as a plan. This trip is built as a day out from Plovdiv, so you sleep in your own bed.

Lunch and the way back

Choose a place to eat by the menu on the door, since no restaurant was verified for this article. Book the return transfer for a fixed time so you are not waiting at the gate.

Back in Plovdiv your luggage is where you left it. That is the point of a day trip: no checkout, no repacking and no second transfer after the race.