7 Castles and Fortresses in Sofia Worth a Whole Day

1.Small group tour to Plovdiv, Asen’s Fortress and Bachkovo Monastery

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 164 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $90Our pick

Travel from Sofia to three of Bulgaria’s finest cultural sights with a professional English-speaking guide. Walk Plovdiv’s Roman ruins and Old Town, see Asen’s Fortress above the Rodopi Mountains, and visit Bachkovo Monastery. Hotel pickup, transport, entrance fees, and drop-off are included. Guides such as Daniel, Teodor, Krisi, and Stanimira have earned especially strong praise.

“Daniel the tour guide was very good, very knowledgeable and informative. We like the small group ( total of 3). Thank you soo much!!!”

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2.Full-Day Belogradchik Rocks and Belogradchik Fortress from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 75 reviews · 10 to 11 hours (approx.) · from $95

Travel from Sofia in a small group of up to seven with licensed English-speaking guide and driver Ventsislav. Explore Belogradchik Fortress, climb for wide views over the strange red rock towers, enjoy a local lunch break, and, when included, visit nearby Venetsa Cave. Expect a long but scenic day, with stairs and optional hiking.

“Belogradchik Rocks is an amazing place, I loved it the most. Our guide was really kind and gave us shortcuts to see the best views. He took care of us and had pacience and comprehension with people who had some fears or that were not well prepared to face the climate or the humidity in the caves.”

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3.Full-Day Plovdiv and Asen’s Fortress Tour from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 36 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $35Best value

Travel from Sofia to Plovdiv for a guided walk through the Old Town, Roman theater, and National Revival streets, then continue to Asen’s Fortress for Rhodope Mountain views. The tour lasts about nine hours, uses an air-conditioned vehicle, and includes an English-speaking guide, with a virtual reality headset at the fortress.

“By my personal taste Plovdiv itself is not so worth to visit, maybe just to have a walk in it. I had to be really bored but the guide was amazing and put a lot of passion in it and the fellow travelers I met in the trip were amazing people. Great to have such a small group and transportation in a van, but, please, do something about shock absorbers, they almost don't exist.”

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4.Plovdiv, Asen’s Fortress and Bachkovo Monastery small group tour with pickup

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · 9 to 10 hours (approx.) · from $94

Travel from Sofia in a group of up to seven with guide Ventsislav or another licensed English-speaking guide. Walk Plovdiv’s Old Town, Nebet Tepe, Kapana, the Roman theater, Asen’s Fortress, and Bachkovo Monastery. Hotel pickup, transport, and the fortress entrance are included.

“Thank you Ventsi for a lovely tour. There is some walking required and some slippery stone so wear appropriate shoes, but everything is accessible and set at your pace. The view from Assen Fortress's hill (opposite the fortess itself) is worth the climb, via some steps. Old Plovdiv is unique and the time in both old and new Plovdiv was just right.”

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5.Belogradchik Rocks and Belogradchik Fortress

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 16 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $168

Travel from Sofia to Belogradchik in a small group of up to 15 people. You’ll spend about two hours at the Roman-era fortress and two hours among the sandstone formations, with hotel pickup, transport, and an English-speaking guide included. Guides such as Mariya, Methodiy, and Stojan have led this outing.

“It was a 3 long hours drive from Sofia but it's worth it. If you love nature then this a must see while in Bulgaria. The panoramic views are fantastic and the formation of different rocks are amazing. My bad because I totally forgot my guide's name sorry!. She introduced herself when she picked me up from the hotel. She's awesome and very informative. Thanks for sharing this wonderful nature to me. I'm glad that I chose this tour.”

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6.Private Day Trip to Plovdiv and Asen’s Fortress

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · from $207

Travel from Sofia to Plovdiv and Asen’s Fortress with a private driver-guide, hotel pickup, and air-conditioned transport. Explore Plovdiv’s Roman Theater, long pedestrian street, Revival-era houses, and 4th-century mosaics on a walking tour, then take in mountain views from the medieval fortress. Maria is one guide praised for her warm, informative approach.

“The sites visited on this tour are actually great. I would recommend this tour for that reason alone. What our group was a disappointed about was the quality of transportation used and the English fluency of our driver/guide. Our driver/guide wRead more”

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7.Private tour to Plovdiv, Bachkovo monastery and Asen’s fortress

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 8 to 10 hours (approx.) · from $164

Travel from Sofia by air-conditioned vehicle with a driver-guide on a private 8 to 10-hour tour of Plovdiv, Bachkovo Monastery, and Asen’s Fortress. Expect hotel pickup, bottled water, coffee or tea, a small group capped at 15, guided sightseeing in English, and extra charges for some admissions and lunch.

“Plovdiv is a beautiful city with lots to see and do. Ves did an excellent job of explaining all about the sites. Wish I had more time in Plovdiv.”

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