The 15 Best Castles & Fortresses in Bulgaria

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 $35

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.Wonderful Bridges-Bachkovo Monastery-Assen’s Fortress – day tour from Plovdiv

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 32 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $134

Leave Plovdiv at 9 a.m. for a private, English-language trip through the Rhodope Mountains. Your guide takes you to Asen’s Fortress, Bachkovo Monastery, and the Wonderful Bridges, with hotel pickup, commentary, and return transport included. Guides such as Kamen, Christian, Dimitar, Christina, and Stoyan are praised for making the history easy to follow.

“All the points of interest were very unique and exciting to visit. Our guide, Dimitar, was extremely personable and delighted us with his experience and knowledge. An amazing day, thanks Dimitar!”

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5.Bachkovo Monastery & Asen’s Fortress – day tour from Plovdiv

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 28 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $98

Travel from Plovdiv to Asen’s Fortress and Bachkovo Monastery with a professional English-speaking guide. See a 13th-century church, Rhodope Mountain views, a miraculous icon, and frescoes dating back centuries. Pickup and drop-off are included, with a maximum of eight people and an optional waterfall walk.

“Kamen is an exceptional guide. We booked this tour at 11 pm and the following day at 9 am he was under our hotel. It is a perfect trip for half a day if you are in Plovdiv without car. Kamen is eager to share information not only on the fortress and the Monastery, but also on Bulgaria and Bulgaria culture in general. Recommended!”

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6.Private trip to Bachkovo Monastery and Assen’s Fortress

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 22 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $55

Travel from Plovdiv with guide Lyuben to Bachkovo Monastery and Asen’s Fortress on a private three-hour outing. See a 1310 icon, 17th-century murals, a medieval church, and Ivan Asen’s stone inscription. Pickup is offered at your Plovdiv address. Bring cash for the fortress entry fee.

“Our guide was nice and polite but didn’t explain much about the fortress and church that we visited. We wish we would have learned some of the history of these amazing spots.”

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7.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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8.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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9.Ravadinovo Castle Unseen

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 12 reviews · from $33

Explore Ravadinovo Castle near Sozopol with English, Russian, or Bulgarian audio guidance, personal support, and a digital guide. Plan roughly four hours at the castle, then consider the nearby resort town, beach, unique local stops, and aquapark. The private format suits couples, families, and small groups who want flexible sightseeing.

“Get the entrance only ticket. This was double the price. This is not all-inclusive. There is no "unseen" element to this.”

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10.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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11.E-Motorcycle Tour in Old Rock Monastery and Old Roman Fortress

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $126

Meet your English-speaking guide at Historical Park, learn the Sur-Ron electric motorcycle in a short parking-lot test, then ride fields, forest tracks, dirt, and rocks to Kara Peshtera, the thousand-year-old Black Cave monastery. Helmets, glasses, bonnets, water breaks, and a private pace are included.

“Since me and my son has ridden motorcycles before, we managed the ride well. The guide spoke good english and was helpful all the way and guided us through the event. Great nature to ride in!”

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12.Self-guided Tour in Tsarevets Fortress

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 9 reviews · from $11

Explore Tsarevets Fortress independently with a personalized e-guide and flexible entry during opening hours. Walk the old fortified hill, see the former royal complex, visit the modern-painted church, and look across Veliko Tarnovo and the river bends. Plan on two to five hours, with a steep, stony route and no live guide.

“Part of an excursion while sailing on the Danube.”

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13.Private 1-day Trip To Wonderful Bridges-Bachkovo-Asen’s Fortress from Plovdiv

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 6 reviews · from $45

Travel south from Plovdiv to Asen’s Fortress, Bachkovo Monastery, and the Wonderful Bridges in the Rhodope Mountains. Choose a self-guided plan with a personalized e-guide or a private guided option with transport, entrance fees, and a local guide included. The day lasts about eight hours, but confirm pickup and transport costs before booking.

“**SCAM ALERT** DO NOT BOOK THIS TOUR Once we booked, operator asked for 180€ more for transportation. The tour operator was very rude and unprofessional. Would not cancel the reservation, so we ended up pay 93 USD for a google document. The document was Read more”

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14.Skip the Line: Medieval Tuida Fortress tours

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6 reviews · 1 day (approx.) · from $8Best value

Visit Tuida Fortress in Sliven with a mobile ticket and optional English guiding, archery, and medieval clothing. See Roman and Bulgarian remains, fortress gates, towers, basilicas, a baptistery, marble pieces, and an ancient market inscription. The site is best suited to visitors who want context and hands-on activities, not just empty ruins.

“Wonderful tour with interesting fortress. The guide is knowledgeable and the monuments inside are very well preserved. Worth exploring if around!”

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15.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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