Day trips from Sofia

I went to Sofia last november for business and had a spare day so walked around the city seeing most of the tourist attractions. I%26#39;m coming again this year and would like to see something new. Please could you recommend anything I can do in 1 day that might be a bit further out of the city. I%26#39;ve read a bit about Plodiv and the Rila Monastery - are these places you can visit in a day by public transport easily?

Is November a good time for these places? last year I took a taxi up Mount Vitosha but were disappointed with the views due to the fog so we know it%26#39;s not worth doing that again.

I look forward to your responses.

Thanks

Emma

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You can get to Plovdiv by train or bus. I don%26#39;t the details but they were on the forum so you can search for them. The train takes about 2 hours.

Rila monastry is beautiful, but I have no idea how to get there by public transport.

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hi Emma,

In November you could also expect fogs at both Rila and Plovdiv. Rainy/cloudy/rainy weather can be also expected. Same for the snow, especially if you head to Rila monastery as it is in Rila mountain, while Plovdiv is in the field.

To Plovdiv it%26#39;s a little bit less than 2 hours by bus, and buses run each round hour from the Central bus station, the ticket price now is 13 BGN one way (~6,5 Euro). By memory, the 1st bus is at 7am and the last one from Plovdiv to Sofia- at 7pm or 8pm. Check the up to date schedule at http://www.centralnaavtogara.bg/cbs/home.nsf/vPagesLookup/home~en?OpenDocument

I can%26#39;t tell you for the train trip as I didn%26#39;t take it for years.

As for the Rila Monastery, I%26#39;ve been there only by car. I checked now BG travel forums + bus schedules, and there%26#39;s no info for direct bus line (except for offers from tour companies for organized visits of the monastery). There%26#39;s info that one should take bus from Ovcha kupel quarter of Sofia to the town of Rila and to get other bus from there to the Rila Monastery. Perhaps there%26#39;s a direct line already (as the posts seem a bit outdated) but I didn%26#39;t find it in web.

Considering the above, the longer route (2,5+ hours), the fact that the last leg of this route is not through flat terrain, and the possibility of frozen roads (i.e. extending the travel time), I%26#39;d skip the Rila monastery for a November visit by public transport, and wouldn%26#39;t recommend you self-driving.

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Thanks for your advice. Would you recommend driving there is we rented a car?

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Driving to Ploviv is easy- straight ahead from the Eastern exit of Sofia (the one which is near to the airport, both terminals). It%26#39;s a 1st class road, 2 lines each direction, plenty of fuel stations with eating places along the way (though the trip is rather short and you won%26#39;t necessarily need stopovers).

Driving to Rila Monastery:

- from Sofia the most part of route is OK but the last leg is rather mountain terrain, tight road and not the best surface (politely said);

- from Plovdiv... hard to say. It%26#39;s mostly mountain driving, many shapes. I love it but it makes many people feel sick. If you%26#39;re fine with it, the next thing to care is navigation. Best for one driving for the first time is combining GPS with paper map. Do not miss the paper map as the GPS might loose signal

You can check the route on google maps to get an idea about terrain.

For road map, use this www.bgmaps.com/home.asp…