Bachkovo Monastery & Asen's Fortress - day tour from Plovdiv

We had a half day tour with Stoyan, who had a lot of interesting things to say, not only about the monastery and fort but also wider life and history in Plovdiv and Bulgaria. And it was the only practical way of seeing both in a morning.

Amazing tour by the guide Stoyan, who is passionate for the history of Bulgaria. And his English is excellent. Recommended to anyone who wants a terrific day trip from Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Excellent day tour from Plovdiv to Bachkovo Monastery and Ansen’s Fortress with guide Stoyan. His English is excellent given he lived in the USA earlier in his life, and after working in tourism for a number of years, he truly understands customer service. Stoyan did a terrific job detailing the layers of Bulgarian history while walking us through 2 beautiful sites in the picturesque Rhodape mountains. He explained the frescos and helped us to understand and appreciate the historical importance of these sites. He made our time enjoyable, and is highly recommended to any English speaking visitors. Thanks Stoyan! Steve & Mimi.

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!

An amazing experience in the rhodope mountains, understanding and learning pieces of religion and iconography. Murals were out of this world and the monasteries were incredibly beautiful. We also experienced a baptism taking place in bachkovo which was quite special. Fragments of bone from Christ and also various saints also can be seen alongside a 1000 year old holy shrine of Mary. Climbing up the steps is really rather tame, I was expecting it to be much worse. Kamen was an amazing tour guide so this made it a much more pleasant experience! Highly recommend for the natural beauty of the mountains and the education on the monastery/fortress.

Both sites are located about 40 minutes from Plovdiv, which allows to limit transportation time and spend more time on the sites. Our guide Kamen was very friendly and interesting! The view of the mountains surrounding the fortress was breathtaking!! I had a great day!

Very interesting excursion from Plovdiv and that allows to see the area around. The sites are located about 40 minutes away, which limits travel time and allows a focus on visits. Our guide Kamen was very friendly, interesting and flexible. Loved the experience!

I am super glad I booked this tour which also included the marvelous bridges. All three sites were extremely interesting and not to be missed. Our guide, Kamen, was extremely professional and very knowledgeable as well as friendly. Really enjoyed this approximately 7 hour tour. I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Plovdiv.

We visited the Assenov Fortress and the Bachkovo Monastery, starting from our hotel in Plovdiv. For us, it was an unforgettable experience that was at once fascinating and fun, in equal measures. We learned a great deal from our friendly and knowledgeable guide, Kalina, who was smart, patient and attentive to our every need. She herself was well traveled and versed in local history, tradition and lore, and thus, we believe, she understood how to make an experience for clients like us. We offer her our highest recommendation.

Communication with Kamen was very easy and seamless from the beginning and he’s very responsive. Our airport transfer went smoothly but the real highlight was our guided tour to Assen Fortress, Bachkovo Monastery, and Wonderful Bridges. Our guide was Chris and he was incredible - very friendly, knowledgeable, and fun to speak to.