Tucked away in the dense forests at the foot of the Vitosha Mountains, you will find a beautiful little monastery of the Mother of God named Dragalevtsi after the district in which it is located.
The best way to visit the monastery is on a hike in the Vitosha Mountains.
Dragalevtsi Monastery was founded in 1345, but was completely destroyed not long after when Bulgaria fell under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
It was rebuilt in the 15th century into a very large complex of many buildings. Only the monastery church has survived to the present day. All the buildings that now house the monks were built during the 20th century.
Visit to the monastery
The gardens and the monastery church are open to the general public every day. From April to September from 7:00-18:00 and the rest of the year from 8:00-17:00.
Admission is free.
The interior of the church with its beautiful frescoes is definitely worth a visit. Unfortunately, it is forbidden to take photos inside.
How to get there
Dragalevtsi Monastery lies just outside the city, about 1.5 km from the southern outskirts of Sofia.
At the parking lot about 150 meters from the entrance there is a bus stop of line 66, which runs from Vitosha metro station to the Moreni Hotel. Remember that the bus stop is on request and is not announced on the bus, so ideally keep an eye on the online map for your location and hit the stop button in time.
Line 66 runs once an hour on weekdays and 20-30 minutes on weekends. For timetables, visit sofiatraffic.bg.
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