We arrived late to the monastery, so we just made a short visit to the premises, I stepped on the stairs leading to the first floor and immediately I was kicked out by super unfriendly monk (they really do not like visitors, unless you pay for the accommodation there). Early morning we made the proper visit to the Monastery of Saint Ivan of the Rila founded in the 10th century. It is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the deep valley of the Rilska River at an elevation of 1147 m.
Parking location – Rila Monastery: 42.1323644N 23.3394906E