Itinerary for a twelve day trip to the Rila mountains in Bulgaria (June 2026)
Introduction
Twelve day trip to hike in the Rila mountain range Bulgaria in June 2026 with two adults. The itinerary also includes cultural-oriented days for variation.
Where possible, links are to an original source or OpenStreetMap.
Activities
Day 1
- Flight to Sofia Airport. Pick up rental car.
- Drive to Samokov (1,5h drive). The city is a great base for our hikes and offers the required conveniences at a very reasonable price.
Day 2
- Loop hike to Scary Lake. You can park here for EUR 4 per day.
- Hike was 13,6km long with 1050m ascent and took about 6,5h (average pace incl. breaks). You can view and download the GPX file here.
Day 3
- Hike to the highest peak in the entire Balkan Peninsula: Musala.
- We took the gondola in Borovets (25 min ascent time) to allow for a day hike. We parked nearby for EUR 8.
- Hike was 14,6km long with 822m ascent and took about 6h (average pace incl. breaks). You can view and download the GPX file here.
Day 4
- Transfer to Sapareva Banya (30 min drive) and relax the rest of the day.
Day 5
- Loop hike to the Seven Lakes.
- We took the cable car (25 min ascent time) to allow for a day hike. You can park nearby for EUR 4.
- Hike was 9km long with 582m ascent and took about 4h (average pace incl. breaks). You can view and download the GPX file here.
Day 6
- Transfer to Stob (1h drive).
- I generally avoid recommending stays but in this case I gladly make an exception: our trip would not have been the same without Petar and his family.
- Visit Rila Monastery. In weekdays in June you should find a parking spot next to the monastery (EUR 3).
- After visiting the Monastery, you can continue down the road and and park your car here to visit the cave of John of Rila.
Day 7
- Hike to the Dry Lake. You can park your car here. Hike was 7,5km long with 516m ascent and took about 3h (average pace incl. breaks). You can view and download the GPX file here.
- Enjoy a fresh trout in one of the many restaurants on the road between Rila and the Monastery. Highly recommend to avoid the two restaurants at the Monastery itself. The Monastery bakery is perfectly fine though.
- Short loop hike with several waterfalls (1,4km long with 108m ascent and took about 30 min). You can view and download the GPX file here
Day 8
- Visit Kordopulov House. Entry fee is EUR 5. You can also view the Melnik Pyramids.
- Visit Rozhen Monastery.
- Visit the Baba Vanga domain and hot springs in Rupite.
Day 9 - 11
- Return rental car at the airport (1,5h drive from Stob) and take the metro (EUR 0,80 / ticket) to Sofia.
- Explore Sofia. Tip: Sofia History Museum (EUR 5 / adult).
- Optional add-on: daytrip to Plovdiv.
Flights
| Day | Destination |
|---|---|
| 1 | Flight to Sofia Airport |
| 11 | Return flight |
Stays
| Night | Location |
|---|---|
| 1 - 3 | Stay in Samokov. |
| 4 - 5 | Stay in Sapareva Banya |
| 6 - 8 | Stay in Stob |
| 9 - 11 | Stay in Sofia |
Cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Flight (intra-EU) | EUR 460 |
| Car (8 days) | EUR 202 |
| Hotel night 1 - 3 (incl. breakfast) | EUR 331 |
| Hotel night 4 - 5 (incl. breakfast and dinner) | EUR 345 |
| Hotel night 6 - 8 (incl. breakfast and dinner) | EUR 350 |
| Hotel night 9 - 11 (incl. breakfast) | EUR 403 |
| Local expenses (train, gas, tickets, food and restaurants) | EUR 700 |
| Total for 2 adults | EUR 2791 |
Notes
- The budget included upper mid-end stays. Should you so prefer, you could significantly lower your expense without much sacrifice.
- It is typically a lot more crowded during the weekends, even in June. Ideally, you avoid planning the Seven lakes hike (Day 5) in the weekend.
- Before starting dinner, we highly enjoyed sharing a Shopska Salad with Rakia.