Klisura Monastery

The Klisura Monastery of St. St. Cyril and Methodius lies about 85 km from Sofia. It is one of the few mixed monasteries in Bulgaria and the second after the Rila Monastery with a status of a settlement, that is, it has its own postal address and a ZIP code. Klisura Monastery is extremely well maintained and community oriented with a very active participation in the life and development of the region, referred to as the 'spiritual gem of Nortwest Bulgaria'. The Monastery comprises of 2 churches, 3 beautiful National Revival style monastery buildings and a farm, all cuddled in the crisp comfort of the Stara Planina mountain. There is a spring with 'healing' water, a spacious hotel part and a restaurant that serves traditional dishes cooked with fresh local ingredients.

Klisura Monastery runs regular children camps which attract youngsters from all over the country alongside many volunteers from various Christian Orthodox organizations. A church museum, an icon painting workshop, a church shop and a beautiful mountain park with a playground for kids are only few of the additional monastery features that attract the visitors. The local tourist organization can assist with organizing hiking, biking or horse riding tours of the area, and visits to concerts and exhibitions in the nearby bigger towns.

The popular Klisura Monastery - Todorini Kukli peak trail is a moderate difficulty hiking trail that takes about 3.30 hours, offers incredible views and scenery but involves climbing up and down a very steep mountain slope. There are 3 mountain huts near the monastery and the cute spa town of Varshets is only 7 km away.