Klisurski Monastery Travel Video Guide

Klisurski Monastery Travel Itinerary

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Ten kilometres southeast of Berkovitsa, just off the road to the dowdy (and eminently missable) spa town of Varshets, Klisurski Monastery crouches beneath the pine-laden eastern slopes of Mt Todorini Kukli. Completely renovated in the 1990s, the monastery's galleried whitewashed buildings surround a courtyard and a small church, but it's the atmosphere of rural peace - rather than any architectural or historical pedigree - that's the real attraction here. The woods outside the monastery walls are worthy of exploration, although the numerous new tracks bulldozed by forestry workers have made it difficult to pick out the hiking route to Todorini Kukli (and onwards to the Hizha Petrohan on the other side) which once existed here.

Three daily buses from Berkovitsa to Varshets go past the access road to the monastery, from where it's a pleasant 2.5km walk (bearing left after 200m) to the monastery itself. Catching a bus back can be more problematic: you'll have to

enquire at Berkovitsa bus station about return services from Varshets and make your own calculations as to when you need to be back on the main road ready to flag one down. Walking back to Berkovitsa along the road (2hr) is always an option if you can avoid the summer heat. There are tourist beds at the monastery (tel 048/929074; also bookable through Odysseia-in in Sofia; US$18-36) should you get stuck, and a couple of places outside the monastery gateway serving food and drink.

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