Belogradchik Rocks & Fortress: Full-Day Trip from Sofia

You arrive before the sun burns off the morning mist and the chalky cliffs are still cool to the eye—rows of sandstone spires rise like an ancient audience, watching the valley below. The road from Sofia unfurls through low hills and farmland; by midmorning the bus eases into Belogradchik and the rocks begin to reveal faces: the Madonna, the Eagle, the Schoolgirl. Guides point and prompt imagination, but the formations don’t need names to demand attention—wind and water have been chiseling them for millions of years, and they still feel active, as if the stone might shift under your feet.