I visited this WHS in 2023 as a full day trip between Sofia and Pirin. Since I was convinced to leave my car outside the monastery overnight, I decided against sleeping at the monastery, so I drove out of Sofia very early on purpose and I arrived at the monastery before the parking officials on duty (after around an hour and a half of exploring the place practically on my own, I went back outside to pay for a parking ticket when they arrived) and well before the improvised security officials who make sure tourists don't climb upstairs in the monastery or take photos inside) - well I obeyed them since I had already took more than enough photos from every angle possible. A cleaning volunteer was quite impressed to see my interest and invited me to visit the interesting kitchen area and tower for free. Towards the rear entrance, we found a relaxing spot by the water and tried out the freshly baked Rila bread.

The Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is over 1,000 years old and is the most important spiritual center of the country, housing around 60 monks. The frescoes, finished in 1846, are the work of many masters from Bansko, Samokov and Razlog, including the famous Zograf brothers, and the church is also home to many valuable icons, dating from the 14th to the 19th century. Porticos in the courtyard have Mamluk influence with the striped painting and the domes, which became more popular in the Ottoman Empire after the conquest of Egypt. Most exterior frescoes have been restored and if inspected closely and attentively, you'll notice a marked difference in colour and detail between the upper newly restored scenes and the older lower scenes (especially those with the impressive countless demons!).

The four-storey (not counting the basement) residential part of the complex consists of 300 chambers, 4 chapels, an abbot's room, a kitchen (worth visiting!), a library and a donor's room. The exterior of the complex, with its high walls of stone and little windows, looks more like a fortress than a monastery. The monastery is also a popular pilgrimage site for many Orthodox Christians as well as hikers who hike to/from the monastery to the popular Seven Rila Lakes. I skipped the latter in favour of more time at Pirin National Park, another WHS. The star location of this WHS is surely the Rila Monastery, and the other 4 locations are nothing more than a worthwhile detour at best. I would'nt have qualified them as a "worthwhile" detour either had I visited on foot, and wouldn't allow much less time to properly visit the Rila Monastery in favour of visiting all the other locations if pressed for time. There is a UNESCO WHS inscription sign near the main entrance of the Rila Monastery but no metal plaque.