Basarbovo Monastery is Bulgaria's only active rock monastery, cut into limestone above the Rusenski Lom valley just outside Ruse. Stairs lead up to cave chapels and monastic cells, with the pale cliff face giving the small complex a setting far more memorable than its size suggests.
It is an easy half-day trip from Ruse and pairs naturally with the Ivanovo rock churches. Basarbovo is quieter and still devotional, so visit with a little patience rather than expecting a large museum-style monument.