Bulgaria · MONASTERY TOURS
Rila is the one everyone comes for: striped arcades, a courtyard of painted judgement scenes, mekitsi at the gate. These 15 get you there and back, most of them pairing it with Boyana Church, each with its price, its pickup point and how long you actually get inside the walls.
Visit Boyana Church and Rila Monastery from Sofia in one day, with frescoes, mountain views, museums, local food, and comfortable transport.
“I enjoyed the trip very much. Especially, guide named Hristo was great, knew a lot about the venues and spoke in a really great way. I learned quite a lot about the history of Bulgaria as well as about art on that land which I find amazing.”
Review of Sofia’s Rila Monastery and Boyana Church day tour, with practical advice on timing, costs, guides, transport, frescoes, and value.
“Our guide, Ina, was amazing, very knowledgeable and helpful with any questions we had, very good value for money”
Review of Sofia’s 7 Rila Lakes and Rila Monastery day trip, with hiking advice, transport details, costs, timing, and practical tips.
“What an extraordinary view. I hiked all the way up through 6 lakes. The view at #7 was covered by the weather front moving in. It was even more gorgeous with some snow all over. Sweet views.”
Review of Sofia’s Rila Monastery and Boyana Church tour, with practical details on timing, costs, guides, transport, and what to expect.
“Very poorly organized. For some reason, a few of us got put in an Italian tour and the guide Karolina, although knowing perfectly how to speak English, didn't explain to us about basic logistics of ticket purchasing and later told us: "you are not in a guided tour so I shouldn't be even talking to you in English at all". Incredible. The monastery was beautiful but the stop was too long and we were all freezing.”
Visit Rila Monastery and Boyana Church from Sofia with transport, free time, optional guides, and practical tips for a full cultural day.
“I informed the operator that I was going to cancel the trip because of my sons health but he did not even reply even after multiple texts.”
Hike Bulgaria’s Seven Rila Lakes, ride the chairlift, and visit Rila Monastery on a demanding, worthwhile day trip from Sofia.
“Radi and the driver were absolutely brilliant. From the start we relaxed under their leadership, They were professional, informative, relevant, flexible, caring and anticipated our every need. And most importantly they were also friendly and great fun. Thank you guys, you are a massive asset to your company.”
Review of Sofia’s Rila Monastery day tour, with optional St. Ivan Cave hike, practical tips, costs, timing, transport, and value.
“Great day trip! Everything was well organised and ran on time and the guide was very helpful and knowledgeable. The Monastery is beautiful and definetly worth visiting!”
Visit Rila Monastery and Boyana Church from Sofia on an affordable full-day tour with countryside views, local lunch, and an English-speaking guide.
“The monastery was breathtakingly beautiful and an excellent place to take pictures, fully immersed in nature. However our driver wasn’t that good so our stomachs felt every curve (and the road was full of curves). The restaurant we stopped at wasn’t the best, but nothing too bad. Apart from this, I would recommend the tour”
Visit UNESCO-listed Rila Monastery and soak in Sapareva Banya’s mineral pools on a practical, relaxing day trip from Sofia.
“I'm traveling all over the world, and almost all the time I'm doing everything alone, without guides or excursions this is one of the rare times that I decided to take one, just because of the rainy day. It was a fantastic idea! Georgi, out guide was incredibly patient with us, he answered all my questions, and we were peaceful in the way that he treated us even to choosing our food at the restaurant!”
Visit Rila Monastery and hike Bulgaria’s Seven Rila Lakes on an 11-hour Sofia day trip with transport, mountain views, and practical guidance.
“Really recommend this trip! Our tour guide Apostolos was very friendly and a very safe driver. We had ample time to visit the monestary and the mountain. We also had the opportunity to rent out snow boots at the bottom of the mountain, which we very much needed as snow was deep on the mountain this December. Overall, a trip that is definetly worth the while!”
See Plovdiv and Rila Monastery from Sofia in one long day, with free time, local tips, maps, and comfortable shared transport.
“A very well organised and enjoyable trip. Would highly recommend”
Review of Sofia’s Rila Lakes and Rila Monastery day trip, with hiking advice, chairlift costs, timing, transport, and practical tips.
“Philip was our host, and gave a great overview of the itinerary. We had a safe driver. It was a great itinerary. The monastery is beautiful, but the hike is epic. Go all the way to the top for the most epic views.”
Review of Sofia’s Rila Monastery tour, with mountain scenery, optional cave, museum, or spa, practical tips, value, and honest drawbacks.
“it was great, the monastery is beautiful and the journey was great to see outside of Sofia. our guide Yani was very warm and knowledgeable about the history of bulgaria and very pleased to share his knowledge”
Explore Plovdiv, Asen’s Fortress, and Bachkovo Monastery from Sofia on a small-group day trip with transport and entry fees included.
“Fantastic! I had a personal tour with Mika, who is extremely knowledgeable and kind and speaks perfect English! She and I didn't stop talking for the whole day, and she led me to the most interesting places in Plovdiv - a gorgeous town, the fascinating Asen's Fortress, and breathtaking Bachkovo monastery. As a PhD archaeology student, she knows SO much complex Bulgarian history and was really able to bring it alive. Plus she went out of her way to help me find food to buy for my American friend who broke her hip here in Sofia. Highly, highly recommend!! Ask for her by name!”
Review of Sofia’s Rila Lakes and Monastery tour, with hiking advice, weather warnings, lift costs, timing, guides, and value tips.
“To take the trip to the rila monastery and the Rila lakes was the best decission we made during our visit of Sofia. My girlfriend and I had an amazing experience exploring the beautiful nature of Bulgaria. Our guide/driver Stoyan made the trip even more memorable with his enthusiasm and knowledge about the place and Bulgarian history. He was really helpfull and ready to answer all our questions, we would really recommend him as a guide! Bulgaria had a lot more to offer than I expected. I would really recommend this trip!”
Every kind of day out, and the best of each.
