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Rila Monastery & Boyana Church: UNESCO Day Trip
4.6
837 Ratings
Sofia
Embark on a UNESCO World Heritage day trip from Sofia to explore the stunning Rila Monastery and Boyana Church. Choose from guided tours or transport-only options.
Embark on a UNESCO World Heritage day trip from Sofia to explore the stunning Rila Monastery and Boyana Church. Choose from guided tours or transport-only options.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Vasil Levski Monument - Departure is scheduled for 09:00 from the starting location. Please ensure arrival at least 15 minutes prior to departure.
- Boyana Church - Located on the outskirts of Sofia, Boyana Church is a small temple featuring frescoes from three distinct periods: the 11th, 13th, and 19th centuries. The most significant and…
- Vasil Levski Monument - Departure is scheduled for 09:00 from the starting location. Please ensure arrival at least 15 minutes prior to departure.
- Boyana Church - Located on the outskirts of Sofia, Boyana Church is a small temple featuring frescoes from three distinct periods: the 11th, 13th, and 19th centuries. The most significant and captivating frescoes are from 1259. These Renaissance frescoes precede the Italian Renaissance (initiated by Giotto’s works) and break away from strict Christian canon law to depict genuine human emotions, royal figures, and folklore elements.
- Rila Monastery - Rila Monastery is a symbol of Bulgaria and a favored tourist attraction. Nestled deep within the Rila Mountain, it lies between the Rilska and Drushliavitza Rivers, at an elevation of 1147 meters (3760 feet) above sea level. It is located 120 kilometers south of Sofia.
- Vasil Levski Monument - Return to the starting location is expected around 17:00.
What's Included
- Driver/Tour guide in English
- Transport by air-conditioned minibus
- Parking fees
- Driver/Tour guide in English
- Transport by air-conditioned minibus
- Parking fees
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Audio guide in Spanish, Italian, German, Russian or English (approx. 5 euros per person)
- Food and drinks
- Entrance fees
- Entrance fees
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Audio guide in Spanish, Italian, German, Russian or English (approx. 5 euros per person)
- Food and drinks
- Entrance fees
- Entrance fees
Additional Information
Explore two of Bulgaria’s UNESCO World Heritage sites on this day trip from Sofia. Travel by minibus and enjoy the scenic views of rural Bulgaria on the way to the Rila Monastery, nestled in the pine-covered Rila Mountains. Join a guided tour of this medieval marvel, featuring a church adorned with frescoes, and explore its intriguing museum. After some…
Explore two of Bulgaria’s UNESCO World Heritage sites on this day trip from Sofia. Travel by minibus and enjoy the scenic views of rural Bulgaria on the way to the Rila Monastery, nestled in the pine-covered Rila Mountains. Join a guided tour of this medieval marvel, featuring a church adorned with frescoes, and explore its intriguing museum. After some free time to wander, proceed to Boyana Church, located near Sofia, to admire its stunning pre-Renaissance frescoes. Please note that entrance fees are not included.
Important: Starting November 2024, Boyana Church no longer accepts advance reservations, so visits cannot be guaranteed. If entry is unavailable on your scheduled day, you will have the opportunity to visit St. Ivan’s Cave at Rila Monastery as an alternative.
- Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities
- Not wheelchair accessible or stroller friendly
- Comfortable walking shoes recommended
- Exceptions to the standard program:
- Boyana church will NOT be visited on the following days: 1st of January (the tour starts at 11 AM on that day only); The day of Orthodox Easter; 24th and 25th December.
- Hand disinfectant will be provided for free throughout the tour.
- All touch points in the vehicles will be cleaned frequently.
- Minimum traveler age is 5 years old
Location
bul. "Yanko Sakazov" 9
bulevard "Yanko Sakazov"
IMPORTANT: The meeting point is next to the Vasil Levski Monument, in front of the Embassy of Slovakia. Please be there 15 minutes in advance. This tour is not suitable for children under the age of 5.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(837 Ratings)
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Giuliatv5292br
Aug 22, 2025
Experience not to be missed - An experience not to be missed for those going to Sofia. The Rila Monastery leaves you breathless for its beauty. In this place there is something magical that makes you feel in a world apart. Everything is beautiful, from the interior rich in history to the exterior so characteristic. The advice is to go with a guided tour with a duration of one day (departure in the morning at 9 am and return in mid-afternoon). A special mention to the guide Liubomir, a special boy who does his job with great passion.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paullc1718jo
Aug 18, 2025
Perfect. - Top, well organized and rich in information thanks to Christo's passion for the history of his country. A very good experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Y9163qkgregorys
Jul 17, 2025
- Nice trip to the monastery. Trip incudes a stop at the Boyana church (highly recommended if you haven't seen it) and an optional hike to the cave where the hermit saint whose life inspired the creation of the monastery lived. It's not very long but there is quite a climb, so it may not be for everyone -- but is definitely worth it if you can make it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marftrip
Jul 2, 2025
Well Organized Tour, Definitely Recommend! - Took this tour yesterday, and was pleasantly surprised at how well organized the tour was overall. Our guide Lubo was on top of everything, providing excellent commentary about each site and Bulgaria in general. He was precise with times, managing different guest’s expectations well. Our driver was one of the best bus drivers I’ve ever had - and I’ve done many bus tours around the world! Thank you for a smooth, safe trip!
I agree with other reviewers that three hours onsite is really too much, but that accommodates the clients taking the hike as well. It was a gorgeous day, so I found various shaded areas to sit, rest and reflect, and ended up really enjoying my time there. Thank you for a great day tour, definitely recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jorge_b
Jul 1, 2025
Visit to the beautiful Ryla Monastery - Extraordinary experience since The Ryla Monastery is a masterpiece of architecture that should be visited while visiting Bulgaria. The tour guide was very passionate about the history of Bulgaria. He was also very polite, and accommodating.
Review provided by Viator
Josh_b
Jul 1, 2025
Great Tour of Boyana Church and Rila Monastery with Lubdomir! - We had our tour of Rila Monastery and Boyana Church in February 2025 at 9 am. The day before we got all the information of this so it was easy in the morning. When we first got to the meeting point, there were 3 tour buses. You just say what company you are with and then they point you to the right bus.
Our tour guide was Lubdomir. The first stop was Boyana church, spent about 40 minutes here, in total we had 22 ish people on the tour so we had to go inside the church in 2 groups. Also it was extra payment for Boyana Church (approximately 5 EUR per person) but this was communicated the day before.
After that we left for Rila Monastery. We got there at 12 pm. You had the choice to leave at 1:30 pm to go to a local restaurant where you can pay via card or leave at 2:45 pm from the monastery, the choice was yours which was nice. There was a bakery and some souvenirs outside of the monastery where the local breakfast pastry bread was 1 LEV. After we got driven back to Sofia and finished the tour around 4:45 pm. Solid tour, felt like we had an ample amount of time, nice coach and solid guide.
Review provided by Viator
Explorer60348368647
Jun 23, 2025
I learned a lot from the brief explanation of the main points. - It was very good. The explanation (in English) was a concise summary of the main points, which I learned a lot. The guides were all friendly and it was a fun tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R8833owmarcop
Sep 12, 2025
Monastery of Rila - A place to visit if you stay at least 3 days in Sofia.
Kiosks just outside the monastery only accept cash!
Inside the monastery there are several fountains from which to take fresh water.
The bathrooms, for a fee, are filthy and smelly in a shameful way.
Boyana Church is part of a stopover and is located on the outward route. No use getting inside the church. Nothing relevant.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Luis_m
Aug 17, 2025
Highly recommended both places - Very interesting visit, both Rila and Boyana are a first class destination: Boyana, for the art that can hardly be surpassed, and Rila, for his history so close to that of Bulgaria. We were also in Dragalevtsi, for operational needs of the organization: it is fine but you rating that it is a filler. The local guide, Liubo, very well, both professionally and personally.
Review provided by Viator
James_n
Jun 26, 2025
A good experience in Rila... - A good experience in Rila Monastery. The guide was good and provided a lot of information along the way. Driver was great too.
Review provided by Viator
