From Sofia: Rila Monastery and Plovdiv Day Trip
4.9
35 Ratings
Sofia
Experience the best of Bulgaria in just one day with a self-guided, shared shuttle tour. Visit the UNESCO Rila Monastery in the morning and explore the cultural capital of Plovdiv in the afternoon.
Duration:
12 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Rila Monastery - Explore the UNSECO Rila Monstery at your own pace
- Plovdiv - Scroll through the culture capital of Bulgaria at your own pace. Or maybe join the free walking tour of the city. Your driver will leave you at a convenient place close to the city center for a tour of your own.
- Rila National Park - Enjoy the stunning views of Rila National park while at the Rila monastery.
- Rila Mountains - Enoy the stunning views of the Rila Mountains
What's Included
- Professional driving services
- Shared transfers to Plovdiv city and Rila monastery by comfortable A/C minibus
- English speaking host
- Transportation with airconditioned vehicle
What's Not Included
- Entrance fees (optional) Rila monastery museum : 8 BGN per person
- Guiding services
- Meals & personal expenses
Additional Information
Discover the highlights of Bulgaria in just one day on this independently-guided, collective shuttle excursion. The trip covers two significant spots - the UNESCO World Heritage Rila Monastery situated in the Rila National Park during the daybreak, and later in the noon, it would be the town of Plovdiv, recognized as Bulgaria’s cultural heartthrob. The shuttle service in the morning will drive you to the Rila Monastery, offering you more than an hour to independently explore the location. The area is not extensive, thus the duration is sufficient to view its vital features. Afterward, in the afternoon, the communal shuttle winds through Bulgaria’s picturesque mountains for a 3.5-hour journey to reach Plovdiv town - an often frequented cultural and historic attraction in the country. You accrue over 4.5 hours to independently explore the historic town center. The driver is equipped with a tourist map and notable sightseeing suggestions.
- A dress code is required to enter the Rila Monastery. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
- A moderate amount of walking is involved in the city of Plovdiv
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- The duration of transfers are approximate, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions
Location
Parking „Knyaz Aleksander I Sq.“
Directions: The car parking is located at Knyaz Aleksander I square, in front of The Palace - National Art Gallery. The nearest metro station is Serdika. Vehicles have Rila Shuttle sign on the front window.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(35 Ratings)
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Peter
Mar 17, 2024
Great combo day-trip - This day trip is a great combo that gives an opportunity to visit both an intererestimg monastery and an city with a lot of history. Our guide Philip was an excellent guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Valentina_l
Mar 13, 2024
Awesome experience - The whole trip was amazing. Coupling Rila monastery with Plovdiv was the best choice ever. We had plenty of time to visit both sites. Philip was the best you could ask for. He organise the whole trip perfectly and gave us so much info about the 2 visited places and bulgariar history too. He also created a WhatsApp group to communicate with him and the other passenger in an easier way. I highly recommend it!!!!
Review provided by Viator
Valla82
Mar 12, 2024
Awesome experience - The whole trip was amazing. Coupling Rila monastery with Plovdiv was the best choice ever. We had plenty of time to visit both sites. Philip was the best you could ask for. He organise the whole trip perfectly and gave us so much info about the 2 visited places and bulgariar history too. He also created a WhatsApp group to communicate with him and the other passenger in an easier way. I highly recommend it!!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fabiock7109pj
Feb 19, 2024
Excellent tour guide - Best trip if you have few days to spend in Bulgaria.
The excellent service is made by Philip, more than a tour guide, he is a person who loves his job, knows how to welcome customers and put them at ease, answers any questions and provides all the details for visiting the attractions. We couldn't ask for better
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Giovina
Feb 12, 2024
Nice trip - Me and my boyfriend decided to get this trip to Rila monastery and Plovdiv and what i have to say, so cool! The planning tour was on point, our guide Philip was such a kinda person, very helpful for every request. He also gave us lot of infos during the trip about what we are going to visit. We recommend you, you will not regret it!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
K6811qxlaurat
Feb 11, 2024
Amazing trip!! 100% recommended - We found this trip on the website but unfortunately it was almost full on the day we wanted and they were so kind that they changed the bus to let us go on this trip! And it was so so worth it: our guide Philip has been really professional, he explained us lots of things during the day and he gave us a lot of suggestions. We really recommend this trip: even if you spend some hours on the bus, it’s really nice to see both places in one day. We visited Rila Monastery in the morning without crowds and in the afternoon we spent some time in Plovdiv which is a really nice town. The time you spend in both places is enough to visit them and also they give you all the help and the advice you need to do it in the best way!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ilaria_madaschi-92
Feb 11, 2024
Philip guide for rila and Plovdiv amazing - All of this was possible thanks to our NICE GUIDE PHILIP, PLEASANT TO LISTEN to and exhaustive in his explanations.
Rila monastery it's amazing a beautiful structure in the middle of the rila mountains , it deserves to be visited early in the morning as soon as it opens to avoid the tourist chaos .
Plovdiv is a city that deserves to be visited for its particularity.
ancient history mixes with worldly and modern life, from the clock tower it is possible to have a panoramic view .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_f
Feb 8, 2024
Trip Plovdiv Rila - Very nice trip. Rila and Plowdiv was a great combination. Excellent for people who want to get the most out of it in a short period of time. Semi guided so you'll get driven to the places but you still can explore them yourself. Our tour guide Philip also answered every upcoming questions and gave ideas and recommendations via chat and papers. Rila monastery looks stunning and Plowdiv is also a nice city with a different vibe then Sofia, so worth seeing. All in all great Trip.
Review provided by Viator
Beluricci
Feb 5, 2024
Very good - Very nice! Plovdiv is beautiful, I emjoyed it a lot and Rila monastery is worth it, but it's only for 1-2 hours. I spent three days in Bulgary and this was my second day and I think it was a very good idea.
Thx!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marta_m
Dec 11, 2023
Must do when in Bulgaria! - I highly recommend this day trip, it was a great experience! Rila Monastery is a real gem, 100% worth visiting. Plovdiv is beautiful and colourful, personally I liked it more than Sofia. The trip itinerary was perfect with sufficient time to explore both places. Huge thanks to our guide Philip for all interesting information. I really liked the idea of creating WhatsApp group with all info, updates etc. Must-do when in Bulgaria!
Review provided by Viator
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