Rila Monastery and Boyana Church: A UNESCO Sites Shuttle Day Tour Experience

Embark on a captivating 8-hour day tour to the Rila Monastery and Boyana Church, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Explore ancient frescoes, learn their history, and enjoy free time in the picturesque mountains.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral - The meeting point for the tour is Behild Alexander Nevsky Cathedral at 8:45. The departure is at 9am. Please be on time!
What's Included
  • Trip to Boyana Church and Rila Monastery
  • Transportation by comfortable bus/minibus
  • Parking fees
  • English-speaking guide or driver (depending on option)
What's Not Included
  • Boyana church entrance ticket - approx. 6 euro per person (12 lev)
  • Rila Monastery museum + monk room entrance ticket - approx. 4 euro per person (8 lev)
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pick up and drop off
Additional Information

Experience a day amidst the mountains touring 2 UNESCO heritage sites - Rila Monastery and Boyana Church. This full-day tour of 8 hours, conducted in English, is organized for a group led by a professional guide. Your time at the monastery will include a 40-minute guided tour and you will be given 2.5 hours of free time for photography, visiting museums…

Location
Rila Monastery Trip from Sofia
ulitsa "Oborishte"
The meeting point for the tour is BEHIND Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, near to cafe La Cathedrale. Ask for travel agency City Tour. Please be there at 8:45am. The van/bus departs at 9am and will not wait for you if you are late.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(642 Ratings)
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Annaaguidi
Jan 8, 2025
Fantastic experience - Very nice experience! Tuni was a great guide. The monastery is beautiful and worth the trip. I’d suggest going if you’re in Sofia
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Voyager27910787469
Jan 8, 2025
Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Tour - The excursion was fantastic and our Tuni guide was very careful and scrupulous in making us fully enjoy the uniqueness visited!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Travel36085634258
Jan 1, 2025
Highly Recommend This Tour! - I really enjoyed my trip to the Rila Monastery. The guide, Simeon, was incredibly knowledgeable and shared so much interesting information about the monastery and the surrounding area. He was also super friendly and made sure everyone felt informed throughout the day. The whole trip was well-organized, and the monastery itself is absolutely stunning. I’d highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Sofia!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
I4955zjmichaelm
Jan 1, 2025
Everything great - Very nice organized trip . Stanislava, our guide has gone to incredible lengths. Gladly again
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mustafa_a
Dec 31, 2024
Good trip - It was a very good trip, Rila monastry and the surrounding forest snow rivers bridges were majestic. Simo, our guide was qualified and kind person.
Review provided by Viator
703edmundh
Dec 28, 2024
Highly recommended - Fantastic tour by a very knowledgeable, helpful and friendly guide . Would not hesitate to recommend this tour to all travellers
Review provided by Tripadvisor
97tarasg
Dec 26, 2024
Totally worth it - Perfect option for a packed day! The driver/guide handles everything, and both the Boyana frescoes and Rila Monastery are absolutely breathtaking. Just remember to budget for the extra entrance fees—they’re totally worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jalbertrod
Dec 25, 2024
Visit Monastery of Rila - A wonderful setting, we could only see the Rila monastery since it was December 25 and the church of Boyana is closed for visits, yet the site is very nice and the setting is really beautiful
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Johannesv622
Jan 9, 2025
Stimulating trip at historically important sites! - We went on this tour with our guide Tuni in January 2025 and I can wholeheartedly recommend others do the same. The Rila monastery is beautiful and Tuni is able to tell you about it in detail as well as about Orthodox Christianity in general. The bus was comfortable and the driver drove safely. Visit to the Boyana church is quite quick, but worth seeing as it features frescoes from the 13th century and slightly resembles the Gracanica monastery in Kosovo. You can clearly see why these two destinations are UNESCO heritage sites and why they play such a crucial role in Bulgarian history and cultural heritage. Only minuses from the trip were the uncertainty concerning food, so definitely bring some snacks along, as well as the poor audio system in the bus which made some of Tuni’s speeches difficult to understand.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kristin_v
Dec 22, 2024
Good tour for those wanting to see Rila - Simeon/Simon was a wonderful guide. He was organized, kind, and knowledgeable. The 4 stars was due to the tour company forcing the guide to deal with 2 different language groups at one time, rather than providing a guide for each group. Simeon was wonderful, but he shouldn't have been put in that position as it did detract from the enjoyment of the tour. But would still recommend as Rila is a must see.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
January 2025
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