7 Rila Lakes and Rila Monastery Tour

Overview

Available languages

English

Mobile ticket

IMPORTANT: Entrance in the monastery is only allowed with covered shoulders and covered knees. So please make sure you have appropriate clothes.

Often called the 8th wonder of the world, the Seven Rila lakes are legendary for their beauty and awesomeness. They are one of the most visited natural sites of Bulgaria. We combine them with a visit to the Rila Monastery. The Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, better known as the Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria.

The tour starts at 08:00 and finishes around 19:00.

The driver will pick you up, will take you to the Monastery and will show you around. After that he will take you to the lift to the 7 Rila Lakes, you will be able to go up to the lakes, the driver will stay down and wait for you there. When you come back, he will pick you from the lift and bring you back to Sofia.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

The drive to the monastery is around 1.5 - 2.5 hours, depending on traffic

Cancellation Policy

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

What‘s Included

WiFi on board

Driver

Air-conditioned vehicle

Food and drinks

Gratuities

Lift to The Seven Rila Lakes

What To Expect

Rila Monastery

The amazing Rila Monastery

1 hour•Admission Not Applicable

The breath taking 7 Rila Lakes

5 hours•Admission Not Included

Options

7 Rila Lakes and Rila Monastery tour

Reviews

4.52

125 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

An overall great experience..!!
Stelios S,
Jul 16, 2025
- Viator
5.00
An overall great experience..!! A day away from the city and close to nature. A beautiful monastery in a green landscape. As for the 7 lakes, it's a stunning scenery with breathtaking views. It is recommended for everyone to visit it, either take the short route with fewer lakes or the long one with all 7 lakes.
Rila Monastery and 7 Lakes Tour
Ahmed K,
Jul 7, 2025
- Viator
5.00
Great experience we were in small groups of 4/5 people, the tour followed the steps marked in the booking, Apostolos was very good at providing us with information and creating a nice atmosphere during the trip to the attractionsIt was a great experience and I recommend it to everyone!
Dont think..just buy and gooo hike😀😀
sylwia z,
Jun 20, 2025
- Viator
5.00
Its worth it!!!! Mountains are amazing even if sun its trying to melt u down ,haha😂😂 Best guide and driver 😀😀
Great full day trip.
Joseph B,
Jun 2, 2025
- Viator
5.00
It was beautiful, both places. But please do your research on weather. We picked perfect day and had perfect time. Tour people cannot control that. Bus was comfortable, driver did great navigating mountain roads. Hike at 7 lakes was amazing, but little muddy as there is still snow. Tour guide was willing to help everyone navigate even with different languages.
Optical wonder but little time
Gisele M,
Jun 2, 2025
- Viator
4.00
It is a very complete Tour but with little time. In the Monastery of Rila you can only stay 45min and there is no time to visit the cave. The excursion to the 7 lakes is wonderful but there are important things to highlight, the first is that you do not get on "elevator" but open chairlift. Important for those with vertigo because they are 20 minutes. It is supposed to be possible to visit up to 5 lakes in 2h but if you want to see the landscape... impossible. Either you go hiking without taking your eyes off the ground or you don't even reach 3. It is not an easy route and you have to go Very well equipped mountain (the track is rocky, with a lot of mud and quite uneven). It's beautiful but they'd have to give more notice of the departure characteristics. We only have 3h and it is very fair to do the lakes, see landscape, eat ... Recommendation: Rila Monastery one day only and 7 lakes another whole. They deserve it because of the distance and the scenery.