From Sofia: Rila Monastery & Boyana Church Day Tour
Overview
Available languages
8 hours
Mobile ticket
Discover two of Bulgaria’s UNESCO World Heritage gems on this day trip from Sofia. Traveling by minibus, admire rural Bulgaria on route to the Rila Monastery in the pine-carpeted Rila Mountains. Take a guided tour of the medieval treasure with its fresco-coated church, and visit its fascinating museum. Then, after time to explore independently, continue to Boyana Church, near Sofia, to marvel at its spectacular pre-Renaissance frescoes. Entrance fees not included.
Important: As of November 2024, Boyana Church now does not take reservations in advance, so we can not guarantee all visits. If entry is unavailable on your booked day, you will be able to visit St. Ivan's Cave at Rila Monastery as an alternative.
Additional Info
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
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.
Minimum traveler age is 6 years old
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Vasil Levski Monument
09:00 departure from the starting point. Be sure to arrive at least 15 minutes before departure.
Boyana Church is a small temple at the outskirts of Sofia with frescoes dating back to three separate periods: 11th, 13th and 19th century. The most important and fascinating are the frescoes dating from 1259. They are Renaissance frescoes that predate the Italian Renaissance (triggered by the works of Giotto) and brake the strict Christian canon law to present pure human emotions, royal figures and folklore elements.
What‘s Included
Driver/Tour guide in English
Transport by air-conditioned minibus
Parking Fees
Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Audio guide in Spanish, Italian, German, Russian or English (approx. 5 euros per person)
Food and drinks
Rila Monastery Museum
Boyana Church
Options
Live English Guided Tour
Guided in English with Boyana: Explore two UNESCO sites with an expert English-speaking guide & free multilingual audio guide.
Rila/Boyana (Exterior Only)
Guided in EN/IT No Boyana ch.: Live EN/IT Guide + Multi-Lang Audio. Boyana Entry NOT guaranteed (Garden visit only).
Online Audio(+Boyana,NO guide)
Rila Monastery & Boyana Church: Two UNESCO sites in one day. Comfortable transport included. Explore at your own pace with online audio. NO live guide.
Rila mon. and Melnik 11 hours
Melnik and Rila monastery: Join this 11 hr-tour to Rila monastery and Melnik with w/ EN guide. Starting time 08:00 am. Boyana church -NOT included.
French Guided Tour
Live French Guided Tour: Explore two UNESCO sites with an expert French-speaking guide & free multilingual online audio.
Online audio incl. Dragalevtsi
Audioguided tour: Enjoy the classic tour to the Rila monastery & Boyana church. Visit the beautiful Dragalevtsi monastery extra.
Online audio tour (NO Boyana)
Audioguided tour, No Boyana: Live guide, Boyana -NOT included. Includes an online audioguide. Accompanying tour conductor will speak different language.
Spanish Guided (NO Boyana)
Guided in ES (No Boyana ch.) : Pro Spanish Guide & Free Multi-Lang Audio. More time at the monastery. No Boyana visit.
Italian-guided (NO Boyana)
Guided in IT (No Boyana ch.): Visita guidata in italiano al monastero di Rila. NON include la chiesa di Boyana.
Spanish Guided tour
English live BONUS Dragalevtsi
English guided: Enjoy the classic tour to the Rila monastery & Boyana church. Visit the beautiful Dragalevtsi monastery as an extra
Italian Guided tour
Rila and Boyana: Explore two UNESCO sites with an expert Italian-speaking guide & free multilingual online audio.
Reviews
878 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Fantastic tour with a super guide
Simone C,Apr 1, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Exceptional tour. Fantastic organization and punctuality. The guide Velislava was super, very prepared, helpful and attentive to every detail. I recommend the tour
Simply a tour not to be missed..
Ignazio A,Mar 31, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Everything perfect, the guide was very good and speaks perfect Italian .. Two historic sites not to be missed..
Visit not to be missed
Riccardo R,Mar 21, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Fantastic place and full of spiritual charm. Not for nothing is it a UNESCO heritage site. If I really have to move a note is related to the number of participants, full bus and risk of not being able to enter all at the first visit. Maybe it would be better to make groups attached to the presence allowed in the first site but I realize that business is business........ Anyway in the end everything is fine thanks to the mediation of the guide.
Good.
Meli S,Mar 15, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00I would have liked more historical information and a little more time in the monastery of rila, the time is just enough if you want to see all the museums of the monastery. Combined admission to the museums of the unguided Rila Monastery costs 12 euros. The walk was fine, it would add more time to be able to visit all the museums without rush.
Very bad service
MariaDolores M,Mar 9, 2026
- Review from Viator
1.00Quite a disuse. Calling the bus lord... who answered me once to look and help nothing. He was wn the street behind and he wouldn't give me instructions just to watch. I called him several times. Then I stop picking up the phone. He hung up on me. They went in front of me. And you told me to take a taxi. I'm gonna claim. You don't have many days in a foreign country. And people like that ruin your vacation.
Deceptive pricing
AJ E,Mar 7, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00Deceptive website. It is not the individual guide's fault, but I paid extra for ticket that was to include Boyana Church. Now I'm informed this will be 6 Euros cash additionally for entrance. What kind of company makes you pay extra for a Boyana option when you book Rila ticket, and then this doesn't cover cost of admission? I have limited cash and limited patience. I'd expect something like this from a dishonest cab driver, but not from an established company..
Rila Monastery + Boyana Church
zroghif,Mar 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A really interesting trip discovering some of the most precious monuments in Bulgaria. Our guide was kind and super friendly — he didn’t just show us around the monuments, he also gave us a glimpse into the history and identity of the Bulgarian people.
Excursion to Rila
Mercedes L,Feb 24, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00Almost the guide is great, very nice and friendly, he was all the way giving explanation of everything you saw along the way. Peter the very good driver.
Rila Monastery , Boyana Church
monica r,Feb 14, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00We took part in today's visit with guide Zahari Nikolov. We really appreciated his professionalism and his preparation. Great experience
Svet was an awesome tour...
Callum S,Feb 2, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Svet was an awesome tour guide, made everything super engaging. Very knowledgeable about all things Bulgaria and a lot of historical references.
From €20.00
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