From Sofia:Rila Monastery with Boyana Church or St. Ivan’s Cave
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
Professional Tour Guide OR Cloud Audio Guide App (depending on the selected option you have booked)
Visit to Rila Monastery
Visit to Boyana Church, St. Ivan Cave, OR The Bells Monument (depending on the option you booked)
Parking Fees
Round-trip transport by air-conditioned minibus or coach
Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Food and drinks
Rila Monastery Museum (Optional; entrance to the main courtyard/church is free)
Boyana Church
Options
ITA Live: Rila+Cave(No Boyana)
Italian-speaking guide : Nature route in Italian! Live guide for Rila Monastery & St. Ivan Cave hike. NOTE: Boyana Church is EXCLUDED on this tour.
Audio App: Rila & Boyana
Self-guided tour : Explore at your own pace! Includes transport, entry to Boyana Church (paid locally), and a multi-language Audio Guide App.
ENG Live: Rila, Boyana & Cave
English guided: The Ultimate 3-in-1 Tour! Live English guide. Visit Rila Monastery, Boyana Church & hike to the Cave. Entry paid locally.
ESP Live: Rila+Cave(No Boyana)
Spanish-speaking guide : Nature route in Spanish! Live guide for Rila Monastery & St. Ivan Cave hike. NOTE: Boyana Church is EXCLUDED on this tour.
ENG Live: Rila+Cave(No Boyana)
English-guided tour: Nature route! Live English guide. Visit Rila Monastery & hike to St. Ivan Cave. NOTE: Boyana Church is EXCLUDED on this tour
ITA Live: Rila Mon & Boyana
Rila and Boyana: Tour in Italian! Live guide for Rila Monastery & Boyana Church. (Boyana entry fee paid locally). Audio app for others.
Audio: Rila+Cave (No Boyana)
Audioguided tour, No Boyana: Skip Boyana Church for a nature hike! Visit Rila Monastery & St. Ivan Cave. Transport & multi-language Audio App included.
ENG Live: Rila Mon & Boyana
Guided in English with Boyana: Classic Tour! Live English guide for Rila Monastery & Boyana Church. (Boyana entry fee paid locally). Guaranteed slot.
Reviews
889 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Not enough time at Rila Monastery and no time for lunch
Birgitte B,May 11, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00The tour operator changed our tour the night before resulting in only 2 hours at the Rila Monastery instead of 3 hours (clearly listed on the itinerary). The museum and tower closed at 4:30pm so only leaving 40 min to explore all of the interior after the guide was done with his introduction. It was not enough time and that period was also when time was given to grab some lunch. It is not a good itinerary and we wish we would have received the itinerary we paid for. The bus malfunctioned on the way back causing an hour delay. We left at 9:50am and arrived back at 7:30pm without any real time allotted for eating. We contacted the tour operator who told us two hours is enough to see the Monastery and basically too bad we didn't have enough time to see all of the interior museums. We booked a tour with a morning 3 hour stop at Rila Monastery . It's the only reason we booked this tour. Had we known time would be shortened we would have cancelled this tour and rented a car. All we asked for was what we paid for.
Recommended tour
388vivianab,May 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Tour absolutely recommended. Times and punctuality very respected, Rila Monastery and Boyana Church not to be missed, jewels. We are also lucky for the weather, cool but sunny. The guide Velislava talented, very prepared, perfect Italian and lots of interesting and useful information. Also the driver great driving. Tour made on May 3, 2026.
Rila Monastery yes, Boyana Church no.
CJB 52,Apr 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Rila Monastery is a lovely historic building in a gorgeous forest setting in the mountains. The church is decorated with beautiful and fascinating religious art. The only significant problems are the obsolete Turkish toilets for which you have to pay exactly 0.5 Euro to use, and there is no convenient place to get the necessary coins. The bus ride from Sophia takes 2 hours. If you have the option, avoid Boyana Church as it restricts entry to 6 minutes and costs 6 Euro. The toilet facilities there are totally inadequate for bus tours as you spend half of the time lining up to use them.
Guide VELISLAVA good and competent, interesting trip
micheloner76,Apr 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The guide Velislava was very competent and good. He gave us many explanations about many things about the city of Sofia and its ancient history. The Buona church is small and uninteresting but the Rila Monastery is worth it, also because during the tour you can admire so many things of Sofia city and its surroundings.
Excellent! The 3 visits...
Nuno S,Apr 28, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Excellent! The 3 visits included in the program were all very interesting, with beautiful landscapes during the travelling between them. The guide (Lobomir) was engaging, knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
Rila is magic!
6863mariella,Apr 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00We had specially chosen the visit with the 2 planned sites. However at the first stop, Boyana, the tickets available in the time slot we were in were not enough for everyone... So we were among those who couldn't get into Boyana Church. Luckily at the monastery of Rila we made up for it in the sense that after the introduction of the guide we had 2 abundant hours to freely enjoy the magical atmosphere of the place! This monastery is just 🤩 fantastic!!!
Monastery of Rila
gidalesv,Apr 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The Rila Monastery and the Bojana Church, are beautiful places and thanks to our guide Mrs. Velislava Baltadzhieva, they have become even more beautiful, because she gave us so much information and explanations in the places. Despite the fact that there was a problem with the bus (tyre burst), the guide called the rescue of his group (Traventuria), and after an hour repaired the bus we left. It did not make us weigh even the stop and wait, and was a really good guide! For our guide the rating is 10 and praise
Make sure to bring Euros...
Angelina P,Apr 25, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Make sure to bring Euros with you! Our guide was so friendly and had a lot of fun stories. Great experience.
Monastery of Rila
Maps818574,Apr 19, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Rila Monastery deserves really, very good guide Velislava too
Nice and well organized
RobyVig,Apr 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great program, well organized. The guide Canem spoke very good Italian and was very knowledgeable about monuments, history, religion and made interesting connections with our culture. Really good, made the tour very interesting. Congratulations
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Operated by Traventuria