Overview
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We are the only company that offers this unique combination of tour to Rila Monastery and Plovdiv in one day. Visit the two most visited locations in one day with this amazing tour. The Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila is the largest and most famous monastery in Bulgaria. Plovdiv’s history spans 8,000 years, it’s the second biggest city in Bulgaria.
Entrance in the monastery is only allowed with covered shoulders and covered knees. Please have appropriate clothes.
We won't have time for a restaurant meal, just packed lunch or fast food.
Approximate schedule, it can be plus/minus 30 minutes at those stops depending on traffic:
07:45 Meet and leave Sofia
09:15 Arrivel at Rila Monastery
10:15 Leaving for Plovdiv
13:30 Some time to walk around Plovdiv
14:00 We join the Free Plovdiv Tour (this is a donation based tour, and the tip for the guide is not included in the price of the tour)
16:00 Time to walk around and optionally grab some food
17:00 We leave Plovdiv
18:30 We arrive in Sofia
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What To Expect
Plovdiv Old Town
Visit to Plovdiv
Rila Monastery
Visit to the Rila Monastery
Options
Plovdiv and Rila Monastery tour in one day
What‘s Included
WiFi on board
Driver
Air-conditioned vehicle
Food and drinks
Gratuities
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
87 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Alexander, great guide, he made the difference
hvieira1976,Feb 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00O would like to express my sincere thanks for the excellent one‑day tour to Rila and Plovdiv from Sofia on January 25th. The experience exceeded our expectations and I’m truly grateful for the professionalism and care shown throughout the day. I especially want to highlight our guide, Alexander. His deep knowledge of the sites, engaging explanations and warm welcoming attitude made the entire tour memorable. He created a comfortable atmosphere from the very beginning, always concerned about our kids safety, gave us free time to enjoy the places and shared the history and culture of Bulgaria in a way that was both insightful and enjoyable. It’s clear that he is passionate about what he does and it made a real difference in the quality of the experience.
cute.
Davide P,Dec 16, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00cute experience, beautiful Rila monastery without tourists (Monday morning). The guide, Apostolos, kind, friendly and listens to good music 😊
Great trip
Gurdeep R,Dec 6, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Our tour guide Apostolos was amazing very knowledgeable and helpful we as a family had a great time . Thanks
A very interesting outside Sofia
valeria m,Nov 10, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Our driver was wonderful. Nice, professional. Good driver. Beautiful, comfortable hike, with all amenities. Highly recommended
Beautiful sights but rushed
E d,Oct 23, 2025
- Review from Viator
3.00We enjoyed Plovdiv and the Rila Monastry. Both are must sees when you are in Bulgaria. In retrospect we don't find the combination of these two tours in one day convenient because there is too little time to look around, no time for lunch, and you are in a van for a total of 8 hours. Tip not to join the hike in Plovdiv because you will not see everything
We loved this trip!...
Cynthia B,Oct 8, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We loved this trip! Alexander was so informative and interesting to talk to. He is clearly very smart and enjoys sharing his passion for history. Plovdid is such an interesting place! The two hour tour was a good overview but I need to come back and spend a week next time. Rila monastery was beautiful but an hour was plenty of time there. If you have limited time like we did, this was a great way to see two of the best bulgarian sights.
Plovdiv and Rila Monastery: Consolidate two Unescorted sites in a day
Ileana I,Aug 7, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This was a long day, but it was worth the time and money. Our driver/host Apostolos inew a lot about the country and kept us on track while ensuring we had opportunity to stop for food and bathroom. We very much enjoyed the 2hr walking free tour (tip based) that Apostolos arranged for us( we learned a lot about Plovdiv from our very knowledgeable local tour guide. We had enough time at the Rila Monastery to walked around and admire the architecture and religious wealth. We wished that we had received the audio tour hyperlink from the company that runs the tour one day in advance, as we had planned our time there more efficiently. However, we strongly recommend the tour.
Wonderful day outside of Sofia
Allison E,Jun 15, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Apostolous was a great guide and very knowledgable. It was a long day but he was very accommodating and paced the trip right for our group. I am so glad we got to venture outside of the city with him!
Disappointment.
51mariapilars,Jan 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00Rila Monastery is highly recommended. I score low because the Bulgarian agency canceled the day before the visit to Plovdiv, and in exchange offered us a hike on high lakes on our own in December, or spend 5 hours in a village without major attraction, which is what we ended up doing. The driver was just that, taxi driver who told us absolutely nothing about the excursion.
TRAVEL TO RILA MONASTERY AND PLOVDIV
N5716FPelenar,Sep 24, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The experience has been very good, excellent behavior of our Guide. A little long journey but worth it We will repeat
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