Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Full-Day Tour
Overview
Available languages
8 hours
Mobile ticket
Join an 8.5–10 hour guided group tour to two UNESCO sites – Rila Monastery and Boyana Church. Enjoy a 40-minute tour at Rila Monastery, followed by 2.5 hours of free time for photos, museums, shopping, or lunch. At Boyana Church, admire its stunning 800-year-old frescoes with a brief guided visit.
Note: Women must cover shoulders and knees in the monastery.
Tip: On busy summer weekends, bring lunch from Sofia to save time.
*Boyana Church is closed on Jan 1, Orthodox Easter Sunday, and Dec 24–25. On these dates, the tour visits only Rila Monastery.
This tour offers a perfect mix of cultural heritage, scenic mountain landscapes, and insightful storytelling from your professional English-speaking guide. Transport is provided by a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle, and the group size allows for a more personal experience. Ideal for history lovers and nature enthusiasts alike!
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Women should have their knees and shoulders covered in the Monastery.
There are not many dining options around the Monastery - there are bakeries where you can enjoy pastry. As an alternative, you can always bring your own food with you.
Bring cash with you (preferably local currency) – the shops and the restaurants in the area of the monastery accept mostly cash payments so it is important to have some money with you.
Please warn us if you have a 0-2 years old baby when you make the reservation so that we can prepare a special seat for them
The visits within the Boyana Church itself are limited to 10 minutes per every group of 8 to 10 people. If you'd like to enter inside, you may also need to queue.
On certain days, such as around holidays in Bulgaria, or when in groups over 100 people, delays are possible and the estimated tour finish time in Sofia could change as far as 18:30.
The Boyana church is closed on the 1st of January, on the Sunday of the Orthodox Easter, on the 24th of December, the 25th of December - and on such days the tour is done only to the Rila Monastery.
Safety Notice: For the safety and enjoyment of all guests, anyone who appears intoxicated or behaves in a way that makes guides uncomfortable may be removed from the tour. No refunds will be issued in such cases.
The order of visits to the Rila Monastery and Boyana Church may be adjusted due to weather conditions or circumstances beyond our control.
On certain days as 18th of May , 17th of September and 1st of November - Your entry to the Boyana church might NOT be guaranteed.
Please note that some of the tour options do not include a visit to Boyana Church, even if it may appear in general destination descriptions. We kindly ask you to read each tour description carefully to ensure it includes the sites you wish to visit before booking. If you are unsure, feel free to contact us for clarification.
Customers who book the Self-Guided Tour (Transportation Only) option do not have guaranteed entry to Boyana Church. Due to the church’s strict timed entry regulations and limited visitor capacity, access inside the church depends on ticket availability at the time of arrival.
Guides are not obligated to provide guided commentary while inside the bus. Explanations and guided tours typically take place at designated stops and attractions rather than during transit.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Vasil Levski Monument
The meeting point for the tour is Vasil Levski Monument, Yanko Sakuzov Blvd 7 at 8:40am . The departure is at 9am. Please be on time!
Rila Monastery
The Rila Monastery is the biggest monastery in Bulgaria. It was established back in the 10th century. The current buildings are from the mid 19th century, with a defensive tower that survived from the 14th century. In the monastery complex you will admire the impressive architecture and frescoes. You will have 40-mintue guided tour and 2.5 hours free time to check the museum, the shops, take photos and have lunch break.
What‘s Included
A trip to to Boyana Chuch and Rila Monastery
Transportation by a comfortable bus/ minibus
Parking fees
English speaking guide OR driver, depending on the booked option
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
Options
Rila Monastery Only - ENGLISH
Rila ONLY ENGLISH (NO BOYANA): This options includes an English-guided visit ONLY to the Rila monastery WITHOUT a visit to the Boyana church.
[TR] Self-guided Tour
Self-guided Tour : With this option, you can discover the two UNESCO sites WITHOUT A GUIDE.
[IT] Guided Tour in Italian
Guided Tour in Italian: Enjoy a Italian-guided tour of the Rila Monastery and the Boyana Church.
RILA MONASTERY ONLY - ITALIAN
Rila ONLY ITALIAN (NO BOYANA): This options includes an Italian-guided visit ONLY to the Rila monastery WITHOUT a visit to the Boyana church.
RILA ONLY/TRANSPORT - NO GUIDE
Rila ONLY Transport-NO BOYANA: Enjoy All Day visit to Rila monastery ONLY, NO VISIT TO BOYANA CHURCH WITHOUT A LIVE GUIDE - visit local museums (optional)
[EN] Guided Tour in English
Guided Tour in English: Enjoy an English-guided visit to both Rila Monastery and Boyana Church.
[AG] Tour with Audio Guide
Tour with Audio Guide: Travel in comfort to Rila Monastery and Boyana Church and discover both sites with an audio guide (NO LIVE GUIDE).
RILA MONASTERY ONLY - SPANISH
Rila ONLY SPANISH (NO BOYANA): This options includes an Spanish-guided visit ONLY to the Rila monastery WITHOUT a visit to the Boyana church.
[ES] Guided Tour in Spanish
Guided Tour in Spanish : Enjoy a Spanish-guided tour of the Rila Monastery and the Boyana Church.
[SG] Smart Audio Guide
Smart Audio Guide: Travel in comfort to Rila Monastery and Boyana Church and discover both sites with an online audio guide (NO LIVE GUIDE).
Reviews
968 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Family-friendly, well-organized day trip to two stunning UNESCO sites
jesper l,Apr 1, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Visited Rila Monastery and Boyana Church on a full‑day tour from Sofia and overall the experience was **very** good.[1] The schedule was well organized, the transport was comfortable, and the timing at each stop felt adequate to explore without being rushed.[1] The guide provided interesting historical background on both sites and answered questions clearly, which made the visit much more meaningful.[1] Rila Monastery is especially impressive for its mountain setting and frescoes, while Boyana Church is small but unique and worth the quick stop for its remarkable medieval paintings.[1] Only minor downside was that the group felt a bit large at times, which made it harder to hear every explanation and caused some waiting when entering the church.[1] Still, the tour is a convenient and efficient way to see both UNESCO sites in one day, and would be happily recommended to other families visiting Sofia.[1]
Too much time allotted, large group took away from the experience
Megan L,Mar 31, 2026
- Review from Viator
2.00The large size of the group significantly took away from the experience (over 50 people). Because the Boyana Church has a limited capacity, we spent over an hour there waiting for everyone to go in but only had 10 minutes inside ourselves (not that more was needed, but there was nothing to do nearby). Of the 50 people, a portion had signed up for a Spanish tour while another portion had signed up for English. Upon arrival to Rila, the Spanish group had their guided tour first which meant the English tour was awkwardly smushed between two 45 minute windows of free time. Near Rila monastery, there are only two restaurants for lunch, one of which has extremely bad ratings. When the weather isn’t nice enough to eat outside, the well rated restaurant only fits about 30 and they accept reservations - so people were getting turned away or having to wait with no other options nearby. Rila Monastery was nice to see, but if I could do it again, I would choose one of the shorter tours that only went to Rila and either get to Boyana by myself or skip it entirely. The tour also went an hour longer than expected because of the long waits at each place for the large group.
Cute
741claudiab,Mar 30, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00New and clean bus. Bulgarian English-speaking guide. Places visited with paid admissions. Times respected as scheduled.
The tour was...
Anwen P,Mar 30, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00The tour was well-organised and informative. There was plenty of time to explore the open parts of the monestary, although not quite enough time to see all the museums. We were unable to enter the Boyana church due to small capacity, but the tour guide offered an excellent description with historical context. We got a surprise extra stop at the Kambanite Park. The tour guide was really friendly and supported us throughout the trip.
Nice experience
Alessandra D,Mar 28, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Thanks to the beautiful INA. She was really kind and helpful. The monastery is worth visiting
Gorgeous way to spend a day!
xray604,Mar 26, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This tour is absolutely stunning. The monastery is one of those places you have to see with your own eyes to really appreciate it. The guide, Maria, was fantastic. . She provided great tips and recommendations. I appreciated a little bit of free time built in. There’s a bakery on site with the most divine bread. Make sure you bring euros! .
Great excursion
354ainsleys,Mar 25, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great excursion, very well organised and good value for money. Our guide Iva was very friendly and knowledgeable. I have been to the Rila monastery before but got much more out of my visit this time.
Great day
ronald a,Mar 23, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00Great tour with very informative guide of the wonderful Rila Monastery. Tour was reasonably priced. The only criticism was that the tour was titled Boyana church and monastery and we didn’t get to the church.
Great tour, and the...
ZsofiKincso G,Mar 22, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great tour, and the guide, Ina, was amazing! Very helpful info, did everything to make sure everyone was happy. Big shout out to Ina!
Excellent day trip!
marciaa513,Mar 22, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This is a very well organized cultural experience. Even though we were a big group of about 60 people everything was very well timed. Maria was an excellent guide, informative and engaging. The bus ride was two hours each way, a bit tight but had good WiFi. The monastery is truly impressive and the information Maria shared made it much more interesting. The stop at Boyana church was much shorter but sufficient time to appreciate the incredible frescoes. We highly recommend this tour!
From €20.00
Want a private experience? Upgrade to a private tour
Related Experiences
Operated by City Tour Ltd.