Rila Monastery with Optional Boyana Church Day Trip from Sofia

From EUR 20

4.60

814 reviews

Check availability

Overview

Available languages

German

Russian

English

Italian

French

Spanish

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.

Hand disinfectant will be provided for free throughout the tour.

All touch points in the vehicles will be cleaned frequently.

Minimum traveler age is 5 years old

Cancellation Policy

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

What‘s Included

Driver/Tour guide in English

Transport by air-conditioned minibus

Parking Fees

Gratuities

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Entrance fees- Boyana curch- 12 BGN, Monastery Museum - 8 BGN

Audio guide in Spanish, Italian, German, Russian or English (approx. 5 euros per person)

Food and drinks

Options

Spanish-guided classic tour

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.

Italian-guided (NO Boyana)

Guided in IT (No Boyana ch.): Visita guidata in italiano al monastero di Rila. NON include la chiesa di Boyana.

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.

English-guided classic tour

Guided in English with Boyana: Join the classic English-guided tour to Rila monastery&Boyana church with a professional English-speaking guide.

Online audio tour with Boyana

Audioguided tour with Boyana: Live guide, Boyana - included. Includes an online audioguide. Accompanying tour conductor will speak different language.

English-guided (NO Boyana)

Guided in EN (No Boyana ch.): Join this English-guided tour to the Rila monastery with Traventuria's expert team. Boyana church is NOT included.

Classic tour incl. Dragalevtsi

English guided: Enjoy the classic tour to the Rila monastery & Boyana church. Visit the beautiful Dragalevtsi monastery extra

Italian-guided classic tour

Spanish-guided (NO Boyana)

Guided in ES (No Boyana ch.) : Visita guiada en español al Monasterio de Rila. NO incluye la iglesia de Boyana.

Online audio incl. Dragalevtsi

Audioguided tour: Enjoy the classic tour to the Rila monastery & Boyana church. Visit the beautiful Dragalevtsi monastery extra.

Reviews

4.60

814 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

610

135

We visited 3 sites. The...
TaNee G,
Apr 15, 2025
- Viator
5.00
We visited 3 sites. The Boyana church is so small but the wall paintings inside is incredible! Lucky we decided to pay to enter. Rila monastery is really worth the visits. Our tour guide Lubo is very informative. Highly recommend this tour for anyone in Sofia.
Highly Recommended Tour
Elden O,
Apr 7, 2025
- Viator
5.00
This trip was a great way to experience Boyana Church, Rila Monastery and St Ivan Cave all in one trip. On the day, because of other bookings with the Spanish speaking half of the tour, we were given the option to also visit St Ivan Cave too, which was a great addition. All sites were well worth visiting and the guides were extremely friendly and knowledgeable, and managed to sort out an issue with the bus that was completely out of their control quickly and efficiently, which meant there was very minimal time of our tour lost in the end. This was a great way to experience all 3 sites in one busy but enjoyable day.
A great visit to a beautiful monastery
MarkE W,
Apr 7, 2025
- Viator
5.00
The instructions of where to meet the bus came a day earlier than the tour and it was very easy to find (and I’m horrible with directions) Our tour guide (Martin) was very nice and gave us a lot of historical information about the sights we were going to see He was friendly and easy-going and made sure everyone was enjoying their time and was comfortable The monastery was beautiful and the museum there is definitely worth a visit We had two hours to spend at the monastery, but I think you only need 90 mins max
We were blown away by the...
nadine m,
Mar 30, 2025
- Viator
5.00
We were blown away by the architecture and history of Rila Monastery, and Boyana Church. this is a must for anyone visiting Bulgaria
The guide Lubo was great,...
Filomena P,
Mar 23, 2025
- Viator
5.00
The guide Lubo was great, nice and knowledgeable. Made the difference giving nice info during the trip and in the two stops in Boyana and Rila. Myself and my friend both enjoyed the planning and time spent with the tour.

From EUR 20

4.60

814 reviews

Check availability

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