Rila Monastery with Optional Boyana Church Day Trip from Sofia

From $26.54 per person Lowest Price Guarantee

Select Date and Travelers

You can select up to 15 travelers in total.

Adult (12-99) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 15

Child (5-11) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 15

Book online or call: +1 437 970 2890

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

Rila monastery basic(NoBoyana)

2 Adults x $26.54

$53.08

Approx Total

$53.08

Audioguided tour, No Boyana: Includes an online audioguide. Live guide -NOT included. An accompanying tour conductor will speak a different language.

Guided in IT (No Boyana ch.)

2 Adults x $31.85

$63.70

Approx Total

$63.70

Guided tour in Italian to the Rila monastery NOT including the Boyana church.

Guided in ES (No Boyana ch.)

2 Adults x $31.85

$63.70

Approx Total

$63.70

Guided tour in Spanish to the Rila monastery NOT including the Boyana church.

Guided Tour in Spanish

2 Adults x $37.16

$74.32

Approx Total

$74.32

Experience excellence with Traventuria. Join this tour with a professional Spanish-speaking guide.

Guided Tour in Italian

2 Adults x $37.16

$74.32

Approx Total

$74.32

Experience excellence with Traventuria. Join this tour with a professional Italian-speaking guide.

Guided Tour in English

2 Adults x $37.16

$74.32

Approx Total

$74.32

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

With St Ivan's cave(NO Boyana)

2 Adults x $31.85

$63.70

Approx Total

$63.70

Rila monastery& St Ivan's cave: Join this guided tour to Rila monastery and St Ivan's cave instead of Boyana church. A visit to Boyana is not included.

Inclusions / Exclusions

Mobile ticket
Offered in: German, Russian, English, Italian, French, Spanish
Driver/Tour guide in English
Transport by air-conditioned minibus
Parking Fees

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Admission to Boyana Church (approx. 5 euros per person) and Rila Monastery Museum (approx. 4 euros per person)
Audio guide in Spanish, Italian, German, Russian or English (approx. 5 euros per person)
Food and drinks

Overview

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.

Itinerary

St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral

09:00 departure from the starting point. Be sure to arrive at least 15 minutes before departure.

15 minutes
Boyana Church

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.

45 minutes
Rila Monastery

Rila Monastery is one of Bulgaria’s symbols and a popular tourist destination. The monastery is set deep in the heart of Rila Mountain, between the Rilska and Drushliavitza Rivers, at 1147 metres (3760 feet) above sea level. It is situated 120 kilometres south of Sofia.

2 hours
St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral (Pass By)

Return to the starting point at approximately 17:00

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

Free Cancellation

June 14100% refund

June 15No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.6

800 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

5 stars

597
4 stars

135
3 stars

40
2 stars

7
1 star

21

We perform checks on reviews

We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 597 reviews with 5 stars

Day trip

Published on May, 2025

Our guide was very knowledgeable of the area and general history. Bus was comfortable. It's is a long day. There isn't must options for food and drink. I would recommend bringing stuff yourself. The ground is quite uneven in the area and was raining the day we went So was slippery.

Really good day trip from Sofia.

Published on May, 2025

Really nice day trip from Sofia. Tuni our tour guide was excellent. He was very funny and informative and went out of his way to show us the Rila Monastery and Boyana Church.

Excellent agency, great organization and amazing place

Published on May, 2025

We had a day tour to Rila Monastery and Boyana Church, we had Lubo as guide, the tour was really nice the place is great and the guide very informative in addition to being positive and cheerful which brings a good mood. I definitely recommend Traventuria agency !

Must visit while in Sofia

Published on Apr, 2025

Excellent tour leader. Lubo is very knowledgeable and courteous. Rila Monastery is great place to visit. We enjoyed the trip

We visited 3 sites. The...

Published on Apr, 2025

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.

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