Rila Monastery and Boyana Church: A UNESCO Sites Shuttle Day Tour Experience

Embark on a captivating 8-hour day tour to the Rila Monastery and Boyana Church, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Explore ancient frescoes, learn their history, and enjoy free time in the picturesque mountains.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral - The meeting point for the tour is Behild Alexander Nevsky Cathedral at 8:45. The departure is at 9am. Please be on time!
What's Included
  • Trip to Boyana Church and Rila Monastery
  • Transportation by comfortable bus/minibus
  • Parking fees
  • English-speaking guide or driver (depending on option)
What's Not Included
  • 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
Additional Information

Experience a day amidst the mountains touring 2 UNESCO heritage sites - Rila Monastery and Boyana Church. This full-day tour of 8 hours, conducted in English, is organized for a group led by a professional guide. Your time at the monastery will include a 40-minute guided tour and you will be given 2.5 hours of free time for photography, visiting museums…

Location
Rila Monastery Trip from Sofia
ulitsa "Oborishte"
The meeting point for the tour is BEHIND Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, near to cafe La Cathedrale. Ask for travel agency City Tour. Please be there at 8:45am. The van/bus departs at 9am and will not wait for you if you are late.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(706 Ratings)
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Phil
Mar 29, 2025
Rila Monastery and Boyana Church with City Tours - A fantastic day with City Tours, our guide Simon, was very knowledgeable, organised and informative. A definite must to visit the monastery and Boyana Church if you are in Sofia Phil and Michelle March 2025
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maria_m
Mar 27, 2025
Great experience. Great... - Great experience. Great guide and a beautiful place. Will recommend to friends that are coming to bulgaria.
Review provided by Viator
Navigate755155
Mar 24, 2025
Excellent day and interesting and multilingual guide - We had a great day. The Simeon guide was very interesting and kind. I recommend it. The monastery and the church of Boyona deserve the detour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tonial365
Mar 23, 2025
Close to the Divine - Made tour with guide in Italian, visited very nice Rila monastery, where you feel very close to God. Inside you can see the icons of San joan and the painting of the Madonna donated by Manuel I. Consiglio highly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Balaji
Mar 23, 2025
Nice day trip - Good trip, loved that the guide kept us engaged all along. Amazing history. Comfy bus. Beautiful place to visit.time well spent.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Indira_h
Mar 22, 2025
Amazing tour! The bus was... - Amazing tour! The bus was comfortable and the tour guide was so knowledgeable, friendly, funny and an absolute blast to have, his name was Simeon. Super recommend taking this tour, everything was a plus. You got lots of free time, the guided part was interesting, the bus was comfortable, and you left feeling great after it.
Review provided by Viator
Martasoldani
Mar 22, 2025
Simon best guide! - Simon was an outstanding guide! His historical and anecdotal explanations of the city were very exhaustive. I recommend it to everyone
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jackie
Mar 19, 2025
Learned and Saw a lot! - Loved the guides who were so nice and the heritage sites are really worth a visit! The frescoes are gorgeous and quite the special sight. The bus was super smooth and convenient.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dibblebister
Mar 18, 2025
Gorgeous mountain monastery. - Really enjoyed the trip to Rila and Boyana Church. Maria was a fantastic guide. The location of the monastery is beautifully located in a mountain valley. One mistake I made was to not bring enough warm layers. There was no place to get warm at the monastery except the bus so I was kicking myself that I didn't dress warmer. Other than that, it was a great day trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thea3869
Mar 24, 2025
Nice excursion - The monastery is beautiful, it would have been nice to specify in the description as well as in the Whatsapp confirmation that all this cash pay in the monastery, shops around as well as the entrance to the boyana church.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
March 2025
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