Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Shuttle Day Tour | La Vacanza Travel

Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Shuttle Day Tour

Duration: 8 hours
Destination: Bulgaria, Sofia City Province, Sofia
from
27.03

Check Availability

  • 8 hours
  • Sofia
  • E-Voucher
  • Lowest Price
  • Not-Cancellable

Overview

Enjoy a day in the mountains by exploring 2 UNESCO sites - the Rila Monastery and the Boyana church. The 8-hour day tour will be with a group and a professional guide in English. In the monastery, you will have a 40-minute guided tour and 2,5 hours free time to make photos, check the museums and the shops, and have lunch. The visit of the Boyana church, although short, is definitely worth since you will see its amazing 800-years old frescoes and learn their history from your guide!

*Women should have their knees and shoulders covered in the monastery!
*If your tour is on a weekend day during the summer, the restaurants could be crowded so you can bring your own food from Sofia in order to have more free time and the monastery.
*The Boyana church is closed on the 1st of January, on the Sunday of the Orthodox Easter, on the 24th of December, 25th of December - and on such days the tour is done only to the Rila Monastery.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Aleksander Nevski Square, Sofia Bulgaria

The meeting point for the tour is Behild Alexander Nevsky Cathedral at 8:45. The departure is at 9am. Please be on time!

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Rila Monastery, Rila 2643 Bulgaria

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.



Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Boyana Church, 3 Boyansko Ezero Str., Sofia 1616 Bulgaria

Your other stop is at the great UNESCO historical place – Boyana church, dating back to the 11th century, which has unique and very well preserved frescoes and pictures from the period of 11 to 14 century. You will have the chance to explore the church and learn its amazing history from your guide. Please have in mind that the inside visit of the church is limit to 10 minites per group because of its small size. Additionally, you will also spend some time in the yard of the church where you can take photos and also learn some of the interesting historical facts.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Aleksander Nevski Square, Sofia Bulgaria

At the end of the tour, the van/bus returns to the same starting point, Behind Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

Duration: 5 minutes

Inclusions
  • Transportation by a comfortable minibus
  • A trip to to Boyana Chuch and Rila Monastery
  • Parking fees
  • English speaking guide OR driver, depending on the booked option

Exclusions
  • Boyana church entrance ticket - approx. 5 euro per person (10 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
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Women should have their knees and showders covered in the monastery.
  • There are not many dining options around the monastery, so in the period April – October we recommend you to bring your own food. In the period November – March we organize a stop at a nearby restaurant, since the weather is colder and it is not comfortable to eat outside.
  • 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.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Departure Point

Rila Monastery Trip from Sofia, Old City Center, ul. "Oborishte", 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria


Return Details

Returns to original departure point

Voucher info

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

Duration

8 hours


User's Reviews

NorthStar30812696802

25 Apr, 2024

This was a wonderful tour. Our guide, Vesi, was wonderful. She was knowledgable and friendly. The monastery is beautiful. The air is so clean. I'd recommend anyone go there!

Susana M

25 Apr, 2024

My guided tour to Rila Monastery in Bulgaria was exceptional! Vessi, our guide, made the experience truly enlightening with her insightful commentary. The monastery's rich history came to life, leaving me with a profound appreciation for Bulgarian culture. A memorable and fulfilling journey indeed! Highly recommend!

Beth_M

25 Apr, 2024

I can highly recommend this tour! Tunigh, our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and really gave a great insight to not just the Rila Monastery and Boyana Church, but Bulgarian culture and history too. The monastery was the highlight of the trip where he gave a tour explaining the history and showed us the toilets, cafe etc. We were then given some free time to explore and take photos on our own. Photos don't do this trip justice whatsoever, the monastery is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. The cats that live there too were nice to see! The bus ride is long but it was great to see some of the Bulgarian countryside and the journey is 100% worth it. I can't recommend this tour enough if you have a spare day while travelling in Sofia!

Bill_W

23 Apr, 2024

This was easy to book, and the host was excellent, very knowledgeable and spoke very good English. We had plenty of time after the informative details of what we were seeing to explore around on our own. The visit was exactly as described. Good value for money particularly as this is a difficult place to visit if you don't hire a car.

johannarU9659OY

22 Apr, 2024

The tour was really well organised and full of interesting information. Antonio knows so much about the history of both places and is capable of sharing his knowledge lively. I also enjoyed seeing Bulgaria's nature during the trip. Definitely recommendable!

User's Picture Gallery

Image

A great day out with a very knowledgeable tour guide!

Image

Awesome tour!!

Image

Must visit

Image

Amazing tour with a very knowledgeable guide!

Image

Really nice tour

Image

If you are in Sofia, you have to do this tour!

Image

Do not moss Rila Monastery & donuts!

Image

Value for money. Well organized . Best guide!

Image

Amazing trip

Image

Rila Kloster is an amazing trip

Image

Trip not to be missed

Image

Outstanding!

Image

Must see historic sites

Image

One of the Bulgarian highlights!

Image

A day filled with history, religion and beauty

Image

A day trip to Rila Monastery from Sofia is a MUST

Image

Rila with Alexander

Image

Great day out

Image

Amazing experience

Image

Spectacular!

Image

Rila Monastery magnificent frescoes

Image

Rila Monastery tour

Image

Great experience!

Image

Astonishing monastery in a Beautiful natural area

ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage

Similar Packages


Other Populars

Some popular Sightseeing Tours, Activities and Holiday Packages.

Bulgaria - SightSeeing Tours and Activities View All

Sofia - Holiday Packages View All

- Where To Stay View All

- Top Tourist Attractions View All