Tours/Sofia/From Sofia: Rila monastery & Boyana church and free pick up
Viator · group up to 7 pax

From Sofia: Rila monastery & Boyana church and free pick up

4.4(14)Sofia1 hour
VIATOR4.6(10)TRIPADVISOR4.0(4)

Description

On this day tour you will have the chance to visit the biggest cloister in the country - Rila monastery and the beautiful Boyana church, both under the UNESCO protection. You will have Audio guide (English, Espanol, German, Italian, French, Русский) with you, who will tell you the history of the two sights and we will pick you up from your accommodation anywhere in Sofia.

Tour Options

From Sofia: Rila monastery & Boyana church and free pick up
  • Pickup included

Itinerary

Admission not included120 min

First and the main stop for the tour. The biggest and most important orthodox cloister in the country.

Admission not included60 min

UNESCO site, located on the outskirts of Sofia

Highlights

Audio guide (English, Espanol, Italiano, Français, Deutsche, Русский)
Air-conditioned vehicle
Pick up and drop off from any address in Sofia

What's included

Included
Audio guide (English, Espanol, Italiano, Français, Deutsche, Русский)
Air-conditioned vehicle
Pick up and drop off from any address in Sofia
Not included
Entrance fee for Rila monastery museums - 20 BGN each (option- only in cash)
Entrance fee for Boyana church - 12 BGN (option)

Pickup Locations & Times

We provide pick up and drop off from any address in Sofia

Traveller Ratings

4.4
14 reviews
5
12
4
0
3
0
2
0
1
2

Important Information

  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Total duration is 8 hours - 5 hours transfer time and 3 hours sites visit.
  • It is NOT allowed to wear shorts, short skirts.

Reviews(14)

A
Andrea G
June 24, 2024
Absolutely unacceptable: DRUNK DRIVER!!!

I would never recommend this company. The DRIVER WAS DRUNK or seriously hangover when arrived to my hotel. The almost fell when opening the door of the van, smelled of alcohol badly, almost fell asleep on the motor way, drove dangerously, had a really bad reaction time, could not speak properly. At one point we considered the possibility to switch places with him And the italian passenger (tourist) would drive the car instead of him, because we felt so much in danger. I immediately contacted the company And they sent another driver but Still, we had to stay in the van with him for almost 2 hours, anxious, overspeeding on the motor way, And fearing for our life basically. Absolutely outrageous!!!! I demand now some compensation on getyoirguide because I did not pay to endanger my life - obviously!

J
Jennifer_F
June 11, 2024
Peter (our driver/guide)...

Peter (our driver/guide) was efficient and considerate. The info on the audio was interesting and not too long-winded. Rila monastery is a must-see!

A
Ali_K
December 12, 2020
Fantastic experience!

I had a fantastic experience! Was only on sofia for a few days so my guide agreed to take me and it was just us. I had Lachezar who was a wonderful guide and a great person! If you can go with him I highly recommend as he is extremely patient and knowledgeable not to mention fluent in English!

C
Callum_B
June 28, 2020
No show

I waited outside The address given for 30 minutes and nobody showed up. I’m sure the monastery is nice, but I wouldn’t know because I'm still in Sofia

S
Susan B
March 10, 2020
A fabulous trip to Rila Monestary and Boyana Church

I had a wonderful trip with Maria. She was my driver and guide of the trip and was super knowledgeable and shared tons of information about the places and everything Bulgarian. She was friendly and just a great guide. The Monastery was lovely and so picturesque especially having just snowed. The paintings were so vividly colored they seemed like they were painted yesterday.Boyana Church was tiny, but Maria shared great information. We stopped at a nice restaurant to sample the fresh trout. Food was quite good.

S
Sophie_P
February 3, 2020
Amazing tour!

I heard from colleagues in Sofia, that the Rila-monastery and the Boyana-church are must-sees in Bulgaria. It is super difficult to come there by a local bus, but I definitely wanted to go there. That‘s why I booked this tour and it was simply amazing! The hotel pickup worked perfectly and was on time. After picking up the other guests we started driving to the monastery for approximately two hours. When we came there our guide explained lots of interesting things to us and after that we had some free time for exploring the stunning architecture, frescoes and atmosphere. We had lunch at a restaurant nearby, which offers trout, the local fish of the river, that was tasty! The next stop was the Boyana-church. It is a pity that you can only stay inside there for 10 minutes, but that was gorgeous! After that the - really good! - guide asked us where we want to be dropped off and that was a really nice service. Summing up it was a really interesting day with lots of new experiences and I can recommend the tour to everyone!

M
mramosy
January 20, 2020
Well Organized Tour

My tour was very well organized. It was a tour of 3 persons plus our tour guide. The hotel pick up was on time and everything went as programmed. We even stopped for lunch in a nice family restaurant at Rila mountain. Beautiful panorama and visit of this two UNESCO world heritage sites.

C
Carlos_A
January 13, 2020
Fantastic knowledgeable and friendly guide

Since it was low-season, I ended up being the only one on the tour, so instead of the bus, the guide came with her car and drove me everywhere, always cheerful and knowledgeable about Bulgarian and European History. I couldn't have asked for a better experience visiting such a beautiful place and learning so much about this unique country and its history. Totally worth your time.

1
102guillerminaf
November 29, 2019
Excellent

Our guide Mariya did not pick up in super punctual for the accommodation and was very friendly and friendly. He explained everything in an excellent way. If we return to Sofia we will tour with Zelando again. Fully recommended!!

1 people found this helpful
D
Daniel_P
August 11, 2019
Wonderful tour and tour guide!

A wonderful day with a wonderful guide. Thank you for a great day of history, culture, good food and grand tour.

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