リラ修道院日帰りツアー（スパ/サーマルバス付）

I did not have a good experience; I booked with a Spanish-speaking guide and they gave me an audio guide; I didn't understand anything.

This is a great option to see Rila monastery and Boyana church on a day trip from Sofia. We had enough time to fully enjoy the monastery (3 hours), see the small museum and have something to eat or drink. It was well organized and on time. Unlike what a previous comment said, we got all needed information in advance (plate number of the coach, exact location, name of the guide etc.), so finding the coach was very easy (maybe they’ve improved their communication since then?). The driver drove safely too! Some things that could be improved: - While booking the tour, it wasn’t communicated clearly that everyone will stop at Boyana church for one hour, even if you booked the option that doesn’t include Boyana church. There is nothing else to do there and it costs 10 EUR. It was interesting, but a bit expensive for what it is, considering that it’s very small and you can’t stay more than 10 minutes inside. I enjoyed it, but keep in mind that you won’t get back earlier in Sofia if you decide to skip it. - The Spanish guide Diana was good and sounded natural, she made jokes that landed perfectly. The English guide was nice too, but her delivery didn’t feel natural (like listening to a pre-recorded audio guide where a very standard voice is reciting a pre-written text in an exaggerated enthusiastic tone, rather than talking spontaneously. For example, using the exact same sentence and exact same intonation to start her speech every single time, so about 10 times in a day). That’s a shame really because her English was one of the best I’ve heard from a tour guide. While guiding, I think it’s better to go a bit off-script and be spontaneous, rather than aiming for perfect pronunciation/sentences, because it’s harder to stay engaged and focused when a speech sounds like an audio guide rather than a conversation with a real person. But this is just small feedback for improvement, we all had a great day overall, she was a good guide too, very nice and welcoming, and the monastery was amazing. It’s been one of the highlights of my 3-month trip through Europe, so thank you for that!

Highly recommended. In the end, in Rila, they were able to assign us guides in Spanish and Italian for the groups. Of course, I imagine this depends on the availability of other guides.

We were a group of five and we all loved it. The meeting point was central and on the route to the Rila Monastery we were accompanied by the guide Pablo, who informed us about the history of Bulgaria and gave us great context to understand certain things. Once there, the guide Iva told us about the history of the place and its founder, Saint Ivan. Iva has great knowledge about the history of her country and even though anyone might think about the linguistic differences between Bulgarian and Spanish, I have to say that Iva speaks Spanish better than any of us. She was also able to answer all our questions. The visit to the Rila Monastery is a must if you visit Bulgaria. Regarding the coach, I have to say that it was not very modern, we got a seat whose seat belt buckle was broken and the air conditioning did not work very well, we were hot.

Monastery was great but very confusing finding the right bus (a case of third time lucky) and a lack of detail around the organisation throughout. Arrived monastery and no information so people having to ask. I was told to wait at a point and the guide will come - would she. Been simple to say your guide is on the 3rd bus and will be here soon - instead I sat around for 15 mins and almost got went around myself. Simply put more info on the booking and confusion wil be resolved.

Visiting the Rila Monastery was a very interesting experience Although it is a 2 hr ride that was somewhat boring the ride is worth it You have plenty of time to explore the monastery and it’s very expressive Fresco’s The church is also very beautiful but you can’t take pictures We had time to taste the sheep yogurt which was very tasty

After the bus ride to the monastery, we got almost 4 hours to spare. The first 40 minutes were spent as guided tour with our tour guide Carolina, who is very friendly and knowledgable. She gave us an interesting lecture on the Monastery. A part from the main attraction, there are two small museums whose tickets cost 2.5 and 4.5 EUR respectively. Outside the Monastery, there is a cheap bakery where we could get a Mekitsa, a tradditional Bulgarian bread for just one EUR. There are also two other restaurants for lunch but I did not go. Additionally from the bakery, there is path down the slope towards an Ossuary. The walk down is peaceful as you walk a long a stream and there weren’t many people going down. Took about 7 min one way. Overall this tour is a great value for money.

Nice, well-organized tour. The attractions are two hours away from Sofia but really worth it. The cave, more than religion, is adventure. Very recommended

+1

Rila is a wow. Boyana is small. St. John cave only if you enjoy hiking. Antonio is a great guide and very knowledgeable. We set off at 9am and got back at 530pm

An unforgettable day at the Rila Monastery filled with a great spiritual experience and lots of learning about Bulgarian history. Our knowledgeable and highly professional guide Tuny made sure we all get immersed in the local culture, shared engaging stories and answered all our questions. What a day!