Rila Monastery Private Day Trip with optional Boyana Church
Enjoy a private day trip with an English – speaking driver or guide to the Rila Monastery – the most famous Bulgarian monastery and UNESCO heritage site! Relax on a comfortable ride, with pick-up and drop of from your location in Sofia and explore the monastery on your own pace or with a guided tour. Optionally, you can also choose to visit the Boyana Church as well - another UNESCO heritage stie.
Options
Day Trip with a Driver
Day Trip En. Speaking Driver: This option is with an English - speaking driver. In this case no guided tour at the monastery is provided.
Pickup included
What's included in Rila Monastery Private Day Trip with optional Boyana Church
(Subject to Option Inclusions)Itinerary
Rila Monastery
The trip starts at 10 am with a pick- up from your place in Sofia. The traveling time to the monastery is about 2 hours on a scenic road. The Rila Monastery was established in the 10th century by the Bulgarian Saint John of Rila – the miracle maker. It is the biggest Bulgarian monastery and the most beautiful one. The current monastery complex was built in the 19th century. When you arrive there, you will have 3 hours of free time to explore it, if you have booked the option with a driver only, or you will have a guided tour + free time, if you have booked the option with a tour guide. The monastery also has several museums which you might opt to visit if you are interested, as well as souvenir shops and a bakery. During your free time, you should also do your lunch break – you can either bring your own food from Sofia (this is a good idea for the summer, if you want to spend more time outside), or you can ask the driver to take you to one of the restaurants near the monastery.
Boyana Church
If you have booked the option with the Boyana Church visit, it will be the first stop after the hotel pick-up. The church is famous for its frescoes, which are more than 800-years old, amazingly well preserved and precede the ones from the European Renaissance. The church is also a UNESCO heritage site. Because of its small size, the inside visit is limit to 10 minutes. The entrance ticket of 12 BGN per person is paid on spot.
Inclusions
- Visit of the Rila Monastery
- Transportation by a private A/C car
- Hotel pick-up and drop off
- Stop at Boyana Church (if option selected)
- English - speaking driver or tour guide, depending on the booked option
- Food, personal expenses
- Gratuities (optional)
- Boyana Church entrance ticket (if option booked) - 12 BGN - paid on spot
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Meet
Pickup and Dropoff
Choose to be picked up from a list of locations
Additional Information
Hotel/ address pick-up at 10:00 - please indicate your hotel or address of staying is Sofia when making the reservation.
Redeem
Ticket Redemption
Women should have their knees and shoulders covered in the monastery. Recommended to have some cash. Children under 5 are not allowed, since we do not have baby seats in the cars.
