Full Day Tour to Boyana Church and Rila Monastery from Sofia
Discover Boyana church and Rila Monastery with your professional guide. We will pick-up from your hotel or any address in Sofia. UNESCO world heritage - Boyana church is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art and the old monastery is the treasury and spiritual center of the Bulgarians. Enjoy with this tour - one lovely day away from the busy city with one of our comfortable vehicles. Special attention to guests - our guide will tell you interesting stories. We will provide enough time if you wish to explore each of the 5 museums in the monastery. You will feel the fresh mountain air and the beauty of the Vitosha and Rila mountains. Spare time for lunch close to the river. Small group.
Options
ENGLISH
Pickup included
What's included in Full Day Tour to Boyana Church and Rila Monastery from Sofia
(Subject to Option Inclusions)Itinerary
Rila Monastery
First and the main stop for the tour. The biggest and most important orthodox cloister in the country. The monastery was built on the site of an old post house in 927 - 941 by St. John of Rila the Wonderworker (according to some authors - by his students) in the Rila mountain. In the courtyard of the present monastery, in 1335, a defense tower and a small one-nave church were erected by the local feudal lord Protosevast Hreljo. The tower is the oldest preserved building in the monastery complex. At the top of the tower is the "Holy Transfiguration" chapel with valuable frescoes from the 1430s. On September 21, 1378, King Ivan Shishman (1371 – 1393) issued the Rila charter, signed and sealed with a golden seal, giving the monastery 20 villages as feudal possessions, together with their lands.
Boyana Church
Located on the outskirts of Sofia, Boyana Church consists of three buildings. The eastern church was built in the 10th century, then enlarged at the beginning of the 13th century by Sebastocrator Kaloyan, who ordered a second two storey building to be erected next to it. The frescoes in this second church, painted in 1259, make it one of the most important collections of medieval paintings. The ensemble is completed by a third church, built at the beginning of the 19th century. This site is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art.
Inclusions
- Transport
- Hotel pick-up/drop-off
- English speaking giude
- Entry fee for Boyana church - 12 BGN (Optional)
- Entry fee for Rila monastery museum - 20 BGN (optional)
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Travel time is included on the total tour duration
- It is NOT allowed to wear shorts, short skirts and no tops. You have to wear only long trousers and long T-shirts
- Entrance to Rila monastery is free of charge
- Museums in Rila monastery are paid on spot. Tickets are sold at the entrance of each of the exhibitions. Price is from 3 to 8 BGN for the museums.
- On spot you need to ask which museums are open in monastery and you can buy combined ticket worth 20 BGN, you could see all museum exhibits.
- Only Cash money for Rila monastery.
- Cash or card payment in Boyana church.
Meet
Pickup and Dropoff
Choose to be picked up from a list of locations
Please arrive at the pick up point 5 minutes before departure time.
Additional Information
We are taking our tourists from their accommodation address