Recent Searches
ClearClose
Something Went Wrong
Oops, looks like something went wrong! We are sorry for the inconvenience caused whilst trying to find your next trip. Please refresh the page or try again later.
Log in
The email or password you entered isn't correct. If you've forgotten your password, please reset it. Click here
Full-Day Rila Monastery, the cave of St.Ivan and Boyana Church Tour from Sofia
Share




See More

From $31.34
Yay! This item has been added to your cart.
Full-Day Rila Monastery, the cave of St.Ivan and Boyana Church Tour from Sofia
Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance. Learn more
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation
- 24 hours prior100% refund
- Within 24 hoursNo refund
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
Learn more about cancellations
Shop by Category
Sofia Tours
Art & Culture Classes
Art Classes
Craft Classes
Dance Lessons
Music Classes
Painting Classes
Arts & Design
Architecture Tours
Art Tours
Museums
Culture
Ancient Ruins
Archaeology Tours
Costume Dress Up Experiences
Cultural Tours
Historical Tours
Literary Tours
Museums
Music Tours
Photography Tours
Religious Tours
Underground Tours
Pop Culture
Movie Tours
TV Tours
Shows & Performances
Nightlife
Shows
Theater Shows
Traditional Wellness
Arab Baths
Hammams & Turkish Baths
Spas
Thermal Spas & Hot Springs
Active & Outdoor Classes
Archery Classes
Dance Lessons
Shooting Classes
Sports Lessons
Art & Culture Classes
Art Classes
Craft Classes
Dance Lessons
Music Classes
Painting Classes
Food & Drink Classes
Cooking Classes
Wine Making Workshops
Coffee & Tea
High Tea
Dining Experiences
Breakfast
Dinner
Restaurants
Food & Drink Classes
Cooking Classes
Wine Making Workshops
Food Tours
Culinary Tour
Markets
Street Food Tours
Wine Tastings
Wine, Beer & Spirits
Beer & Brewery Tours
Wine Making Workshops
Wine Tastings
Wine Tours
Active & Outdoor Classes
Archery Classes
Dance Lessons
Shooting Classes
Sports Lessons
Extreme Sports
4WD Tours
ATV Tours
Caving
Shooting Ranges
Fun & Games
Escape Rooms
Flight Simulators
VR Experiences
In the Air
Air Tours
Hot Air Balloon Rides
Paragliding
Specialty Plane Tours
Motor Sports
4WD Tours
ATV Tours
Nature and Wildlife Tours
Eco Tours
Horseback Riding
Nature Walks
Pack Animal Tours
Wildlife Encounters
On the Ground
Bike Rentals
Climbing
Hiking Tours
Motorcycle Tours
Mountain Bike Rentals
Mountain Bike Tours
Shooting Ranges
On the Water
Float Trips
Kayaking Tours
Sightseeing Cruises
Winter Sports
Ice Climbing
Snowboarding
Snowshoeing
Holidays
Christmas
New Years
Attractions & Museums
Ancient Ruins
Museum Tickets & Passes
Shows & Performances
Nightlife
Shows
Theater Shows
Sporting Events
Motor Sports
Day Cruises
Ports of Call Tours
Shore Excursions
Sightseeing Cruises
Air Tours
Bike Rentals
Bike Tours
Bus Tours
Cable Car Tours
Car Tours
Classic Car Tours
E-Bike Tours
Hot Air Balloon Rides
Luxury Car Tours
Motorcycle Tours
Mountain Bike Rentals
Mountain Bike Tours
Public Transportation Tours
Rentals
Self-guided Tours
Specialty Plane Tours
Trolley Tours
Vespa Rentals
Walking Tours
Water Tours
Adventure Tours
City Tours
Night Tours
Private Sightseeing Tours
Sightseeing Cruises
Skip the line Tickets
Services
Discount Cards
Photo Shoots
Shopping Passes & Offers
Shopping Tours
Transfers
Airport & Hotel Transfers
Transportation
Bus Services
Private Drivers
Transportation Rentals
Transportation Services
Attractions
Recommendations
Loading available options...
Share
7 to 8 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences

From
$20.19
Price varies by group size

Private Vitosha Mountains Hiking with Black peak & Dragalevtsi Monastery
- 7
- 6 hours
- Free Cancellation
From
$30.82
From
$30.82
Price varies by group size

From
$41.44
Price varies by group size

From
$30.82

From
$11.69

From
$42.50

From
$7.44

From
$17.00
Operators have paid Viator more to have their experiences featured here
Overview
The Rila Monastery and Boyana Church are two of Bulgaria’s most impressive UNESCO World Heritage sites and this full-day tour from Sofia visits both in one day. Tour the medieval Boyana Church, famous for its magnificent 13th-century frescoes; admire the natural landscapes of the Rila Mountain Nature Park; then explore the churches and caves of the Rila Monastery complex.
- Full-day Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Tour from Sofia
- Visit two of Bulgaria’s UNESCO World Heritage sites in one day
- Marvel at the 13th-century frescos in Boyana Church
- Tour the historic Rila Monastery and St Ivan Rilski Cave
- Small-group tour limited to 15 people ensures a personalized experience
Saved to wishlist!
From $31.34
Book Now
What's Included
All transportation and parking costs
Licensed English-speaking guide
VAT and all local taxes
Transport by air-conditioned minivan
Fuel surcharge
Admission fees for Boyana Church (5 Euro) and the Rila Monastery Museum (Optional 4 Euro)
Meals, tips and personal expenses
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Departure & Return
pl. "Sveti Aleksandar Nevski" 4 , pl. "Sveti Aleksandar Nevski" 4, 1000 Sofia Center, Sofia, Bulgaria
This activity will end right where it started.The main entrance (gate) of the Alexander Nevski cathedral. Departure Time 08:45 AM
8:45 AM
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not wheelchair accessible or stroller-friendly
- Comfortable shoes recommended
- Ladies must cover their shoulders and knees
- Infant seats available
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
- OPERATED BY ExploriA
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
Learn more about cancellations.
Traveler Photos



See More


See More
Traveler Tips
- "Fair warning - you only get 10 minutes in the church due to the fragility of the frescoes." See review
- "Departure at 9am, returned at 3pm, where more than 3 hours is travel time." See review
|
Reviews
4.5
53 Reviews
5 stars
42
4 stars
7
3 stars
4
2 stars
0
1 star
0
Reviews by Viator travelers
We perform checks on reviews
Showing 1-10 of 53 reviews
Great experience!
Alessandro_Ronca
, Feb 2020
Well worth a visit
Marita_P
, Jan 2020
A full day out of Sofia but worth it. Boyana Church is amazing then a ride through the countryside and up the mountain to the monastery and it’s spectacular. It was too icy to get to the cave but it didn’t spoil our trip. After we visited a typical Bulgarian mountain restaurant and sampled some traditional Bulgarian food and wine. Then 1hr 40 mins drive back to Sofia. Thank you
Very good experience
Ilaria_B
, Dec 2019
An excellent tour guide and a driver as well (2 in 1) - Alex (Sash)
shayut2019
, Nov 2019
I would like to thank to our tour guide - Alex who has a great personality and a wide knowledge about the sites and the places we visited. He is a real proffesional guide and has good explanation, also he is very attentive and tolerant to the needs of the group. Even when I am pregnant he will know how to take care of everything and handle the situation. Well done!
Rila Monastery, cave of St. Ivan and Boyana church
Amador R
, Oct 2019
Venti, our tour guide gave us a lot of information on the above sites. He was an excellent driver, fun to be with and kept the tour going and on time.
It's not really a full day, a visit in a rush
Antonio_P
, Jun 2019
Departure at 9am, returned at 3pm, where more than 3 hours is travel time.
The guide was in a hurry to return home, driving in high speed all the time, dangerous driving at 150km/h with a van.
Only 1 free hour to visit the Rila monastery, not enough to have a normal lunch.
Don't recomment with guided tour with Exploria.
A great tour!
Courtenay_A
, May 2019
We ended up having the tour to ourself with our guide Vincent. Vincent shared many interesting facts about Sofia and Bulgaria with us as we drove out to the Rila Monastery. At the monastery, Vincent showed us all of the important sites and explained the history to us. We were then given free time to explore the monastery on our own. After the monastery, Vincent took us to a local restaurant with good food and great prices. Our last stop was the Boyana church. Fair warning - you only get 10 minutes in the church due to the fragility of the frescoes. However, Vincent was prepared for this and explained the most important frescoes to us during our time there. Overall we had a great day with Vincent and would definitely take another tour with him.
Great trip to the Rila monastery and Boyana church
Bram_B
, May 2019
This ended up being a private tour...
Aathmika K
, Jun 2018
This ended up being a private tour for a me and a friend because another group had cancelled and we had a fantastic time! Vincent was incredibly knowledgeable and patient! in answering our questions about the sights we were seeing but also about Sofia and Bulgaria more generally and one of the best tour guides we have ever had and we do a lot of tours! The visit to the cave of St Ivan Rilski was unique and not to be missed. The tour ran as scheduled with time for lunch as well. We would highly recommend!
This tour given by Exploria Tours...
Suzette M
, May 2018
This tour given by Exploria Tours Bulgaria was great. The guide, Vincent was super nice, informative and accommodating. He gave us a tour of Boyana Church and the Rila Monastery and it was great...not to be missed. He also took us to see the cave where St Ivan lived in not included in most other tours which was a great addition to the tour. Afterwards he took us to a local restaurant to have a light lunch. Overall an awesome tour with a great tour guide. Can't say enough about Vincent as a tour guide! Highly recommended.
It was a private tour with our...
AlvinChanChye_C
, Feb 2018
It was a private tour with our guide, Vincent. He is knowledgeable and fun to chat with. It was a bit rush in Boyana Church due to a group approaching. Rila Monastery is so beautiful and it's worth the long drive up. He brought us to a restaurant and we really enjoyed the fresh grilled trout and tripe soup.
Guide Vincent was very friendly and...
Gertrud_S
, Feb 2018
Guide Vincent was very friendly and provided me with a lot of information. I came back a lot wiser than before. It became a private tour since I was the only one who booked that day: I'm not a fan, I like to blend in and not draw attention to myself. So I would have liked it more if there were more people. But the price is very low for the transportation and private guide. Tour was shorter than expected. Left around 9 am and back at 2pm. Also, when you are alone, you can make your own decisions better. We arranged how long I wanted to walk around the monastery, which is more difficult when in group.
The Rila monastery is a must see when you are in Sofia. It was beautiful. Price-quality, I would recommend this tour.
Excellent trip. The guide was perfect...
EIRINI_M
, Dec 2017
A complete tour to do in a 1 day...
MARIA VICTORIA C
, Oct 2017
I booked with Exploria because it...
Susana C
, Oct 2017
I booked with Exploria because it seemed everyone was one with another company, so I was looking for a tour not so crowded. My experience with them was absolutely perfect. Our guide picked us on time that's something good if you consider in Bulgaria be late is normal :P. He was really nice, friendly and show us the best hidden gems in the Boyana Church, the Rila Monastery and the Cave.
During the tour we received detailed explanations about the history of the buildings and, of course, the frescos, that are the most important things in all these temples. The short 15 min walk to the Cave was really pleasent and I cannot forget the marvelous yogurt and the delicious super-sugar mekici like doughnuts but better in the Rila Monastery Bakery.
We felt really safe during all the tour including driving experience for the mountains road and we learnt a lot about the history and culture of Bulgaria.
Don't miss this tour! Not crowded, nice staff and one of the most amazing experiences you can enjoy if you are spending few days in Sofia!
Expérience top top top
LUCILE_R
, Mar 2020
Notre guide Vincent a été très agréable et professionnel.
Il a été très ponctuel. Nous a emmené dans les points cités et nous a appris vraiment beaucoup de choses. Il était avenant et a bien su nous véhiculer l histoire de la Bulgarie.
La neige nous a néanmoins empêché de grimper jusqu à la cave ce qui est dommage.
Nous recommandons vivement cette expérience !
Tristan_H
, Mar 2020
Excelente.
ANTONIO_R
, Aug 2019
Très beau monastère... avec un musée malheureusement fermé
Jean_F
, Jul 2019
Très beau monastère situé dans les montagnes; nous sommes conduits là par un sympathique guide qui connaît l’emplacement et son histoire. Malheureusement, un des musées du monastère, celui qui nous intéressait, était fermé, faute de personnel. La grotte présente peu d’intérêt mais permet de s’activer le mollet. La superbe église de Bonaya ne peut être visitée qu’en 10 minutes, le temps à l’intérieur étant compté.
We perform checks on reviews
You can only submit a review or rating of an experience to Viator if you were the person who made the booking through Viator. Before publication, each review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information for each of the following criteria: who, what, how, and when. If the system detects something that contradicts our publication criteria, the review is not published. When the system detects a problem with a review, it may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site. In some cases, we will also send you an email asking you to validate your review before it is published. All you need to do is click on the link provided in the email. After publication, our team checks each review reported to it as not meeting our publication criteria. Tripadvisor reviews that appear on the Viator site are subject to the same checks and moderation processes as set out above. It is not necessary to have booked an experience through Viator (or Tripadvisor) to submit a review of an experience to the Tripadvisor site.
Why you are seeing these recommendations
Compare Similar Experiences
Current

Full-Day Rila Monastery, the cave of St.Ivan and Boyana Church Tour from Sofia
53
7 to 8 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$31.34
0
3 hours 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$31.51
0
1 hour 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$77.57
11
10 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$30.82
2
2 hours 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$43.60
Why you are seeing these recommendations
Explore Similar Things to Do
Bus ToursCultural ToursHistorical ToursFull-day ToursDay TripsCultural & Theme ToursDay Trips & ExcursionsTours & SightseeingSofiaBus Tours - SkopjeCultural Tours - SkopjeHistorical Tours - SkopjeFull-day Tours - SkopjeDay Trips - SkopjeBus Tours - PristinaCultural Tours - PristinaHistorical Tours - PristinaFull-day Tours - PristinaDay Trips - PristinaBus Tours - Veliko TarnovoCultural Tours - Veliko TarnovoHistorical Tours - Veliko TarnovoFull-day Tours - Veliko TarnovoDay Trips - Veliko TarnovoCategory
Amphitheater of Serdica Tours & TicketsMuseum of Socialist Art Tours & TicketsSofia National Archaeological Museum Tours & TicketsSofia Synagogue Tours & TicketsVrana Palace (Park-Museum Vrana) Tours & TicketsSofia National Gallery (Kvadrat 500) Tours & TicketsTsarska Bistritsa Tours & TicketsCentral Sofia Market Hall (Halite) Tours & TicketsTsari Mali Grad Tours & TicketsSt. Sofia Church Tours & TicketsAlexander Nevsky Cathedral Tours & TicketsMonument to the Soviet Army Tours & TicketsIvan Vazov National Theatre Tours & TicketsBorovets Tours & TicketsVitosha Boulevard (Vitoshka) Tours & TicketsSofia National Gallery Tours & TicketsBulgarian National Museum of Military History Tours & TicketsSofia Church of St. George (St. George Rotunda) Tours & Tickets
Why you are seeing these recommendations
Sorting, ranking, and search results
Viator wants to make your searches as relevant as possible. That’s why we offer many ways to help you find the right experiences for you.
On some pages, you can select how to sort the results we display and also use filter options to see only those search results that meet your chosen preferences. You’ll see explanations of what those sort options mean when you select them.
You’ll see some experiences with a “Promoted” badge, which means that the operators of those experiences have agreed to pay Viator more to have their experience highlighted.
If you see an Experience Award Winner label, the award is based on average review ratings, share of bookings with a review, and number of bookings through Viator over a 12-month period.
The importance of any one factor over any other in a sort order varies, and the balance is constantly being reviewed and adjusted. We’re always updating our systems and testing new ways to refine and improve your results to make them as relevant as possible to meet your needs.
On some pages, you can select how to sort the results we display and also use filter options to see only those search results that meet your chosen preferences. You’ll see explanations of what those sort options mean when you select them.
You’ll see some experiences with a “Promoted” badge, which means that the operators of those experiences have agreed to pay Viator more to have their experience highlighted.
If you see an Experience Award Winner label, the award is based on average review ratings, share of bookings with a review, and number of bookings through Viator over a 12-month period.
The importance of any one factor over any other in a sort order varies, and the balance is constantly being reviewed and adjusted. We’re always updating our systems and testing new ways to refine and improve your results to make them as relevant as possible to meet your needs.
Lowest Price Guarantee
We guarantee the lowest price on all 200,000+ experiences we sell. If you find the same product cheaper within three days of booking or while you're in your destination, we'll refund the difference.
It's Easy To Do