4 days: Monasteries in Bulgaria

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Welcome to Sofia. Today we’ll see two UNESCO sites – Boyana church and Rila monastery. Transfer to Boyana – 30 minutes. The church is famous with its layers of paintings dated from 11th, 13th. and 19th. century.

   20 minAdmission included

2. Transfer to Rila monastery – 2 hours. Rila Monastery is the biggest monastery in Bulgaria. A guided tour of 1 hour and free time for lunch.

   2 hAdmission included

3. Transfer to Plovdiv – 2 hours and 30 minutes. Plovdiv is the second largest city and the cultural capital of Europe for 2019. Accommodation in a boutique hotel in the center of Plovdiv. Guided tour in the old part of Plovdiv.

   12 h

4. 9.00. Hotel check-out. Transfer to  Bachkovo monastery – 40 minutes. Bachkovo monastery is the second largest monastery in Bulgaria and it is a candidate for the list of UNESCO heritage. Guided tour and free time.

   2 hAdmission included

5. Transfer to Arapovski monastery – 30 minutes.

   1 hAdmission included

6. Transfer to Shipka monastery – 2 hours.

   30 min

7. Transfer to Sokolski monastery – 1 hour. A guided tour.

   50 minAdmission included

8. Transfer to Veliko Turnovo – 1 hour.  Veliko Turnovo was the capital of the Bulgarian kingdom from 12th to 14th. century. Accommodation in a boutique hotel with a panoramic view to the King’s hill, where is the fortress.

   12 h

9. 9.00. After breakfast, a guided tour in Veliko Turnovo. Visit the fortress and feel the history of the place.

   2 hAdmission included

10. Transfer to Patriarch’s monastery – 30 minutes. Transfer to Arbanasi to see the church “The Nativity of Jesus” – 30 minutes.

    2 h

11. Transfer to Kupinovski monastery – 40 minutes.

    40 minAdmission included

12. Transfer to Preobrajenski monastery – 1 hour.

    2 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 1 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Sofia

• Its from-price is 536% above the median of the 611 experiences we list in Sofia.
• It is longer than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 352 of 611.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Sofia

Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, lies below Vitosha mountain, mixing Roman ruins, golden-domed churches, mineral springs and a busy café culture.

Sofia sits in a high basin at the foot of Mount Vitosha, and its centre layers Roman Serdica, Orthodox Bulgaria and the Ottoman and Soviet eras. The gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, completed in the early twentieth century, is the city's best-known building. Close by are the fourth-century rotunda of St George, the Banya Bashi Mosque and the remains of Roman streets that show through glass in the metro stations.

Top-ranked sights in Sofia: Rila Monastery, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Ivan Vazov National Theatre.

See all 611 experiences in Sofia