From Sofia Rila Monastery with Boyana Church or St. Ivan’s Cave

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. 09:00 departure from the starting point. Be sure to arrive at least 15 minutes before departure.

   15 min

2. Boyana Church is a small temple at the outskirts of Sofia with frescoes dating back to three separate periods: 11th, 13th and 19th century. The most important and fascinating are the frescoes dating from 1259. They are Renaissance frescoes that predate the Italian Renaissance (triggered by the works of Giotto) and brake the strict Christian canon law to present pure human emotions, royal figures and folklore elements.

   45 min

3. Rila Monastery is one of Bulgaria’s symbols and a popular tourist destination. The monastery is set deep in the heart of Rila Mountain, between the Rilska and Drushliavitza Rivers, at 1147 metres (3760 feet) above sea level. It is situated 120 kilometres south of Sofia.

   2 h

4. Return to the starting point at approximately 17:00

   Passes by

Cancellation

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

Reviews

Ratings come from 1,030 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 4Boyana church, Rila and cave

  My highlights of the trip were the Boyana church and the cave of St Ivan Rilski (especially the small chapel) The downside of the trip was the transport with the coach, which was full, having the smallest legroom I have ever known- not great when total travel time is close to 5 hours The tour guide Hristo was exactly what you need in a guide he was passionate about the subject, knowledgeable, informative and friendly

  O6925MJmikemOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5A trip worth every hour

  A day trip from Sofia that's worth every hour. It stops at 3 locations combining history, nature and the spirit of man. The guide (Ludo) is enhancing the experience with his spicy commentary and will make your trip unforgettable. Apart from the majesty of the Rila Monastery you should taste the local MEKITSA. Order Bulgarian cheese with it. That's the best way to enjoy it. For the brave amongst you order a BOZA as well (it is not everybody's taste). I strongly recommend the short mountain trail hike at the end. First to burn the calories from the MEKITSA second to enjoy the magnificent nature of Rila mountain and third the story hiding in the wilderness is worth the sweat.

  159vladiiOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Amazing guide

  The guide was the best and informative and the place was beautiful

  carmencB1283YCOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Great value tour to incredible Rila Monastery

  Excellent value tour. Opted for Rila Monastery and St Ivan Cave. Journey was comfortable and well organised. Guide was clear and informative throughout.

  Trave11ightOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

• 2Terrible and fraudulent

  This was a very bad experience. We booked the tour „Rila Monastery and Boyana church“. Upon arrival at the meeting point we were told by our guide that we were instead going to the Rila monastery and a cave in the mountains. We said we wanted to go to Boyana church as booked and he said literally: „Well you might want to but you can’t.“ it turns out there are very limited spaces at Boyana church because it is a small building. These places quickly sell out but the tour company sells spots on the tour anyway and tells people on arrival that they cannot go. So we had to wait outside for about 40 Minutes while a part of the rest of the group visited the church. The whole thing was very disappointing and made a lot worse by the disrespectful behavior of the tour guide. Another bad aspect of the tour (but this is a matter of taste for sure) was the incessant talking of the guide who gave little information but seemed to want to fill the time by talking anyway. All in all i would recommend to do Boyana church privately! You can book tickets on the website of the Boyana church and get there with public transport since it is at the outskirts of Sofia. If you can find just transport (sans tour) to Rila monastery i would recommend that as well. Whatever interesting facts we learned about the place we read on Wikipedia and did not learn through the tour guide.

  claudiawU6061RQOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Excellent!

  Everything was great! The guide Martin, conveyed the information smoothly!

  831audriussOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

Know before you go

How it compares in Sofia

• Its from-price is 78% below the median of the 174 day trips we list in Sofia.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 2 of 174.
• 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