The Seven Rila Lakes & Rila Monastery
- 12 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 6 languages
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Experience Bulgaria’s two ultimate highlights in a single day. This expertly timed day trip combines a breathtaking hike to the panoramic Seven Rila Lakes with a cultural visit to the historic Rila Monastery, the largest and most important spiritual landmark in the country. It is the ultimate mountain-and-culture combo designed to maximize your time without feeling rushed. - Conquer the highlights of the Rila Mountains in just one day from Sofia. - Trek past the spectacular lakes with stunning panoramic views (chairlift ticket optional/paid locally). - Rila Monastery: Enjoy ample time to explore the vast UNESCO-listed complex and its famous frescoed church. - Relax in an air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver navigating the mountain roads. - Active yet Accessible: A moderately active trek perfect for travelers with basic physical fitness and comfortable shoes.
Inclusions
What's included
- Visit to Rila Monastery
- Parking Fees
- Professional Tour Guide OR Cloud Audio Guide App (depending on the option you select have booked)
- Round-trip transport by air-conditioned minibus or coach
What's not
- Rila Monastery Museum (Optional; entrance to the main courtyard/church is free)
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Chairlift ticket- appr. 16EUR (only cash payments in euro accepted)
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Itinerary
Departure at 07:00 from the car parknext to Vasil Levski Monument, in front of the Embassy of Slovakia
The tour begins with an early transfer to the Rila, followed by a brief cable car ride to the Seven Rila Lakes Cirque. The glacier lakes are at between 2100 and 2500m/6800 and 8200ft above sea level, with name fitting their shapes, like Babreka (the Kidney), Okoto (the Eye), and Salzata (the Teardrop). As we need to follow strict time schedule depending on your fitness we can either walk the whole trek around all lakes, or make the stroll shorter and skip some of them (normally the two highest ones).
Admire the impressive Rila Monastery (UNESCO)- its architecture and the frescoes present the apogee of the Bulgarian Renaissance art. With an about 1-hour guided tour of the most treasured monuments in the inner yard and the Monastery museum (optional), you will learn the most fascinating facts and stories about the biggest Bulgarian monastery complex.
Return at the starting point of the tour at approximately 19:30
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.6
- 599
- 414
- 36
- 22
- 15
Ratings come from 126 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.
5Excellent tour seeing...
Excellent tour seeing beautiful sites and scenery - highlight in Sofia. Our guide, Megi, was very helpful! Tour requires moderate hiking ability - we walked around 15k steps, sometimes quite steep.
5Fabulous day in th mountains!
What an absolutely perfect way to spend the day!. We booked the guided option which I would absolutely recommend. We started at the monastery which is breathtaking. Radi our guide explained its history as well as describing many of the frescoes. The inside of the church is simply breathtaking. We proceeded to the Seven Lakes and had a wonderful hike, again with Radi explaining about the scenery and the lakes. We would highly recommend this tour and opt for the guided option.
3Great view
The hiking and the monastery were worth it and I do not regret the experience. I am leaving a mix review here, because I paid for the guide and did feel like it was not worth it. She was nice, but I did not feel that this added a lot to my experience and in the end.
5Wonderful
Both the Seven Lakes and the monastery were amazing. The views along the hiking trail were unbelievable. Megi, our guide, kept a good and moderate pace throughout and stopped to explain the landscape around us. She was very professional and friendly, answered all our questions, and gave us all the information we needed.
5Rila Seven Lakes and Monastery
Gorgeous day. The tour went smoothly. Guide spoke good English and communicated clearly. The pace was good and we had enough time for the sights at the Seven Lakes (only had time for 5) and the monastery.
5Perfect
Was a good driver + good tour guide magi , they were awesome 10/10 , the tours attractions was way more better than what I thought
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- IMPORTANT: The meeting point next to Vasil Levski Monument, in front of the Embassy of Slovakia| | GPS coordinates: 42.69677705130451, 23.336332286917877 | Please, be there 15 min. in advance!
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 30 travellers
- Operated by
- Traventuria
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Food: although there are two huts on our way where we can purchase some basic food (i.e. beans soup, meatballs, tea) we advise you to come prepared with a lunch pack from Sofia, because the programme today is rather tight and for sure we won’t have much time for a proper lunch.
- Difficulty: the hiking route is moderately arduous, with individual brief paths featuring steep inclines. Please bring along comfortable walking boots. Sandals and flip-flops are not accepted. Rain jacket might be useful in summer as heavy showers sometimes occur in the afternoons.
- IMPORTANT FOR MAY AND JUNE DEPARTURES! Kindly note, that availability of the tour depends on the weather conditions and the operation of the chairlift.
How it compares in Sofia
- Its from-price is 39% below the median of the 174 day trips we list in Sofia.
- It is longer than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 12 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.
Special offers in Sofia
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
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