Self Guided Tour Experience in Rila Monastery
Duration
3 hour(s)
Languages
English
Skip the line
Included
Explore Bulgaria’s largest Eastern Orthodox monastery
Discover the monastery’s unique fortress-like architecture
See arches, colonnades, stairs, and carved verandas
Listen to the audio and electronic guide at your pace
€ 8.99
€ 8.27
Contact us 24x7
Adult (3 - 99)
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Enjoy unlimited changes and full refund options.
Exceptional flexibility
Free cancellation and unlimited rescheduling leads to total flexibility while you plan your travels
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Enjoy a captivating day at the Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, famously known as the Rila Monastery, the largest and most renowned Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. This experience offers a unique conversational audio guide along with a detailed electronic guide, allowing you to explore the site at your own pace with full flexibility. Nestled at an altitude of 1,147 meters amidst the fragrant coniferous forests of Rila Mountain, the monastery is not only a spiritual center but also a remarkable cultural landmark, offering insights into Bulgaria’s rich religious and architectural heritage.
Spanning approximately 8,800 square meters, the Rila Monastery is a complex of cultural, residential, and farming buildings, showcasing a distinctive architectural style. From the outside, it resembles a fortress with 24-meter-high stone walls forming an irregular pentagon. Visitors entering through one of the two iron gates are immediately struck by its impressive design, featuring arches and colonnades, covered wooden stairways, intricately carved verandas, and 300–400 monastic cells. This combination of grandeur and serenity makes a visit to the Rila Monastery a truly unforgettable experience.
Unique conversational audio guide
E-guide for the monastery
Additional entrance fees
Gratuities
Comfortable walking shoes
Weather-appropriate clothing
Bottle of water
Public transportation nearby
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Dress modestly, cover knees and shoulders
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Type in your hotel/accommodation to see how far the attraction or departure point is.
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Activity Provider: VIP-Sliven Ltd.
Customer Reviews
Christian
This is a wonderful tour and well worth the time and money spent I feel. I’ve booked the combined tour Rila Monastery and Boyana church. Our guide was Tuni who hosts both the English and Spanish speaking tour. Everything was well organised, from check-in just across from the Hyatt Regency Sofia where the tour buses were waiting, transportation to and from the monastery, and the guided tours both in Rila and Boyana. Tuni is very knowledgeable about the history of the sites visited, and the significance of the Christian (Orthodox) Church which is very helpful to gain a deeper understanding about the various frescos. Seeing the frescos in Boyana church is a highlight of the tour for sure. I evenly enjoyed visiting Rila, which is set in a tranquil mountain backdrop. Again, discovering the frescos and understanding the deeper meaning of some of them was both eye-opening and fun with Tuni’s explanations. You even get to act out The Fall of Men (when Adam and Eve, mislead by the serpent, taste the fruit from the tree of knowledge in Garden Eden) in a brief role play. In summary, I found the tour to be both enlightening and a lot of fun. You’ll get back to Sofia by around 6pm with a lot of memories acquired and new stories to tell.
madhu
I had a great time today at the Rila Monastery and Boyana church tour. Guide was very knowledgeable and managed both English and Spanish speaking people. Highly recommend It was a bit cold in the morning so be well prepared.
Flavio
The tour to the Rila Monastery and Boyana Church was simply wonderful! These places are full of history, art, and spirituality, surrounded by breathtaking nature. A special thanks to our guides, Vally and Karina, for their exceptional kindness, professionalism, and deep knowledge — they made the experience even more interesting and engaging. I highly recommend this visit to anyone who wants to discover the cultural and spiritual heart of Bulgaria!
Mai
Fantastic experience. Everything was well organised. Comfy trip with modern bus. Great guide Simon! Thanks to him I could discover many things I would have not been able to would I be on my own. Great advice from his part. You can tell he is passionate about what he does. Congrats!!
Pamela
Simeon was the English and Spanish tour guide. He did a fantastic job of explaining our agenda and process. The information he provided was extremely interesting and easy to understand and the way he presented it. I highly recommend this tour. Bulgaria has seven UNESCO sites; this tour includes two of the seven. Our group had two guides, covering three languages. Rila Monastery was absolutely fabulous; fascinating! Thoroughly enjoyed it; Simeon’s ability to explain and educate - was really top-notch. I purchased bread with spices, honey and while outside of the monastery wall - ate the most incredible sheep yogurt!! Wow!! Best yogurt I’ve ever had in my life!! A definite highlight of the trip !!