Small Group Tour to Rila Monastery and Boyana Church

What a perfect private tour of Rila monastery and Boyana church. This was just a tour with 2 people and the guide. The guide was really relaxed and made the trip about us and what we wanted to see. This made us feel relaxed and made it more a conversation that just a typical tour. We went for lunch at this perfect ‘non tourist’ spot by the river which was a highlight of the day also. All round, I’d recommend this to anyone wanting a great day exploring while it not feeling touristy.

We booked this tour to avoid the chaos of large bus tours and get some quality time with a local expert. Our guide Laura did not disappoint, she was great. Very knowledgeable about the history of the region and the monastery. Laura did a great job of balancing the guided time of the tour with free time for us to roam and explore. The bread at the Monastery's bakery was incredible! The frescoes at the main chapel were beautiful and Laura provided a lot of info that made them come to life. She even understands the older Bulgarian language the Monks use to chant. This tour was worth every lev and I highly recommend it if you want a more personal and focused experience.

Set high up in the mountains the Rila Monastery has a fascinating history and offers much to explore. The Boyana church, while ancient and very small in size and permits entry to only 8 persons at a time, is built in 3 distinct phases, which make for very interesting viewing, both from within and externally. Overall, visiting the Monastery and the Church, was a great experience.

We were booked on the Rila Monastery trip through Journee.

We had zero expectations, not knowing we were visiting Sofia until the day before. Our first trip was with Vili (the kid), taking us up the mountains to Rila. We were stunned seeing the beautiful Bulgarian countryside and seeing the rural villages en route. The monastery was stunning and Vili was fantastic at showing us round, we saw behind scenes at the priest’s quarters and had a lovely lunch together. She made us feel comfortable, answering all our questions. We felt like a local for the day and it was fantastic!

Our fourth day in Bulgaria and we had no plans booked. We then went through Bultrips directly to book a private tour to Plovdiv, after seeing online all the history the city had to offer we couldn’t miss seeing it. The second trip was with Lubo. He managed to show all the history of Plovdiv in a limited time. Seeing the mosaic museum and all the unexpected ruins the city has to offer. We were so happy to have arranged the second tour with Bultrips.

Don’t hesitate to contact the team, to arrange a trip that suits you, we have zero regrets from the wonderful time we had! Thank you!

Maria was great! She did a great job explaining all about the two UNESCO sites on this tour. She even took us to an amazing restaurant.

Beautiful monastery and interesting history shared by our guide Todo, whom was very informative, knowledgeable and his humour made the experience all the more pleasant.

The Guide was really nice and a good Driver, also speaking very good english and he gave us good information about the visited places.

Great guide Adrian. So knowledgable, patient, knows so much history. Rila is a very special beautiful place. Awesome tour

This is the perfect trip for the people who loves wonders, history, nature, forest, mountain, adventure etc.. If you are in Bulgaria, you should must see Rila Monastery. Actually Inside the monastery are the wonders and surprises. Don't forget to visit the original old monastery and the cave 20 minutes upward walk in the mountain. The guide Maria was with an exceptional wonderful personality. We have been to more than 60 (Sixty) countries and we remember very few guides - Maria is in our heart.

Great tour! Just the 3 of us! It was nice to get out if the city & see the countryside. Rila is amazing & picturesque.