Rila Monastery and St. Ivan Cave Tour from Sofia: Enjoy Bulgaria's UNESCO Heritage

21 Ratings

Sofia

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Embark on a captivating journey through Bulgaria’s UNESCO World Heritage sites with a tour of Rila Monastery and St. Ivan Cave from Sofia. Immerse yourself in the rich history and stunning architecture of the monastery, and discover the spiritual significance of the Cave of Saint Ivan Rilski. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore Bulgaria’s cultural treasures.

Duration: 8 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

bul. “Yanko Sakazov” 9 - Departure is scheduled for 09:00 from the parking area next to the Vasil Levski Monument, located in front of the Slovakian Embassy.
Rila Monastery - Transportation from the meeting point to Rila Monastery. The estimated time of arrival is 12:00.
Rila Monastery - Rila Monastery is a symbol of Bulgaria and a…

What's Included

Tour guide services in English
Access to online, multilingual audioguide (Internet required)
Travel comfortably in an air-conditioned bus
Inclusive of all parking fees
Organized visit to the Cave of St. Ivan Rilski

What's Not Included

Gratuities
Food and Drinks
Admission fees
Admission fees

Additional Information

Embark on a day trip from Sofia to explore one of Bulgaria’s UNESCO World Heritage sites. Enjoy the scenic drive through rural Bulgaria to reach the Rila Monastery, nestled in the pine-covered Rila Mountains. Participate in a guided tour of this medieval marvel, featuring a church adorned with frescoes. Afterward, enjoy some free time to explore on your…

Location

bul. "Yanko Sakazov" 9

bulevard "Yanko Sakazov"

IMPORTANT: The meeting point next to Vasil Levski Monument, in front of the Embassy of Slovakia| | Please, be there 15 min. in advance!

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.6

(21 Ratings)

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603peterd

Sep 17, 2025

Good experience - recommend - Well organised. Friendly guide with good english. Good quality coach with USB power. Useful guided tour of monastry - about the right length (30 mins?). Impressive building. Need euro cloins for the toilet. Cave trip was a good experience. The climb to the cave is moderate difficulty - some steep slopes and walking over small & large rocks. Not suitable for anyone with mobility issues. The cave is an experience - small and narrow (not suitable for claustrophobia)

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Emanueleli1448zt

Sep 11, 2025

A pleasant outing - Our guide, Krasimira, was waiting for us on time at the meeting point, although we had booked only the audio guide and the tour was in Spanish, she was available immediately towards our requests and always made sure that the most important information was received even by those who did not understand Spanish. Upon arrival at the monastery the landscape in which it is located and the story of the most famous monk who lived there were described. The guided tour of the monastery lasted about an hour and a half and there was described the monastery courtyard, the frescoes on the outer walls, the interior of the church and the tomb of King Boris 2. During our free time we went to the kiosk outside to taste the famous Mekitsas and the monastery bread, there are also souvenir shops. After the free time we returned on the shuttle to go to the cave of St. Ivan (I recommend booking it directly in the initial ticket, otherwise it costs 10 € per person), after about a quarter of an hour of travel we arrived in a green space where we crossed a slightly challenging path to reach the church and then the cave itself from which you can go out for a small cavity to simulate a sort of purification rite. Despite some minor delays from customers and traffic, we arrived at our destination on schedule and with a comfortable journey on comfortable seats. The guide and driver were very kind and helpful.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Tourist41831543230

Sep 10, 2025

Recommended - An interesting day, especially thanks to the humorous and very good speaking guide Martin. In the Rila monastery it is crowded, Boyana is recommended and for a visit to the Saint Ivan cave you have to make a big climb over a difficult road.

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Jos_miguelr441

Aug 6, 2025

It's very worth it. - Guide Antonio was very friendly and friendly. The day is taken advantage of, the journey was pleasant and the driver ES a great professional. The monastery is very worthwhile, and the cave ES a highly recommended curious experience.

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Gala_v

Jul 18, 2025

Definitely recommend - Wonderful tour from the organization to the tour guide, would recommend and hope to have the opportunity to book another trip again. Anthony was a great guide, friendly, kind, gave a very good description of the important points to see, good sense of humor. The driver was amazing driving very safely too.

Review provided by Viator

Bernard

Jul 14, 2025

Well organized and good iternary Rila, Boyana and St Ivan cave . Perfect day - Peter drive perfect ! Hristo is cheerful, lively and patiently explained the sites. Schedule and timing control is great !

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Y557tnannek

May 23, 2025

Rila Monastery - The guide was exceptional. He was both friendly and knowledgeable and gave us lots about the history of Bulgaria and areas we were passing en route. The monastery itself was a not to be missed experience.

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Daydream41539722403

Apr 29, 2025

Perfect one day trip combining culture and nature - My friends and I visited Rila Monastery and St. Ivan Cave with guide Lubomir in late April 2025, and we had a fantastic experience. Lubomir was knowledgeable and helpful throughout the tour. The Rila Monastery is a stunning site with rich history and architecture. We really enjoyed the hike to St. Ivan Cave, and the cave itself was fascinating. The crawl out of the cave was challenging due to the very narrow exit hole, but it was definitely worth it. Lubomir provided valuable insights into the history and culture of the area, which added to our overall experience. We highly recommend this tour and Lubomir's services to anyone interested in exploring Bulgaria's natural and cultural attractions.

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Monaice_n

Apr 19, 2025

Great day out! - Amazing day! Lyubov I Mir was very friendly,knowledgeable,helpful and great guide! Beautiful Monastery and suprise hike up through the forest to the cave , great feeling when we got through the hole in the cave!

Review provided by Viator

Go515139

Sep 23, 2025

Falsely advertised, significantly altered schedule. Cash Grab or What? - Could have been perfect if not for diversions from advertised plan. I intentionally selected this tour as I wanted to spend more time in Rila (and had already been to sights like Boyana Church). Before I even got on the bus, I was told that we would be stopping in Boyana (as an 'additional surprise'). However, one had to spend extra money for the ticket into the Church - if you did not want to do so, you were told to wait on the bus while the rest of the tour goes in. Having only gone recently, and objecting to what I assumed was an attempt at even more money (which the tour guide collected), I decided not to. Me and maybe five others were left for 50 mins to wait on the bus. This was on top of another 'surprise trip' to Dragalevski Monastery. This was fine to see, but I felt unnecessary, considering we lost an extra 30 mins or so. Because of these extra, non-advertised stops, by the time we got to Rila, we had maybe 30 mins of free time to explore, as we had to leave again to go to the cave. I had to quickly visit the church and had to skip the museums entirely. The advertised two hours at the Monastery is simply untrue. Thankfully, the guide Hristo and the driver Sergei were great, and salvaged the day. If not for Hristo's informative, friendly tour, I would have been very annoyed at this company. We returned to Sofia about an hour after their estimation, which was not too bad. I assume all these diversions were due to the trips to the two sights outside Sofia. I do not know why they decided to do this, when if one had of wanted to see them, they could have got on the corresponding tour bus? I can only assume they wanted more money or to maintain good relations with Boyana by bringing them more custom?

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Check Availability

From $23

up to 15 guests

1 - Adult