Rila Lakes and Monastery: Self-Guided Shuttle Tour

249 Ratings

Sofia

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Embark on a self-guided shared trip from Sofia to the stunning 7 Rila Lakes and the UNESCO-listed Rila Monastery. Hike through the lakes in the morning and explore the monastery in the afternoon.

Duration: 13 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral - Enjoy stunning morning views of Sofia’s main landmark

What's Included

Driver
Round-trip shared transfer
Transport by air-conditioned minivan

What's Not Included

Entrance fees - Rila Lakes chairlift ticket (25 BGN per person, two-way)
Gratuities
Food and drinks
Guide services
Mountain rescue insurance

Additional Information

Embark on a self-guided, communal shuttle tour that will usher you towards the stunning 7 Rila Lakes area in the morning, followed by a visit to the UNESCO-protected Rila Monastery in the Rila National Park, highlighting Bulgaria’s finest natural and cultural spots, in the afternoon. In the initial part of the day, the shuttle bus will transport you to…

Location

пл. „Княз Александър I“ 1

площад „Княз Александър I“

Go to the car parking at Knyaz Aleksander I square (in front of The Palace - National Art Gallery). Look for a vehicle with Rila Shutle sign. Nearest metro station is Serdika.

Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings

4.8

(249 Ratings)

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Roam23493838373

Aug 21, 2025

If you go to Sophia you cannot miss this experience - Really good excursion to the 7 Rila lakes, the bus dropped us there at 9 and we had 6 hours to visit the whole site, we ended up not using the chair lift on the way up and only using it on the way down, but we were able to complete the full route in the prescrbed time, even though it was tiresome. The monastery was very cool too, even though we were a little tired at that point. Overall it is a great on day excursion if you are in Sophia

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Ludokr

Aug 12, 2025

A fantastic hike - Highly recommended activity, both for the excursion itself (deserve a trip to the 7 Lakes, both the visit to the monastery of Rila) and for the organization. The guide was very helpful and prepared, provided us with all the necessary information, starting from the day before the excursion, as well as in the morning at the appointment and during the day, communicating with us via whatsapp for every need. The exceptional driver, punctual and very helpful.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Z4566zhnikitas

Aug 11, 2025

Great day - Fantastic experience. Lakes and monastery were beautiful. Car was clean and air conditioned. Good information on different routes etc

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Guusje

Aug 9, 2025

Great experience! - We had a great experience of the Rila lakes and the monastery thanks to the shuttle service! Philip was in contact with us all day to give all kinds of information and tips, which we really appreciated. Overall a good recommendation as a daytrip when you do a Sofia citytrip 🤩

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388linaa

Aug 9, 2025

Awesome day in the mountains - Philip was a great guide! He gave us all the information we needed, handy maps and had created a group chat with detailed information before departure. The rila lakes were gorgeous and we had a clear view of the national park from the peak. If you go for one of the shorter hikes or is quite fast, you even have time for a beer at the mountain lodge. After the hike we visited the beautiful Monestary and could buy some lokal pastries. Would highly recommend this self-guided tour.

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Ww_a

Jul 26, 2025

We had an absolutely... - We had an absolutely exceptional day trip exploring the Rila Lakes and Rila Monastery, all thanks to Philip's brilliant organization. His decision to have us start hiking to the lakes in the morning was incredibly smart, especially for a July visit. While the hike was a bit challenging, the moment we reached the viewpoint and saw the breathtaking blue lakes, we knew it was entirely worth the effort. Bringing our own packed lunch and plenty of water was absolute necessary. His guidance as our tour guide was invaluable, helping us reach that spectacular viewpoint. I chose this tour specifically because of the reviews about Philip, and he certainly lived up to them!

Review provided by Viator

626bethane

Jul 20, 2025

- Philip was an excellent guide. Everything was very efficient and well explained. I really appreciated the whatsapp group created the day before and the clear explanations of what we could do. He was very friendly and easy to talk to and checked if we had any questions before we started each part of the tour. The self guided tour was perfect for us as we could go at our own pace, but at the same time we didn't need to think about getting between each place.

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Marie_p

Jul 20, 2025

Complete tour of nature and culture - It’s an amazing tour discovering a beautiful landscape and an amazing monastery. I really recommend it.

Review provided by Viator

Jeffc13000

Jul 19, 2025

Beautiful walk around the lakes! Beautiful landscapes with very good weather. Visit of the monastery all - Beautiful walk around the lakes! Beautiful landscapes with very good weather. Visit the monastery just as magnificent at an hour little attended. Our Philip guide has excellent advice and very clear in his explanations. Not to be missed! Jeff

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Jed_f

Jul 16, 2025

Good timing and information. - A fantastic hike with beautiful scenery. 400m elevation difference between the start and top. There are several hiking options, based on your ability, and you can choose as you go, depending on how you're tracking. The guide Philip on the bus have us all the information we needed before we started walking, and was incredibly helpful. The walk itself is unguided, so you can choose your own route and walk at your own pace. Everyone in our group arrived on time, so we left on time and arrived a little early at the parking lot at 8:40am. We were at the top of the chairlift and walking at 9:50am. We were a little quicker than others, and got to the top viewpoint, spend 25mins or so there, then walked the loop back. Spent another 30mins at the top of the chairlift before heading back down for the bus to leave at 3pm. We were abit concerned about time, but it turns out that at a normal consistent walking pace, you can do the whole loop on the time given. Monastery was also lovely.

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Check Availability

From $53

up to 15 guests

1 - Adult