Rila Monastery Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience Rila Monastery. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Full-Day Tour

• From Sofia: Rila Monastery with Boyana Church or St. Ivan's Cave

• Rila Monastery and 7 Rila Lakes Self-Guided Shared Trip From Sofia

• The Seven Rila Lakes and Rila Monastery

• Private Day Trip to Boyana Church and Rila Monastery

Entry to Rila Monastery is free of charge, but some sections of the complex have entrance fees. Admission to the monastery museum costs €4 for adults and €1 for students and kids, while access to other areas, such as the tower and ethnographic museum, costs €2.50 for adults and €1 for students and kids. Audio guides cost €5, and English-speaking guides cost €12.50.

Yes, Rila Monastery is not to be missed and is well worth the day trip from Sofia. This monastery is often considered the most colorful and picturesque one in Bulgaria, despite its stiff competition. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, thanks to its preserved architecture and incredibly vivid frescoes.

Per one customer who booked the Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Full-Day Tour, "A great full-day tour into the mountains to Rila Monastery. The scenery up to the monastery was fabulous, with the mountains covered in snow. We had plenty of time to explore the monastery complex, and then our guide, Maria, gave us a tour and spoke about its history."

Rila Monastery is located approximately 72 miles (116 kilometers) from Sofia. You can reach Rila Monastery by car, public bus, or shuttle bus. Driving offers flexibility, while public buses and shuttles are affordable options. Organized tours that include round-trip transportation from Sofia enable you to visit the monastery comfortably and efficiently.

For a reasonable fee, the Rila Monastery offers guided tours in English and Bulgarian, available upon request, as well as mobile audio guides. Alternatively, take a round-trip excursion from Sofia to the monastery. These all-day experiences often include comfortable transportation, live narration, and free time to explore the complex independently.

The Rila Monastery complex is conveniently open seven days a week, typically from 7am–7:30pm, making it easy to fit this attraction into any sightseeing schedule. The onsite history museum is also open daily from 8:30am–4:30pm. During summer weekends, June–September, the museum is open until 7:30pm.

Yes, you can stay overnight at Rila Monastery, which has private rooms and dormitories available. However, pilgrims and religious groups visiting the monastery are given first priority. To book, contact the monk brotherhood directly at the phone number listed on the official Rila Monastery website.

The Rila Monastery is within easy driving distance of the Stob Pyramids, the Cave of Saint Ivan Rilski, and Melnik. Many organized Rila Monastery tours from Sofia include visits to some of these sites and further-flung attractions such as the UNESCO–listed Boyana Church and the Seven Rila Lakes.

There are tons of fun things to do when you're done visiting Rila Monastery. According to travelers, these are some of the top attractions in Sofia:

• Boyana Church

• Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

• Vitosha Mountain

• Ivan Vazov National Theatre

• St. Sofia Church

View Viator's guide to all the best attractions in Sofia.