7 Rila Lakes and Rila Monastery Tour
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Sofia, Bulgaria
- 10 to 11 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
What's Included
- Driver
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- WiFi on board
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Entrance fee - Lift to The Seven Rila Lakes€15.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Sofia Center, ul. "Iskar" 31, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
Iskar 31 street - Big Yellow House - Only a few minutes away from Alexander Nevski Cathedral.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.8:00 am
Itinerary
1
Rila Monastery
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
2
The Seven Rila Lakes
5 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- The drive to the monastery is around 1.5 - 2.5 hours, depending on traffic
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 99 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.5
based on 173 reviews
Shreyas_R, Apr 2026
The travel started from Sofia like agreed at the location and time. There was a dedicated bus for our trip to Rila monastery and up to the mountain. We got an hour to explore at Rila monastery after which we began our journey to mountain. This journey is like almost 2 hours. By the time we reached the base of mountain it was like 1 pm. The tour guide told us we will be leaving by 4pm back and asked us to come back before that time. The only problem here is that one cannot explore all seven lakes on mountain. First of all, in winter or spring, like in beginning of April or late March, the snow fall can be quite hectic and as told by the guide it can take 2 hours minimum to just go and come back to 1st lake from the lift point. This information is not shared anywhere, except it's advertised as one can see all seven lakes. Maybe in summer time, one could go and see at least one lake in the allocated 3 hours on top of mountain. Other than that the guide, transportation arrangements were good and we had no problem of that kind.
Rajapandian_S, Mar 2026
Good experience, guide apostolos shared the history of Bulgaria and rila mountain during the trip...
Mary_G, Mar 2026
It was a great day. We visited the Monastery first which was really nice and as we were there early it wasn’t busy. We then travelled to the mountains and took the ski lift to the top. It was difficult to walk in the snow but we enjoyed the views. We visited in March and the lakes were all frozen over and there was snow on top of them. We had something to eat in the chalet which was good. We were lucky with the weather as it was a beautiful, sunny day. Our guide Apostolos was excellent at sending us information on times and other things via What’s App. Overall we really enjoyed the day even though we didn’t actually see any lakes.
Jocelyn_B, Feb 2026
The monastery was beautiful, but I would not recommend making this trip in the winter. All 6 of us on the tour packed boots and warm clothes for a snowy hike, but hiking was not possible at the top of the mountain. Visibility was extremely low, so even after we trudged up a snow bank (no packed down path, we all kept falling through and needing to pull ourselves out of thigh-deep snow), we were unable to see anything, let alone the lakes. We had to trudge back down after that and spent the rest of the time inside the lodge. The dogs on the top of the mountain were very cute and friendly! Also - note the roads to the monastery and Rila lakes are your typical mountain switchbacks. If you get carsick from that, consider taking medication. If not, don’t let the guide pressure you into taking medication - the roads are not extreme by any means.
Lidija_B, Jan 2026
guide that doesn't say anything about the trip,
the trip is not feasible in such a winter,
we were not informed about the difficult conditions, nor about the alternatives
Goncalo_A, Dec 2025
It was a difficult but amazing hike, the drive was really tchill and the guide friendly and funny! The weather was really sunny, check the weather
Zainab_K, Nov 2025
It was a great tour. Alexander took us safe and comfortable. Filled us with a lot of history. Definitely a reliable option to go. I booked a tour on booking.com and they cancelled it last minute and I quickly booked this one on Viator. Unfortunately we could not hike upto the Rila lakes due to the bad weather and the snow storm. Will come back again next year, May or September to do the tour again with this company.
Alex_L, Nov 2025
Must see excursion while in Sofia. Monastery is magical and the lakes are the perfect nature hike. We got lucky with amazing weather. Apostolos was our guide, nice roomie Van, good driver, provided a lot of free time to see what we needed and provided guidance for anything we wanted, great for independent travelers. Oh and such cute dogs that love him when we arrived at the Rila lakes ski lift.
Vivian_O, Oct 2025
Please make sure to check the weather. We started the day with a visit to the Rila Monastery. The monastery is beautiful. Bring cash so you can try some of their delicious snacks. The 7 Rila Lakes hiking portion was canceled due to significant snow and mud on the ground. The tour leader was kind enough to replace this with an excursion to see a waterfall followed by free time in a thermal spa. Overall it was a very good experience.
Hoshi_M, Oct 2025
Great experience made amazing by the tour operator Alexander. He was so full of knowledge about the culture and history of Bulgaria which was brilliant. When we got to the site of the Rila mountains we found that there was reduced visibility due to the weather so Alex gave us the option to go to a mineral spa instead. When we decided we still wanted to see the lakes he was so helpful providing info on routes, showing us the live camera of the mountain etc. The Rila monastery is also a must see site although would have liked more time to explore its museums and other attractions. Overall Alex made the day and although the visibility was so bad we couldn’t see any of the views on the mountain it was still fun. I would recommend to people to book when the weather is better though so as not to miss out on the views and hike.
April_P, Oct 2025
We had great time with Apostolos on this tour! We were traveling with our 2 children and he was very cautious of their safety and warned us of the windy roads to the Rila Monastery and Seven Lakes. The Rila Monastery was amazing, but restrooms are squat toilets only. The Seven Lakes hike was beautiful, but only saw five since the last two are on a steeper trail and too difficult for kids. To see the five lakes took us 2 hours to complete as we stopped to take pictures and breaks for kids. Walked about 4 miles total and there are some steps/inclines since you will travel over 900ft elevation to get to the lakes. Beautiful views once you get to the top!
Duane_L, Aug 2025
My only complaint about this tour is the lack of time to do the activities. However, it’s a great combo!
The Rila monastery is incredible.. as beautiful inside (no photos allowed) as it is on the outside. A little more time would be nice to see all areas.
The Rila 7 lakes has amazing scenery. Beautiful mountain and lake images. Be advised, however, that there is a lot of uphill hiking AFTER the ski lift up. But the views are worth the effort. Again, at least an hour more is needed to see all 7 lakes.
And be prepared for a long line at the lift after 4:30pm.
Definitely a day of memories from this tour!
Tamas_C, Jul 2025
Both the monastery and the seven lakes are as beautifull as on the pictures. If your are experienced in hiking, you should have no problems, but if you are not, than at least bring good hiking shoes! If you go in the summer, than also bring sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat, because there is little shadow up there. The tour is self-guided, so having company or teaming up with others might be a good idea. The seven lakes are accessible via cable lift, which takes about 15-20 minutes form the parking lot, and costs 30 BGN (in 2025).
Pompeyo_L, Jul 2025
The tour starts with a visit to the Rila monastery but the highlight is really the hike to the 7 lakes.
Stelios_S, Jul 2025
An overall great experience..!! A day away from the city and close to nature. A beautiful monastery in a green landscape.
As for the 7 lakes, it's a stunning scenery with breathtaking views.
It is recommended for everyone to visit it, either take the short route with fewer lakes or the long one with all 7 lakes.
sylwia_z, Jun 2025
Its worth it!!!! Mountains are amazing even if sun its trying to melt u down ,haha😂😂
Best guide and driver 😀😀
Joseph_B, Jun 2025
It was beautiful, both places. But please do your research on weather. We picked perfect day and had perfect time. Tour people cannot control that. Bus was comfortable, driver did great navigating mountain roads. Hike at 7 lakes was amazing, but little muddy as there is still snow. Tour guide was willing to help everyone navigate even with different languages.
Hui_Z, May 2025
"Everything has been wonderful, and the scenery is truly spectacular. However, the tour guide provided inaccurate information — he mentioned that the 7 Lakes hike would take about 2.5 hours, but in reality, it takes at least 4 hours for the average person to complete. Additionally, the lift was under maintenance. Although a jeep was available, it did not take us all the way to the top, requiring an extra 20–25 minutes of hiking. We had to skip breaks in an effort to meet the deadline, but even then, we were unable to make it on time. Overall, the guide’s misleading information caused significant inconvenience. We were exhausted!
Shariff_H, May 2025
Tour got partly replanned due to bad weather. Guide was very nice but given weather forecast it should have been rescheduled for next day.
Lina_P, May 2025
It was amazing! Love the nature and all beautiful places around I’ve seen during this trip! Guide is the best!
Paola_S, May 2025
Rila monastery and lakes are beautiful, worth visiting. The tour is well organized. Lift were not operating, so they have arranged some 4x4 to take everybody up, that was an adventure on its own.
I selected this tour because according to description the group wouldn’t have more than 12 people, it was a whole big bus with almost 50 people! The information in the description should be fixed.
TingTing_Q, May 2025
My friends and I had an amazing experience at this well-organized tour! Our guide Apostolos was super attentive and gave valuable information about the sights. Highly recommend!
Theresa_K, Nov 2024
This is probably awesome in the summer, but in November it sucked. We didn’t know the lift wasn’t operating until we got there. We spent most of our time trying to hike up the mountain and once we got to the top, we couldn’t see the lakes. Got some pretty views as we climbed but it just wasn’t worth it.
Antoine_E, Nov 2024
Our tour guide was Apostolos. The Rila monastery was very impressive and gorgeous. The seven lakes require you to take an open ski lift up that lasts about 15-20 minutes, so make sure you bring a lot of warm clothes. The trek across the lakes is beautiful but since the last lift comes down at 16:30 we opted not to go see the higher lake since we might have run out of time. Overall highly recommend this trip
Navdeep_M, Nov 2024
Apostolos ,the tour driver was very good. Tour instructions were very clear. However , for a person who is hiking for first time, you need to be extra prepared because doing it is not tough but doing in time frame provided is tough. May be spend less time in monastery and save time there or may be ask to do monastery later .Overall it is really good. Bulgarian local hikers were very friendly and supportive.
Natalia_A, Nov 2024
Amazing trip, all good. Perfect weather, people. Lovely experience. Driver helpful, the walking was ok, not very very hard, the lift was working so was amazing to use it :)
kathy_l, Oct 2024
Traveling on the chairlift in a thunderstorm, the guide was entertaining, I made new friends and we walked Sofia together after your
Tim_J, Oct 2024
What an awesome day in perfect weather We enjoyed seeing one of the most beautiful monasteries followed by one of the best walks - the cable lift to the start of the walk was fun too!
Tho_T, Dec 2023
We did this a few years ago and it was a wonderful experience. The sights are stunning and the tour guides are lovely. We would recommend it.
Boris_E, Oct 2019
To take the trip to the rila monastery and the Rila lakes was the best decission we made during our visit of Sofia. My girlfriend and I had an amazing experience exploring the beautiful nature of Bulgaria. Our guide/driver Stoyan made the trip even more memorable with his enthusiasm and knowledge about the place and Bulgarian history. He was really helpfull and ready to answer all our questions, we would really recommend him as a guide!
Bulgaria had a lot more to offer than I expected. I would really recommend this trip!
From $70.17
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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