“Very poorly organized. For some reason, a few of us got put in an Italian tour and the guide Karolina, although knowing perfectly how to speak English, didn't explain to us about basic logistics of ticket purchasing and later told us: "you are not in a guided tour so I shouldn't be even talking to you in English at all". Incredible. The monastery was beautiful but the stop was too long and we were all freezing.”

“We enjoyed our trip to Rila Monastery and Boyana Church. Our guide Lubo was very nice and friendly. He was super enthusiastic and eager to teach us about Bulgaria. Both Rila Monastery and Boyana Church were really beautiful. The visit to Boyana Church was a bit short and rushed- we were split into 3 groups and each group had only 10 minutes inside to look around. We were at the Rila Monastery for 3 hours and 2.5 hours of that was free time, which felt like a bit too much time there in the pouring rain. We ended up booking the combination ticket at the museum, which was a good…”

“The entire day is incredible! The guide was informative, friendly, spoke great English and had a good sense of humour! The seven lakes was beautiful, not to challenging at all and finished within a few hours! But you need to do this hike, it’s stunning! The monastery was so rich in history as well, very stunning and a special place to visit”

“It was amazing! Love the nature and all beautiful places around I’ve seen during this trip! Guide is the best!”

“The hike up to the lakes was a challenge but well worth it. The views are spectacular. The hike down was also a challenge as the path is rocky. The monastery is beautiful and our guide was both informative and respectful. A great day out.”

“We signed up for a private tour. When the van arrived to our hotel, the driver got out and told us that he had a private tour with people scheduled for the day prior but the van broke down so they were added to our tour. We had no say. We later found out that it was a lie. The people did not have plans the day prior for the tour but they were booked on our tour. The “tour guide” knew nothing. The employee who was inside the Boyana Church corrected him multiple times when he was attempting to tell us about the church to us.”

“This was a long day, but it was worth the time and money. Our driver/host Apostolos inew a lot about the country and kept us on track while ensuring we had opportunity to stop for food and bathroom. We very much enjoyed the 2hr walking free tour (tip based) that Apostolos arranged for us( we learned a lot about Plovdiv from our very knowledgeable local tour guide. We had enough time at the Rila Monastery to walked around and admire the architecture and religious wealth. We wished that we had received the audio tour hyperlink from the company that runs the tour one day in advance, as we had planned…”

“Enjoyed the Monastery but not the Church Church entrance fee was 10 lev each and you only get about 5minutes inside and no photographs Monastery was well worth the trip and loved it Main reason for not scoring higher was disappointment of Church, our lunch stop wasn't good either language problems maybe? plus ditto on our drop off point which wasn't what we had told our guide”

“Great day trip! This is a full day out, but worth the early start to see the Rila Monastery in quiet and serene conditions. Philip was an excellent host, explaining key details throughout the day. There was also ample time in Plovdiv to see the city and get a bite to eat. Would recommend this to anyone visiting Sofia!”

“So worth taking this tour to see the Boyana Church with its fabulous frescoes, and then on to the amazing Rila Monastery. Although the tour was self-guided, our driver Lubo was happy to answer questions and pass on interesting information. A good day out, and I thoroughly recommend.”

“Great place. Just need to Improve the restaurant on site. Limited selection. There were no trash cans outside the restaurant”

“With my husband I visited the monastery of Rila and the cave, nothing short of perfect organization and a special thanks to Viator and especially to the guide Zechariah very professional and at the same time nice and pleasant It will remain a beautiful memory of the. Bulgaria, Sofia and the beautiful monasteryAuto-translated”

“The driver took us to the Rila Monastery mountains with nice driving, however we would have expected better guide type explanations at the site. It was a very short reading of the monastery architecture and religion.”

“Vladi (I hope I’m spelling his name correctly) was incredibly good. Starting with his flexibility- I only had 1 afternoon to do this tour, and he accommodated my schedule. It was just me on this tour, so I certainly got all of his attention. He’s extremely knowledgeable and was great at pointing out all the historical facts. The tour to Rila Monastery and Boyana Church couldn’t have been better! Thanks so much!”

“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.”