From Sofia: Rila Monastery & The Cave of St. John Group Tour

This day tour is a great combination of history and nature – the Rila Monastery and the Cave of Saint John.

The meeting point for the tour is behind Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, near café La Cattedrale – please be there at 8:45. The departure is at 9:00 and since this is a group tour, please be mindful not to be late.

First, we will travel about two hours on a picturesque road to the Rila Monastery – this is the biggest and most important Bulgarian monastery, a UNESCO heritage site as well. There, you will be witness to its amazingly beautiful frescoes and architecture!

Then, if you booked the guided option of the tour, you will have a 40-minute guided visit of the Monastery, during which you will learn about the life of Saint John and about the history of the Monastery complex – from the time of its establishment in the 10th century until nowadays. The guide will also tell you about the story of the more important frescoes, as well as the miraculous icons, situated in the church, and the relics of Saint John.

If you booked the ‘transport only’ option, you will have more free time to explore the Monastery on your own.

After the guided tour, at approximately 12:00 noon, we continue with a short 5-minute drive down the road, until we reach the beginning of the path to the Cave of Saint John – the place, where he spent the last years of his life. The walking path to the cave is about 15-minutes, moderate difficulty, and it's a great refreshing walk in the nature. Once there, you will also have the chance to drink water from the nearby spring, which is believed to never freeze however cold it is.

After the hike, we will go back to the Monastery, where you will have 1 – 1.5 hours of free time, during which you can take photos, check the souvenir shops and have a lunch break. Since the dining options around the Monastery are rather limited, we recommend you bring some food with you from Sofia.

Around 14:00 – 14:30, you will head back to Sofia. The expected return is between 16:00 and 16:30, depending on the traffic and on the size of the group.