Rila Monastery & Spa Retreat: Sofia's Ultimate Day Escape

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

It was great😊. The monastery is beautiful and the spa is great, the water is warm and clean . Our driver Stefan was really nice and helpful. He even got back to the spa when I realized I had forgotten my earrings after a few kilometers. I recommend this trip😍🇧🇬👍

Very nice experience to Rila Monastery from Sofia and a relaxing spa experience afterwards. This is a full day trip starting at 9am ending at 530pm.

The bus ride was comfortable and our guide Georgi was friendly and knowledgeable. He shared the history of the places and was happy to answer questions. It was a good mix of tour time and explore on your own. The baths were nice on a bit day!

Wonderfull monastery and place. Sauna at the snowing time. Yeeee no need to drop in the cold water.( Lol) Money value. Fantastic and friendly drive and guide. Go there when you can.

Fun tour from Sofia, Bulgaria. Loved the tour at Rila Monastery with amazing architectural feats that lasted for many years. Our guide Ivan, was wonderful and very knowledgeable and entertaining along the duration of the trips. A bit disappointed at the Thermae as it was very crowded and pools are divided into different temperatures setting, however, the lockers were full, so you had to bring all your belongings wherever you go along the facility.

My sister and I took this tour in Sofia. Lubo, our tour guide was great. The trip was well organised. I booked the trip via phone 2 hours before the trip by calling the number I found in google. Thank you team!

The Rila Monastery is a Unesco site and Bulgaria's Crown, and one of the most sacred and beautiful places I've ever visited in my 40+ countries. If you do not go while in Bulgaria you will regret it. The combination of the Monastery with the natural thermal mineral baths afterwards is perfect. The baths feel great after a lot of traveling and walking. I also had the added bonus of going during a warm late Autumn day, and saw all the beautiful fall colors in the mountains during the drive. The guide was knowledgeable and professional, and spoke great English. The only thing I would change is to have 30 minutes more at the Monastery and less at the baths. It is unnecessary to spend a full 3 hours at the bath at the expense of being rushed at the Monastery (1.5 hours only). I also would have opted (and paid) for an hour longer tour that included a visit to the nearby Cave of St Ivan of Rila, if offered. The guide said that he sometimes can go there upon request if there is a smaller group. I also discovered from him that you can make arrangements at the Monastery to spend the night there, in the very austere Monk conditions. You have to arrange that completely separately from this tour though. The admission to Rila is included, but it was 20€ extra for the baths, as described. You can pay the entry at the baths with a credit card -- but you do need to bring local currency for *refundable deposit* for entry key, and optional towel, locker and robe. Around 50lev for everything. (Also bring local currency if you want to buy anything at the Monastery). There are no refeshments provided on the tour, so bring your water bottle and optional packed lunch if you don't want to eat at the Bath restaurant. Remember to also bring a swimsuit, flip-flops, and your shampoo/lotion for the shower afterwards.

Great day. Can’t miss the monastery and the wonderful restaurant I’ve thermal bath One of the mossy outstanding day in my travels

Rila monastery and a SPA is a wonderful combination. We very enjoyed. Our guide George was very interesting ,profetional and friendly. I really recommend this tour .