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Sofia Audio guides

Our most recommended Sofia Audio guides

From Sofia: Rila Monastery & Boyana Church Small Group Tour

1. From Sofia: Rila Monastery & Boyana Church Small Group Tour

Depart Sofia at 09:00 AM sharp, and relax on the 2-hour drive to the Rila Monastery in the Rila Mountains. Upon arrival, explore the largest and most important Orthodox cloister in Bulgaria. Admire the arcaded balconies, and discover unique frescoes by one of the most famous painters of the Bulgarian National Revival period. See gilded iconostasis and enjoy the fabulous mountain views. Hear the story of the monastery from your guide before enjoying some time to explore the monastic complex on your own. Learn more at the museum, or purchase souvenir icons and other items in the nearby shops. Take some time to refuel with lunch at one of the local restaurants, where you can purchase local specialties such as mekitsi (a traditional Bulgarian dish of kneaded dough made with yogurt that is deep-fried). Depart at 01:30 PM and travel to Boyana Church in the suburbs of Sofia. See the historically significant frescoes of the Byzantine building, and hear how they started the fashion for illustrating biblical figures with emotions and placing them alongside the local aristocracy. With an estimated arrival time at the church of approximately 03:40 PM, enjoy about 30 minutes to explore. Leave at around 04:10 PM for the drive to Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia city center by 04:30 PM to 05:00 PM.

From Sofia: Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Day Trip

2. From Sofia: Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Day Trip

Experience the religious history of Bulgaria on a day trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Rila Monastery and Boyana Church from Sofia. Follow your guide around the monastery to learn about this epic site or choose to explore it on your own before viewing Boyana Church's ancient frescoes. Meet your friendly group for the day near Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Settle down in your seat and set off out of the city as you drive along scenic roads with picturesque views of rural Bulgaria. Arrive at Rila Monastery, the largest Eastern Orthodox monastery in the country. If you've booked the tour, follow your guide around the historic site and learn about the main frescoes. If you're an explorer you can visit the museum, take photos, and check out the church at your own pace. Then start your journey back to Sofia with one more important stop along the way. Enter the medieval Boyana Church and stroll within the ancient walls, studying the artistic frescoes which make this place so special.

Plovdiv: Full-Day Small Group Excursion from Sofia

3. Plovdiv: Full-Day Small Group Excursion from Sofia

This full-day trip begins with a 2-hour drive from Sofia to Plovdiv, one of Europe’s oldest towns. On a guided walking tour, discover the history and culture of this 8,000-year old city that was settled by Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and Bulgarian civilizations. See the sights of the old town, including museums, historical monuments and revival period houses lining the cobbled streets. Explore the Ethnographical Museum and the impressive Roman Theater. An English-speaking guide will accompany the group throughout the day and will point out the most interesting architectural and cultural treasures of the region and provide commentary on modern life in Bulgaria.

From Sofia: Full-Day Tour to Rila Monastery and Boyana

4. From Sofia: Full-Day Tour to Rila Monastery and Boyana

Spend the day exploring 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites located outside of Sofia, Bulgaria's capital city. Begin by meeting with your local guide at behind St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia who is ready to make the best of your day, sharing historical facts and insider tips. Sit back and relax for the next 2 hours as your English-speaking driver transportsyou to Rila. Upon arriving, spend 2 hours exploring the area and visiting the Rila Monastery, the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. Then enjoy lunch at a local restaurant that features a specialty of grilled trout. Hop back in the van for another 2-hour journey, eventually arriving at Boyana Church, a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church on the outskirts of Sofia. Check out the elaborate frescoes that have made this site famous, before your tour returns you to your meeting point.

Plovdiv and Koprivshtitsa Full-Day Tour from Sofia

5. Plovdiv and Koprivshtitsa Full-Day Tour from Sofia

A 2-hour drive from Sofia will take you to the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second largest city and one of its oldest towns. Within 2-3 hours of walking along the city, you will discover the history and culture behind a 7000-year old settlement, written by the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Bulgarian civilizations. You can enjoy sightseeing in the Old Town with its museums, historical monuments, revival period houses, lined with souvenir shops cobbled streets or get impressed by the rich Ethnographical Museum and the ancient Roman Theater. Feel the atmosphere of this artistic and trades center and enjoy a lunch at the local restaurants. Next stop on your way back is the charming town of Koprivshtitsa with its fascinating history and authentic 19th-century architecture. Spend the rest of the day in the leisure of this small and picturesque city situated in central Bulgaria, spread amongst the slopes of the Sredna Gora Mountains, that carries a specific spirit of tranquillity and eternity. Once a scene of battles for the liberation of Bulgaria, now the city is turned into a museum of the Revival Period of Bulgaria. Here you can visit the homes of some of the most eminent Bulgarians, writers and rebels, admire the vast collections of ethnographical treasures, including ancient weapons, intricate national costumes and stunning jewellery.

Sofia: Self-Guided Audio Tour

6. Sofia: Self-Guided Audio Tour

Every traveler in Bulgaria wants to visit the most interesting places and take away the most vivid impressions. Your collection of memories will be complete if you visit the sights of Sofia in the company of an Audio Guide. You will explore Sofia on your own at your own pace, with the help of an audio guide and a map of the excursion route. Approaching the desired object, you dial its number and start playback. After paying for the tour, a link with access to audio files will be sent to your email. On the day of the excursion you have chosen, the link will become active and will be valid for 24 hours. You will listen to audio recordings on your phone. You will need the internet and headphones to listen to recordings in temples. The itinerary that is proposed is circular and seems to be the most convenient in order to see all the sights, but you can feel free to remodel it to your tastes because you decide when and to which audio recordings to listen. The duration of the trip may differ, according to you, from 2,5 hours to 4 hours. Your first stops will be the National Theater, the Russian Church, Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the hidden Jewish memorial complex and St. Sophia Church. Next, continue on to the old St. Petka Church, the central Mosque and the famous St. George Rotonda Church.

Sofia: Full-Day Hiking to Rozhen Monastery & Melnik

7. Sofia: Full-Day Hiking to Rozhen Monastery & Melnik

The tour starts from your hotel. From that point, a professional guide with an air-conditioned car will take you on the individual tour. Heading on the motorway, your first stop will be Melnik. The smallest town in Bulgaria, Melnik, is nested in the south slopes of Pirin, among sand pyramids with queer forms. It is situated in the Sandanski Municipality, Blagoevgrad county, 175 kilometers north of Sofia and only 30 kilometers from the borderline with Greece. Antiquities found from archaeological excavations testify to a centuries old history. Melnik was declared a natural and architectural reservation, and it attracts thousands of tourists annually. The wine produced by the unique Bulgarian brand Wide Melnik Vine has a wonderful quality, scents of ripe cherry, herbs and in the presence of an oak, it develops nuances of tobacco and leather. It is one of the attractions of the town and the region, and it attracts many admirers from the whole world. You can sample it in some of the wineries and cellars in the town and the surrounding area. After a stop for lunch in a typical Bulgarian style, you will start the hiking tour to Rozhen Monastery. Rozhen Monastery situated 5 kilometers east from Melnik was recognized as a center of ecclesiastic life in the region. It is also the largest Orthodox monastery in the Pirin region. The monastery is comparatively well preserved to the present day and every year it is visited by many tourists from various countries. The monastery holiday is on 8 September, when people from the whole region gather in order to participate in the celebrations.

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What are the best day trips and excursions from Sofia?

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What people are saying about Sofia

Overall rating

4.7 / 5

based on 781 reviews

Very nice trip covering Boyana church and Rila monastery. Everything was in time and according to description. Bus was comfortable. Guide Martin was excellent, full of knowledge but also entertaining. We had enough free time to explore on our own as well. This tour was highlight of my trip to Bulgaria and I would recommend it to other travelers.

It was really worthy to go.We were small group of 7 people. Our guide Martin provide us all necessary information in English. I would highly recommend.

Expérience à faire ! J’ai été très bien prise en charge par les guides qui étaient très gentils, j’ai passé une super journée !

Our guide Philip was very knowledgeable He made the tour interesting Highly recommended

Our guide was very good and the history and views were very fascinating!