A quick background of Rila Monastery
Way back when in the 10th century, a really good person lived named Ivan. He was such a good guy that they revered him as a Saint, St. Ivan of Rila. St. Ivan found this area of Bulgaria so peaceful that he decided to dedicate the last years of his life devotedly praying there in a mountain cave. 20 years of his life, in fact.
After he passed, students of St. Ivan of Rila built the first edition of the monastery in his honor. Unfortunately, the story goes downhill from here. Some time later in the 14th century, the Ottomans came and destroyed the place, as humans have done time and time again throughout history. Faithful followers rebuilt it in the 15th century, only for it to be destroyed again by a fire in the 17th century. His followers are thankfully quite stubborn, for they built it for a 3rd time into what you can visit today.
I sure hope we learn from history and don’t destroy Rila Monastery yet again, cause boy is this place beautiful! The complex is large, consisting of a museum, 300 cells where monks go to pray, a library, and four chapels. It has signature black and white domes and ceilings covered in colorful frescoes.
Why Rila Monastery is Worth Visiting
Rila Monastery has become a national symbol of Bulgaria, and rightfully so. It even made its way onto the 1 lev Bulgarian note. It’s like visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris: you simply have to go because it’s a symbol of the city (and country)!
Plus, if you’re religious, Rila Monastery is considered an important place of pilgrimage. I happen to not be religious but I still found myself drawn to and curious about the religious history of it. Admittedly, it doesn’t look all that impressive in photos. But once I arrived, I was silently amazed. The place demands your attention and has a very powerful peace about it.
What to see at Rila Monastery
The main sight to see here is obvious the church itself, named “The Nativity of the Virgin.” Make sure you crane your neck up at the ceiling to get a glimpse of the colorful frescoes that cover it. It’s like a mini, more colorful Sistine Chapel. I literally got chills from looking at it.
Make sure to also head inside the church, but in my opinion, it’s not as beautiful as the exterior. Photos are allowed outside the church but not inside. Also, remember to dress modestly because it is a religious site.
The tower of Hrelja is another lovely spot in Rila Monastery. It survived the 17th-century fire, so it’s actually the oldest part of the complex (from 1335). You can climb up to the top of the tower for 5 leva (2.50 euros, 3 USD). From up here you have a really nice view of the complex and the surrounding greenery, but if you skip it it’s no biggie.
Also within the complex is the History Museum. A good place to learn more in-depth about the history of Rila Monastery, if my succinct background wasn’t enough :P. The museum also houses over 35,000 artifacts like wood-carvings and icons.
Sofia to Rila Monastery: How to get there
You have essentially 3 options to get from Sofia to Rila Monastery: driving by car, taking a public bus, or taking a guided day tour.
By public bus
There is one public bus per day that departs Sofia for Rila Monastery. The bus station in Sofia is called Ovcha Kupel bus station, located (a bit inconveniently) outside of the city center in the west. You can get there from the city center by public tram: trams 4 or 5 from Serdika station is your best bet to get there straightforwardly.
The bus leaves Sofia at 10:20 a.m. and arrives to the monastery by 1:00 p.m. The returning bus back to Sofia leaves the monastery at 3:00 p.m., giving you two hours to explore. It costs 22 leva round trip aka 11 euros aka 12-ish USD.
This means you’ll spend around 5 hours in the bus just for 2 hours walking around the monastery. Not really ideal.
By car
Renting a car in Sofia is the most efficient way to reach Rila Monastery, and surprisingly it won’t break the bank either. Kayak offers some incredible deals starting at only 5 bucks a day!
The trip from Sofia to Rila Monastery is around 120km (75 miles) and takes around 2-3 hours. Be warned that the roads can get icy and dangerous in wintertime, so it’s probably best to only attempt this in the warmer months.
After my motorbike broke down stranding me ALONE in the middle of mountainous Albania, I decided against renting my own vehicle. This brings me to the option I think is best: a guided tour.
By guided tour
To save you the hassle of navigating public transpo/driving unknown roads on your own, you can take an organized tour. I booked mine through my hostel, Hostel Mostel Sofia (highly recommend!), and most hostels in the city should be able to do the same for you.
You can also book a tour through operators online, for example Traventuria. For 35 euros (40-ish USD), this tour takes you from Sofia to Rila Monastery with a bonus visit to Boyana Church.
BUT! My recommendation is to take a tour that combines Rila Monastery with Rila National Park. Here’s why:
Rila National Park is just as beautiful as Rila Monasty, but for a different reason. Here you won’t find chapels or frescoes, but artwork of a different kind: sweeping mountainscapes, greenery stretching as far as the eye can see, snowy peaks, and seven lakes scattered around the view.
Tours visiting Rila National Park include a guided hike of Seven Rila Lakes. It’s about a 3.5 hour trek of easy-to-moderate difficulty that takes you up and around all the seven lakes. Some are shaped like kidneys, others have fascinating legends to their name.
There’s no technical climbing or tricky areas involved, but there are uphill climbs that require a decent level of cardiovascular fitness. There were several ‘beginner’ hikers in our group who made it just fine though. From the summit of the hike, you get a glorious view of the seven lakes that gives the place its name.
Take a look at the photos if you don’t believe how beautiful it is…
Some things to keep in mind:
- Bring comfortable shoes
- And plenty of water and snacks
- Rila National Park is only available to visit during the warmer months (June to September
