Bulgaria · TOUR REVIEWS
One mountain range hides seven lakes and a striped monastery, another hides ski towns, and the plain between them buries kings. The 15 below are the days that earn their slot, priced and timed, with the full shelf underneath when you want to dig.
Visit Bulgaria from Bucharest on a 12-hour small-group trip to Veliko Tarnovo, Tsarevets Fortress, Arbanasi, and Ruse.
“What a great way to check off another country. The fortress at Veliko Tarnovo was very cool to explore and the small trip size was a great way to travel.”
Visit Bulgaria’s Rila Monastery and Boyana Church from Sofia on an affordable full-day tour with transport, history, and mountain views.
“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.”
Test your wits in Sofia with Teorema Rooms’ TNT Bank Robbery or Atlantis escape game, a private, English-language adventure for groups of 2 to 7.
“Amazing experience. Had a fun and interesting time in TNT room. It was the higlight of our Trip. Maya is super host. 5/5.”
Review of Sofia’s Rila Monastery and Boyana Church tour, with practical advice on timing, guides, extra costs, transport, and value.
“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…”
Walk through Sofia’s communist past, from the Largo and Soviet Army Monument to NDK, with personal stories and Cold War context.
“This was a great tour. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but our guide Vasil was super friendly and full of knowledge. The tour was over before I knew it. Highly recommend.”
See gravity-defying rooms, clever inventions, and photo-friendly illusions at Sofia’s Museum of Illusions, a fun one-hour family stop.
“A lovely way to get in the sites and history of Sofia, consisting of a well-paced walking tour in downtown Sofia, from Alexander Nevski cathedral to Vitosha Bouelvard (pedestrian street). Thank you to our knowledgeable and pleasant guide Pavlina for the tour, that shouldn't be missed.”
Taste five rare Bulgarian grape varieties in central Sofia with local cheeses, craft bread, and a personal lesson in Bulgaria’s wine story.
“Very nice wines. Enjoyed the tasting and learning a bit about the history of Bulgarian grapes and wines.”
Review of Sofia’s $19.35 walking tour, covering cathedrals, Roman ruins, royal landmarks, mineral springs, and the city’s main boulevard.
“This tour was a fantastic way to discover Sofia’s most important landmarks. What made it really special was our guide, Nikola — knowledgeable, friendly, and someone who made me feel completely at ease from the start. He shared fascinating insights into Bulgaria’s history and took the time to answer all my questions thoroughly. It felt more like exploring the city with a local friend than a typical tour. Highly recommended!”
Cross from Sofia to Skopje on a small-group day tour with local guides, Old Bazaar walks, Balkan history, and hotel pickup.
“If you are into exploring, I would highly recommend this tour. You get to see some of the countryside of Bulgaria and North Macedonia on the drive. Be aware that the drive is speedy, so “hold onto your hats”! Skopje is a unique city. It feels like a city looking to recreate its history after the devastation of WWII and a massive earthquake in 1963. It’s city of statues representing its heritage, a history challenged initially by Greece and now by Bulgaria. Lena, our guide, was fantastic. She is very knowledgeable, about the region and, obviously, Skopje. She provided a balanced and thoughtful tour of the city.”
Review of Top Rent A Car transfers from Sofia, with sedans, minivans, professional drivers, airport routes, pricing, and booking tips.
“The company is always very efficient and professional. Cars are clean and safe. They also give discount cards for gas.”
Review of a 12-hour Bucharest day trip to Bulgaria, with Ivanovo Rock Churches, Veliko Tarnovo, Tsarevets Fortress, and Arbanassi.
“Absolutely fantastic trip. The guide Victor told interesting stories about each stop on the journey and even more in the car between the stops. 6 out of 5 stars.”
Review of the Plovdiv day trip from Sofia: Roman ruins, Revival houses, guided walking, free time, transport, value, and practical tips.
“Tuni was a great guide, giving a lot of information and helpful tips! The tour started on time and since we were only 7 people, the guide took a small traveller van and was flexible with the plan.”
Explore Sofia’s local bars, rakia, welcoming guides, and weekend club entry on a social four-hour pub crawl.
“It was a nice experience. The bars and clubs were good spots. To cold outside. And you have to walk a lot.”
Hike Bulgaria’s Seven Rila Lakes and visit Rila Monastery on a 13-hour self-guided day trip from Sofia with shared transport.
“The tour was perfect we had enough time to do the both activity I did the big tour which normally took a lot of time”
See Plovdiv’s Roman ruins, Old Town, Kapana, and pedestrian center on an affordable guided day trip from Sofia with free time included.
“Plovdiv was very beautiful and has a lot more history than people probably realise. So if you like history, this trip would be perfect. But also, some amazing sights and views and with the guide, we saw more sights than we probably would've if we were on our own. On this trip, we had a nice long walking tour, about 2 and a half hours, and then an hour and a half free time afterwards, but that's all that would be needed because we covered a lot of Plovdiv with the guide. Going this time of year was perfect as it was hot but not super hot, and it was…”
Four ways into the country, none of them wrong.
