The 15 Best Tours & Day Trips in Bulgaria

Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Full-Day Tour - Boyana Church and its ten-minute viewing window

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 918 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $24Our pick

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.”

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Boyana Church Visits, Rila Monastery Day Trips, Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

From Sofia: Rila Monastery & Boyana Church Day Tour

2.From Sofia: Rila Monastery & Boyana Church Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 866 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $24

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…”

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Communist History Tours, Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Sofia

Communist Walking Tour of Sofia

3.Communist Walking Tour of Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 690 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $21Top rated

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.”

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2-Hour Experiences, Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Sofia

Sofia Highlights 2 Hour Sightseeing Walking Tour

4.Sofia Highlights 2 Hour Sightseeing Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 442 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $19

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!”

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Skopje & Macedonia Day Trips, Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Day tour to Skopje, North Macedonia – Small Group

5.Day tour to Skopje, North Macedonia – Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 431 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $95

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.”

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Drinking Tours, Nightlife, Pub Crawls, Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Sofia Pub Crawl Tour of The Hidden Unique Bars

6.Sofia Pub Crawl Tour of The Hidden Unique Bars

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 284 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $24

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.”

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Full-Day, Guided, Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Plovdiv Small Group Full Day Guided Tour from Sofia

7.Plovdiv Small Group Full Day Guided Tour from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 235 reviews · 8 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $22

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…”

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Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Tour to Lovech, Devetaki cave & Krushuna waterfalls

8.Tour to Lovech, Devetaki cave & Krushuna waterfalls

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 167 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $114

Review of Sofia’s full-day trip to Devetaki Cave, Krushuna Waterfalls, and Lovech, with practical advice on price, walking, guides, and value.

“Good to be picked up from hotel. Comfortable minibus, group size 5 adults. Circular walk to waterfall. Scenic, but could get very crowded. Quite a lot of walking and many slippery steps throughout the whole trip. We visited several caves all with different features. Zero accessibility if you have a mobility impairment. A full day trip. Bring plenty of water. On our trip being driven at 150km/hr on several occasions was interesting, as was the driver not using windscreen wipers for a while.”

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Rila Monastery Day Trips, Seven Rila Lakes Hikes, Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

7 Rila Lakes and Rila Monastery Tour

9.7 Rila Lakes and Rila Monastery Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 165 reviews · 10 to 11 hours (approx.) · from $71

Review of Sofia’s Rila Lakes and Rila Monastery tour, with hiking advice, weather warnings, lift costs, timing, guides, and value.

“"Everything has been wonderful, and the scenery is truly spectacular. However, the tour guide provided inaccurate information — he mentioned that the 7 Lakes hike would take about 2.5 hours, but in reality, it takes at least 4 hours for the average person to complete. Additionally, the lift was under maintenance. Although a jeep was available, it did not take us all the way to the top, requiring an extra 20–25 minutes of hiking. We had to skip breaks in an effort to meet the deadline, but even then, we were unable to make it on time. Overall, the guide’s misleading information caused significant inconvenience. We were exhausted!”

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Bachkovo Monastery Trips, Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Small group tour to Plovdiv, Asen’s Fortress and Bachkovo Monastery

10.Small group tour to Plovdiv, Asen’s Fortress and Bachkovo Monastery

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 164 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $90

Review of BulTrips’ 9-hour Sofia day trip to Plovdiv, Asen’s Fortress, and Bachkovo Monastery, with practical tips on value, walking, and timing.

“So much to see in Plovdiv it was good to have an experienced person help pull it all together. Wish we had a little more time to explore certain parts and while the recommendation for lunch was perfect from a culinary perspective it did not leave any time to go back to previous spots. Only suggestion is that it was hard to hear in the back seat of the transport so maybe a microphone or something else to project to all”

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Guided, Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Sofia

Guided Walking Tour of Sofia

11.Guided Walking Tour of Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 143 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $48

See Sofia’s Roman ruins, Orthodox churches, Ottoman traces, and Soviet-era landmarks on a lively two-hour small-group walk.

“Our guide Peter was excellent! Sofia was such a beautiful city, and our guide didnt waste time giving long history lectures.”

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City Tours, Private, Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Sofia

Private city walking tour of Sofia

12.Private city walking tour of Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 141 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $183

Walk Sofia’s layered center with a private guide, from Roman Serdika and Ottoman churches to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the Largo.

“We recently enjoyed a 2-hour city center tour of Sofia with Vasil, and it was a highlight of our stay. Although we had been exploring the city center on our own for the past two days, Vasil brought the history and culture of Sofia to life in a way we hadn’t experienced. His deep knowledge, backed by his academic background in tourism, made the tour both informative and engaging. Vasil was exceptionally friendly and enthusiastic, and his passion for the city was contagious. My wife and I learned so much during our time with him. We highly recommend Vasil for anyone looking to explore and truly understand the majestic city…”

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Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Day Tour to Nis, Serbia – Small group

13.Day Tour to Nis, Serbia – Small group

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 130 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $60

Travel from Sofia to Niš in a small group, visiting Skull Tower, a Nazi camp, Niš Fortress, and Roman ruins for $60.78.

“Wonderful experience. Our guide Iliaan was very knowledgeable and friendly. Our dtive to Nis was very comfortable.”

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City Tours, Private, Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Sofia

Sofia Walking Private City Tour

14.Sofia Walking Private City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 127 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $84

Explore Sofia’s Roman ruins, Orthodox churches, Ottoman landmarks, and communist architecture on a private three-hour walking tour.

“Venni was very knowledgeable, friendly and flexible to accommodate our schedule. Thank you so much Venni.”

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Full-Day, Historical Tours, Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Full-day Nis and Serbian History Tour from Sofia

15.Full-day Nis and Serbian History Tour from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 90 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $83

Review of the full-day Niš tour from Sofia, with Roman ruins, Skull Tower, a Nazi camp, Serbian food, border tips, and honest value advice.

“Everything was perfection. The tour started on time, the minibus was clean and Gorge was an amazing driver and guide. He effortlessly navigated us through Nis and gave us plenty of free time for lunch and souvenirs. Gorge was also very knowledgeable about the culture, history and even geography of the Balkans so it was fun and a learning experience. He made sure we had enough rest stops and kept us entertained on the ride. I highly recommend this tour with Gorge, he’s one of the best guides I’ve encountered in over 53 countries.”

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