The 15 Best Tours & Day Trips in Bulgaria

Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Full-Day Tour - The road from Sofia: comfortable, but not quick

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 918 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $25Our pick

Visit Rila Monastery and UNESCO-listed Boyana Church from Sofia in one day, with transport, guiding, mountain scenery, and practical tips.

“The tour guide Vasil was wonderful. Tour was good, and extended by nearly 2 hours. Was not worth the extra £€$ to go up the tower in the monestry ,and the steps are really steep. We went outside the monestry and ordered doughnuts, but the local restaurants/bars would not let you eat them outside, even if you purchased from them. Boyana church was also a nice see. But as we where later here it was really busy, and took longer to enter the church, which you get 10 minutes to see inside, which is enough.”

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Boyana Church Tours, Rila Monastery Tours, Sofia Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

From Sofia: Rila Monastery & Boyana Church Day Tour

2.Rila Monastery & Boyana Church Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 866 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $25

Review of Sofia’s Rila Monastery and Boyana Church day tour, with costs, timing, guides, transport, practical tips, and honest drawbacks.

“I informed the operator that I was going to cancel the trip because of my sons health but he did not even reply even after multiple texts.”

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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 $22Top rated

Explore Sofia’s communist past on a three-hour walking tour with personal stories, major landmarks, Cold War history, and excellent value.

“Really really good. The guide, Stefan, was knowledgeable and entertaining. We enjoyed it, and it's a pleasure to see passion.”

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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 $20

Explore Sofia’s top landmarks on a 2-hour walking tour with cathedral access, Roman ruins, mineral springs, and a local guide.

“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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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 $96

Review of the Sofia to Skopje small-group day trip, with border tips, itinerary details, value advice, and honest limits on time.

“Amazing way to visit another country in one day. The transportation was very comfortable, both the driver and the guide in Macedonia were extremely nice and knowledgable and overall the tour was very enjoyable. If you have extra time in Sofia, this is the perfect tour to take.”

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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 $25

Explore Sofia’s local bars, rakia, clubs, and nightlife on a guided five-stop pub crawl with free weekend entry.

“Damien, our guide, was excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening with him, even though we met some "crazy" Italians from Naples – they were good fun! Thanks again to Damien, we had a fantastic time. I've been traveling to Sofia for many years, but this was my first time staying for a weekend. Without a doubt, your Sofia Pub Crawl was the highlight of the weekend – we had such a good laugh. Many thanks,”

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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 $23

Review of the Sofia to Plovdiv day tour, with transport details, Old Town highlights, free time, costs, guide quality, and practical tips.

“Convenient tour, well organized. Downside is making a detour to pick up passengers at the airport and the traffic backup that significantly impacts the time one has in Plovdiv. If one is interested in spending time at a museum, don't go on Monday - they are all closed and one does have a little time to visit a museum on this tour.”

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Cave Tours, 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 $115

Review of the Lovech, Devetaki Cave and Krushuna Waterfalls tour from Sofia, with practical advice on sights, timing, value and fitness.

“We had a wonderful guide Michael who took us to the caves, waterfalls and the town of Lovech. Our guide was superb and. So was the tour, highly recommended it!”

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Rila Monastery Tours, 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 $72

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

“Tour got partly replanned due to bad weather. Guide was very nice but given weather forecast it should have been rescheduled for next day.”

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Asen's Fortress Tours, Bachkovo Monastery Tours, 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 $91

Review of the Sofia to Plovdiv, Asen’s Fortress and Bachkovo Monastery tour, with practical tips on timing, walking, guides, lunch and value.

“Excellent experience. The transport was clean and new, the guide was awesome, providing history of the places visited and he catered to the abilities of the group. His knowledge over the history of Plovdiv was excellent and he added context and personalization to the tour. The group was small - only five of us and so it felt like you had a personal guide. Lunch spot recommendation was also top notch. Highly recommend.”

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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 $49

Review of Sofia’s two-hour guided walking tour, covering Roman ruins, Orthodox churches, Ottoman traces, and key city landmarks.

“The guide Peter was very friendly and informative and would definitely book again the next time I come to Sofia. Pity I didn't have more time to be able to try other tours you offer.”

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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 $184

Explore Sofia’s Roman ruins, churches, mosque, synagogue, and grand squares on a private two-hour walking tour with a local guide.

“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 $61

Review this 10-hour small-group trip from Sofia to Niš, with Roman ruins, Skull Tower, a Nazi camp, fortress walks, and local food.

“Small day trip to Serbia - it was incredible- mica is not only incredibly knowledgeable but a laid back cool person- anyone who gets her as a guide will be incredibly lucky - thank you Mica xx”

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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 $85

Explore Sofia’s Roman ruins, Orthodox churches, Ottoman landmarks, and communist architecture on a private English 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 $84

Review of the full-day Nis 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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