Incredibly beautiful spiritual site, highly recommended visiting if you’re in the area and can easily make a day trip out of it from Sofia! So much history in this site, the Monastery is free to enter but I would recommend a guided tour for a rich experience.

Beautiful Monastery and beautiful surrounding. The road from Rila to Monastery was magical as forest around this Autumn was like fairy tale. It was on and off rain so not many tourists came (perfect!). You are not allowed to take photos inside the church and walk into the residential area. Entry is free (not sure about museum as I didn’t get in)

Best place to bei. Spiritual and cultural Highlight placed in magical mountain scenery. Parking ahead with a few Meters walkway possible free of Charge. Highly recommend. If you avoid peaktime, than It ist more relaxing. Full around noon.

Magnificent and unforgettable! Rila Monastery is truly one of Bulgaria’s greatest treasures. The architecture is stunning, surrounded by breathtaking mountain scenery, and the atmosphere is peaceful and spiritual. The frescoes and details inside are incredible — a must-visit for anyone traveling in Bulgaria. Absolutely worth the trip from Sofia!

Rila Monastery is truly breathtaking. Nestled in the mountains, it feels like stepping into a peaceful world far removed from everyday life. The architecture is stunning—colorful arches, intricate frescoes, and beautifully preserved details everywhere you look. The courtyard is especially magical, with the striped façade and central church creating a postcard-perfect view. Inside the church, the frescoes are extraordinary and worth taking your time to appreciate. The surrounding nature is equally impressive; the fresh mountain air and quiet trails make the whole visit feel rejuvenating. Parking and access are straightforward, and there are small shops nearby with local treats and souvenirs. A must-visit if you’re in Bulgaria—both for its history and its serene atmosphere.

Rila Monastery is about a 1.5-hour drive from Sofia, nestled deep in the mountains. It’s best to go by car — the road is easy and takes you through stunning scenery. Plan to spend around two hours at the monastery itself, plus extra time to explore the surrounding area. The complex is breathtaking — beautifully preserved and full of history. Don’t miss the small museum and the icon exhibition next to it. From the courtyard, the colorful buildings set against the mountain backdrop are truly spectacular. Behind the monastery, you’ll also find a restaurant and a few souvenir shops. It’s worth arriving early — I got there around 10 a.m., when it was still peaceful, but by 11:30 the tour buses start to arrive and it gets crowded.

You don't need to buy a ticket to see inside the monastery and church. The paid bit is the museum. The parking out the front it also paid, but 200m down the road are other parking options for free. You need to cover shoulders and knees to enter. No pictures inside the church part. The autumn colours are stunning! There are some trails starting from the car park. It was a cool thing to wander around and see. So big and detailed!

Incredible. Hike is difficult so be prepared, so worth it. A bit slippery down, walking sticks would have been nice

Rila National Park and Musala Peak represent a perfect combination of natural beauty, biodiversity and mountain challenge. For nature lovers it offers peace and endless expanses of greenery and glacial lakes; for climbers, the highest peak of the Balkans as a prestigious achievement. This park is a destination that remained in my memory as a journey to the peak of Balkan nature.

282 species of mosses made me come here and I'm not disappointed. The skilift makes it way easier, but it is also possible to walk up yourself. (And it will safe you the money and the waiting) Still worth it to take the ski lift option. It's easy to find parking spots. There are some food and drinking options "upstairs". Good amount of high quality information in different parts of the hike. For me one of the high lights of Bulgaria!

The park is very beautiful especially if you go for a hike during the autumn. Fresh air, stunning views on the way and bright colors all around!

It's the most beautiful place in Bulgaria. LOCAL GUIDE IMPORTANT TIPS: 1. Don't go without warm clothes. It is mountain (2000 m altitude) and the weather changes very fast even if it's looks warm and nice. 2. Take cash money to pay the lift ticket. Tehy don't have card payment 3. You can't see the lakes from the hut. After you take the lift, you have to walk up at least 40 min to see the first three lakes. 4. The sixth and seventh lakes can be seen from the end of June to December. In other months it is dangerous to go there without special equipment. 5. In winter, you can't see the lakes because they're covered with meters of snow. 6. Go there only with trekking shoes. Don't go there with flip flops, sandals, and moccasin. 7. Check the weather before you go!!! 8. Don't go there in August it is crowded.

Beautiful Rila always exciting!!!

It was a fantastic memory in the middle of the rila mountain!!

Wonderful mountain, best for several days, even week, long trails. Nice conditions for alpinism, snowboarding, skiing, hiking, biking. Amazing nature, many cultural and architecture monuments, like Rila monestary, Stob Pyramids, 7 Rila lakes, highest peak at Balkanian peninsula - Musala 2975 m. Church at Dobarsko, and more. Belmeken sport centre has perfect conditon for sports camp.

Having been to several parts of Rila, i can safely say that whoever you are, as long as you enjoy nature and don’t mind some hiking, you will always have something new to experience here. As far as mountains go, Rila has it all. It should definitely be on your list of places to visit and explore in Bulgaria.

The Rila Mountain is fascinated not only by its beauty, but also by many significant historical and cultural sights. Here is the Rila Monastery - one of the most significant cultural monuments, a symbol of Bulgaria, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The monastery is situated in the deep valley of the Rila River at an altitude of 1147 m. It was founded in the 10th century by the St. Ivan Rilski, and in its present form was built in the 19th century.

The Rila Mountains were breathtaking, i loved the seven lakes and the air is so fresh and clean 😍

I am in love with Rila 7 lakes. Highly recommend to visit. Great views, pure nature. A bit complicated way when you have to take 3 or even 4 buses to reach the lift!! (we came there from Sofia) but it's worth. From our experience it's easier to rent a car. But this is the place where I would like to come back 🙏😊

Beautiful place to go for a hike. Also the view from the top of the mountain is worth the hike up.

Beautiful place, you should definetly visit it.

Cool place to buy Bulgarian wines that are cheap and of excellent quality. The attendant didn't speak any English, but we were able to communicate using Google Translator.

We had a tour in the cellar end that tasted a wine Also have an opportunity to buy from the shop, But they don't have bags...

Really nice place. New winery with very good quality wines.

Came here on 4th September - the front desk lady tried her best to explain to us that it’s currently closed under renovation and only the shop is open which was totally ok , not an issue. She then kindly called someone else to speak to us in English to explain better however this second lady was so rude and unkind - felt like she checked us out and decided we were not worth her time so couldn’t be bothered to explain more when we asked just one more question about the wine which left a bad taste we ended up leaving without purchasing any. Perhaps this place is more suitable for local instead of non Bulgarian speaking folks / tourists ? Or they only entertain tours groups so don’t bother going on your own. Two stars only cause the front desk lady tried her best else would have given just 1 star. Not worth the time

Good quality wines and modern winery. We stopped in our way to Sofia while driving and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of wines and service. Remember to book any tours at this winery in advance as the winery doesn’t do them spontaneously and requires reservations.

Stopped by randomly after several locals recommended this winery. I checked they were open and saw that their website offered tours and tastings. I decided to drive 1.5 hours to check it out. However, when I got there, they did not offer any tastings even though they had a beautiful tasting room all nicely set up. I was a little perplexed and translated the question a few times to make sure they were not misunderstanding me. I'm not sure why they would advertise all these services on such a nice, but deceiving website. I'm assuming this service may only be for large tour groups or exclusive parties. Either way, if they want people to buy their product, they should at least be able to taste it, so you may decide what you would like to purchase. In the end, I purchased 5 wines anyway, so the trip was not a total loss. I'm assuming they taste good, but solely based on the recommendations from locals.

Stopped by this winery on the way to the Rila Monastery, they wouldn't let us taste anything at all before buying. Staff were rude. I'm not complaining there was no English spoken, but if someone is trying to buy your products, maybe be polite enough to say hello in your native language and look up from your phone once in a while. Bought three different bottles, have very little idea what they will be like. I suggest you try other wineries for a positive experience. Maybe the quality of the wine and the scenery will be worth it after we finally get to try their wine.