The Rila Monastery and Boyana Church
We knew even before arriving in Sofia that we wanted to see the Rila Monastery. It was a good thing that during our stay we were able to book a day tour to see it. On the day of our excursion, we met the guide and fellow travelers at a cafe, Le Cathedral as it was called, right behind the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. We were initially told to show up at the meeting point at 9 but as they day of the trip got closer, we received an email asking us to show up even earlier, at 8:30 am instead. To us, it didn't matter. We had all the time in the world and we in fact were the first ones to show up.
Aware that there were no toilets on board Bulgarian tourist buses, I knew very well to use the restroom before we left. Luckily, there was a portable toilet right by the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral's parking lot. It was after an hour into the trip did we have our first and only stop. It was 10 am. Needless to say, the line for the restroom at the restaurant/cafe we went to was long, very long.
After 30 minutes, we were back on the road but only for another 30 minutes. By 11 am, we arrived at the impressive Rila Monastery.
Overall, the tour was good although we would have like it even more had we been given more time to explore on our own. We also wanted to stay longer. There was a museum and many exhibits in the monastery which we did not get to see.
After Rila, on we went to see the Boyana Church. Our guides kept telling us that departure from Rila had to be at exactly 1:45 pm so we could make it to our assigned visit to the lesser known but equally beautiful church not so far away from Sofia.
Our schedule that day was as follows: 8:30 am Boarding the bus began 9:00 am Tour bus departed Sofia for Rila 10:00 am Bathroom Stop 10:30 am Travel to Rila resumed 11:00 am Arrival in Rila Monastery 11:00-11:15 am Picture Taking. It was hard not to. Everyone was excited and happy to be there. 11:15 am-12:30 pm Guided Tour of the monastery and the monastery church 12:30-1:45 pm Free Time 1:45-4:00 pm Travel to Boyana Church 4:00-5:00 pm Visit Boyana Church (Our entire group was divided into small groups of 10 and by language.) 5:00 pm Return to Sofia
I have to say I was in awe by the place. It was so beautiful. We were here from 11:00 am to 1:45 pm.
Marc at the Rila Monastery.
The main facade of the Boyana Church
The main entrance to Boyana Church. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the church. We went in small groups of 10 to 12 people. Our group was the first to enter and the visit lasted only 10 minutes. There were four other groups after ours.
A side view of the Boyana Church
Here's the rear of the church.
The opposite side of Boyana