The Seven Rila Lakes & Rila Monastery
Tổng quát
Ngôn ngữ có sẵn
12 giờ
Vé di động
Experience Bulgaria’s two ultimate highlights in a single day. This expertly timed day trip combines a breathtaking hike to the panoramic Seven Rila Lakes with a cultural visit to the historic Rila Monastery, the largest and most important spiritual landmark in the country.
It is the ultimate mountain-and-culture combo designed to maximize your time without feeling rushed.
- Conquer the highlights of the Rila Mountains in just one day from Sofia.
- Trek past the spectacular lakes with stunning panoramic views (chairlift ticket optional/paid locally).
- Rila Monastery: Enjoy ample time to explore the vast UNESCO-listed complex and its famous frescoed church.
- Relax in an air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver navigating the mountain roads.
- Active yet Accessible: A moderately active trek perfect for travelers with basic physical fitness and comfortable shoes.
Thông tin khác
Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Food: although there are two huts on our way where we can purchase some basic food (i.e. beans soup, meatballs, tea) we advise you to come prepared with a lunch pack from Sofia, because the programme today is rather tight and for sure we won’t have much time for a proper lunch.
Difficulty: the hiking route is moderately arduous, with individual brief paths featuring steep inclines. Please bring along comfortable walking boots. Sandals and flip-flops are not accepted. Rain jacket might be useful in summer as heavy showers sometimes occur in the afternoons.
IMPORTANT FOR MAY AND JUNE DEPARTURES! Kindly note, that availability of the tour depends on the weather conditions and the operation of the chairlift.
The terrain will be very wet and slippery and there will still be snow in the area. Walking in such conditions requires adequate equipment (good trekking boots, waterproof clothes and a warm layer beneath the jacket). The hike is demanding, so a good fitness level is also required. Keep in mind that some of the lakes may be covered in snow.
Important! As with all lifts the one, used for the hike to The Seven Rila Lakes, may halt operations (due to strong winds, power cuts etc.). In this unlikely event, an alternative hike will be offered on spot by the guide. Mind that such a situation does not make you eligible for a refund for the tour.
Tour with ONLINE (cloud-based) Audio-guide in different languages (EN, ES, IT, FR, DE, RU). INTERNET required to download and use. Headphones required, too.
Cần Quan Tâm
Departure at 07:00 from the car parknext to Vasil Levski Monument, in front of the Embassy of Slovakia
Seven Rila Lakes
The tour begins with an early transfer to the Rila, followed by a brief cable car ride to the Seven Rila Lakes Cirque. The glacier lakes are at between 2100 and 2500m/6800 and 8200ft above sea level, with name fitting their shapes, like Babreka (the Kidney), Okoto (the Eye), and Salzata (the Teardrop). As we need to follow strict time schedule depending on your fitness we can either walk the whole trek around all lakes, or make the stroll shorter and skip some of them (normally the two highest ones).
Tùy chọn
ENG Guide: 7 Lakes & Rila Hike
⚠ 16 EUR Lift NOT Included: The chairlift ticket to the lakes is excluded. ➤ You MUST pay 16 EUR locally in CASH. No cards or online tickets accepted. ★ Hike 7 Lakes & Rila Abbey: with a live English guide. ℹ Hiking boots required. Bring a rain jacket & packed lunch—there are NO food stops on this tour! ➤ Bus To The Rila Monastery: After the hike, enjoy a comfortable bus ride to the UNESCO Rila Monastery. NO food stops—ensure you have a packed lunch!
Audio App: Rila & 7 Lakes Hike
⚠ 16 EUR Lift NOT Included: The chairlift ticket to the lakes is excluded. ➤ You MUST pay 16 EUR locally in CASH. No cards or online tickets accepted. NO Lunch Stop Included: Bring a packed meal & water! Also, you may share a bus with a guided group (NO English host for you here). ★ Audio App: Lakes & Rila: with NO live guide. Bring a smartphone, internet & headphones! ℹ Closed-toe boots are required.
Basic Transport: Rila & Lakes
⚠ 16 EUR Lift NOT Included: The chairlift ticket to the lakes is excluded. ➤ You MUST pay 16 EUR locally in CASH. No cards or online tickets accepted. ❌ NO Live Guide Included: This option provides a bus seat only. You explore independently and may share the bus with a guided group. ★ Transport To Lakes & Abbey: with NO live guide or app. ℹ Bring closed-toe boots & packed lunch—there are NO food stops here!
Bao gồm
Visit to Rila Monastery
Parking Fees
Professional Tour Guide OR Cloud Audio Guide App (depending on the option you select have booked)
Round-trip transport by air-conditioned minibus or coach
Rila Monastery Museum (Optional; entrance to the main courtyard/church is free)
Food and drinks
Gratuities
Chairlift ticket- appr. 16EUR (only cash payments in euro accepted)
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Chính sách hủy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Đánh giá
115 đánh giá
Tổng số đánh giá và xếp hạng từ Viator & TripAdvisor
Great day in the Rila mountains with Radi
283tamsinr,4 thg 7, 2026
- Đánh giá từ Tripadvisor
4.00Our guide Radi was very friendly, helpful and enthusiastic. He had a wealth of knowledge about the area we visited, general knowledge about Bulgaria’s history and was keen to to share it with us. The walking was great and Radi managed a group of differing fitness levels well. The bus driver was really safe, especially coming down the mountain in a thunder storm!!! We enjoyed the monastery very much but were disappointed that not all areas were open by the time we got there ( kitchen area). Overall a great day, well worth it and got us back in time to see Harry Kane score 2 fantastic goals in World Cup match against DRCongo!!!!
Amazing Views
M2851EJryans,2 thg 7, 2026
- Đánh giá từ Tripadvisor
5.00This was the best tour I took while in Bulgaria! I highly recommend it.
Great way to get to know Bulgaria.
Miguel M,19 thg 6, 2026
- Đánh giá từ Tripadvisor
5.00It was an incredible trip, from the views of the seven lagoons to the monastery. It is an intermediate hike and is totally worth it; the views and the experience you have are incredible. Additionally, our guide was very friendly, always attentive to everything (English guide).
Amazing tour
BackPacker573030,11 thg 6, 2026
- Đánh giá từ Tripadvisor
5.00Wonderful experience, the best tour , the guide Megi Sink was brilliant, kind and helpful driver, timing and support all excellent highly recommenced ( English speaking Guide ) .
Beautiful day trip from Sofia.
Simon B,7 thg 6, 2026
- Đánh giá từ Tripadvisor
5.00Punctual transfer and nice guide. During the hike, you can join the guide if you feel uncertain.
Rila Lakes is "really good"
afzaal k,1 thg 6, 2026
- Đánh giá từ Viator
5.00Awsome day out . breathtaking views of the Rila Lakes & peaks . The travel bus was very comfortable. Our english speaking guide Megi was very informative, patient & genuinely loves what she does.
An interesting and fascinating trip
CHAIM S,6 thg 10, 2025
- Đánh giá từ Viator
5.00An interesting and fascinating trip, the tour guide Megi Ski had an excellent knowledge of the area , it was pleasure to listen to her.
Day trip - Monastery and Lakes
Patricia W,14 thg 9, 2025
- Đánh giá từ Viator
3.00This is a great day out of Sofia… beautiful monastery and the mountains & lakes were amazing. This could easily be a 5 star trip but tarnished by the unfriendliness of the tour guide. Multiple times she kept on about being on time and somehow she managed to delay our return to Sofia by 40 mins. In addition more people joined the bus which was not mentioned and thus created some frustration with other travellers.
Amazing trip! Highly recommended!
192Andri,14 thg 9, 2025
- Đánh giá từ Tripadvisor
5.00Amazing day! Radi, our tour guide was not only lovely but very informative. I went with my son and would highly recommend it to anyone. Some day tours are often rushed but this tour was perfect. Plenty of time for the hike and we also had plenty of time to look around the beautiful monastery.
A great day trip from Sofia to see two amazing locations!
Global42459727122,26 thg 8, 2025
- Đánh giá từ Tripadvisor
4.00A great day out, an easy way to see both the Rila Monastery and the seven lakes within the same day. We booked the guided option however we didn’t realise the guide was in relation to the hike. We decided to do the hike unguided as we wanted to do the full loop walk to the summit to see all 7 lakes - if we had done the guided we would only get to see 5. It took around 2.5 hours to do full loop walk with about 1.5 hours to chill at the bottom! Plus the fried bread at the monastery was a yummy bonus!
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