One of the must-visit landmarks in Sofia is the Boyana Church, which is the only UNESCO site in town! Watch our video, and join us for a short, virtual guided tour! Check our blog article below for more interesting facts and useful information about visiting the church!
There are several ways to reach the Boyana Church from downtown Sofia:
The Church is open for visitors daily from Monday to Sunday, except on Christmas, and 01.01:
A regular ticket costs 11 leva. The admission to the Church is free of charge for disabled people, children under school age, and for all visitors, every last Monday of the month, after 3 PM. It is good to know that payment in Euros, U.S. Dollars, British Pounds, and any other foreign currencies are not accepted! (1 Lev ~ 0.50 Euros).
Yes, they accept most credit, and debit cards!
No. Taking pictures inside the church is forbidden, as a preservation measure for the frescoes. You may take pictures in the yard, which is also beautiful, and buy a postcard with the frescoes, as a souvenir!
Booking in advance is not required, but is strongly recommended for solo visitors. Reservation requests are accepted from Monday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm. You can contact the cash desk on +359879456635. If you book a group tour, no reservation is needed.
You can book a guided visit in advance, but it will cost 10 more leva. Contact the cash desk to check for availability!
An excellent option for a guided visit is The Rila Monastery Bus. It stops at the Church daily, and includes a guided tour in English (every day), and Spanish (every Thursday, and Saturday). The admission ticket is not included, and could be pre-booked, or purchased, at the cash desk. Traventuria offers audio guides in English, Spanish, Italian, German, and Russian (5 Euros/ 10 leva per device), which go together with a detailed map of the church, and the frescoes.
The small temple, which is famous due to its unique Medieval Pre-Renaissance frescoes is located in the outskirts of the capital, in the feet of the Vitosha mountain. That is why, many of the tourists skip visiting it, which is probably the most common sightseeing mistake you can make, while in Sofia! Here are 2 more fascinating frescoes, which you definitely must see in person!
On the right, two men are damaging an ancient statue of Venus, and St Nicholas is giving them his blessing. Such an act would have been a crime nowadays, but after Christianity became the major religion of Rome, many statues of the Old Gods were destroyed, and lost forever!
On the left, we can see the most realistic scene in the Church. It represents St Nicholas, saving 3 sailors from a sea storm. What is unique here, except the sailors’ figures which are painted with great realism, and individuality are the 3D waves.
In order to protect the privacy of individuals, Google maps blurs the faces of the people, when Street view imagery is published. Just like many scientists, Google’s software also recognizes the faces of the sailors as real ones!
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