In 1979, the Boyana Church received the “Nobel Prize” of the travel world: a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This brought the church global fame, but for a long time, it remained a relatively quiet spot. When Traventuria first launched our signature Rila Monastery and Boyana Church tour (back in 2010), there were no crowds or strict schedules. However, thanks to the rise of low-cost flights from airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air, Sofia has become a popular city break destination. Today, the demand is much higher than this tiny church’s administration can handle.
The most reliable way to secure your spot is to book a guided day tour. When you book with a company like Traventuria, your entry is pre-arranged and guaranteed, saving you from the stress of showing up and finding no availability. When booking on our site, please double-check that your chosen option includes the church visit, as some versions of the tour do not.
Remember: weekends are the busiest time to visit! Book your experience as soon as possible.
Public transport (cheap, but time-consuming)
You can get to Boyana Church using public transport. However, you will need to change buses, and the service is not always on time. From the city center, the journey itself takes approximately 50 minutes, excluding the wait time.
The Step-by-Step Route:
Get to a Connecting Stop: From the city center, take Trolleybus 2 or 8 (from Sofia University) or Bus 204 (from Orlov Most).
The Final Leg: Transfer to Bus 64. This is the only bus that goes directly to the church.
Frequency: Bus 64 runs approximately every 15–20 minutes (schedules can vary, so I strongly recommend using Google Maps or the Moovit app for live updates).
Ticket Information:
Taxi (Convinient, but relatively expensive)
A taxi from the city center is much faster, usually taking about 25 minutes. The cost is roughly 15–20 EUR, depending on the traffic. For a safe and fair price, we suggest using the Yellow Taxi app, which is one of Sofia’s most trusted companies. You can also ask your hotel receptionist to call a taxi for you.
Traventuria’s Daily Tour to Rila Monastery & Boyana Church
Why book with us?
Inside the church, photography is strictly forbidden to help preserve the delicate medieval art. Outside in the church garden, you are free to take as many photos as you like. The exterior of the building and the surrounding park are very photogenic and worth a few shots.
Monday – Sunday
Winter: 09:00 – 17:30 (checkout until 17:20)
Summer: 09:30 – 18:00 (checkout until 17:50)
Winter working hours: 9:30-10:30; 11:30-13:00; 14:30-15:30; 16:30-17:30.
Summer working hours: 10:00-11:00; 12:00-13:00; 14:30-15:30; 16:30-17:30.
No. There are specific time slots dedicated to individual visitors and the rest for organised groups (from tour agencies, schools etc.) To check what these slots are, please go to the official website of Boyana church.
• entrance tickets for individual visit – BGN 12.00 / 6,14 €
• for students – BGN 3.00/ 1,53 €
Yes, free admission is granted to:
– Every last Monday of the month after 3:00 PM
– May 18 – International Museum Day
– September 17 – Day of Sofia
– November 1 – National Awakening Day
Note: On these dates and time slots, no reservations are accepted.
It depends on what you like. 🙂
If you love history and art, don’t skip it. The Boyana frescoes are some of the most important medieval paintings in the world. But, if you aren’t interested in religious history, keep in mind that the church is very small, and the visit is quite short.
Pro tip: To have an informative and fulfilling experience, prebook a guided/audioguided tour or book a guided talk on-the-spot (usually only in English). The length of the stay inside the church is too short to try to find and understand the most important and mesmerising frescoes.
The Boyana frescoes are famous for their “Pre-Renaissance” style, featuring realistic faces and emotions that were way ahead of their time in 1259. They are considered a world masterpiece because they brought human life and psychological depth to art much earlier than expected.
The most reliable way to secure your spot is to book a guided day tour. When you book with a company like Traventuria, your entry is pre-arranged and guaranteed, saving you from the stress of showing up and finding no availability.
When booking on our site, please double-check that your chosen option includes the church visit, as some versions of the tour do not.
Remember: weekends are the busiest time to visit! Book your experience as soon as possible.
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