15 Full-Day Tours in Bulgaria Worth a Whole Day

1.From Bucharest: Full-Day Trip to Bulgaria

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,008 reviews · 12 hours · from $93Our pick

Cross from Bucharest into Bulgaria with an English-speaking guide, then explore Ruse or Basarabov Monastery, Arbanasi Village, Tsarevets Fortress, and Veliko Tarnovo. Expect a long but well-paced day in a small van, with free time for lunch and walking. Guides such as Narcis and Lucian are known for clear history, humor, and helpful local advice.

“I enjoyed tge guides knowledge of the area & learning the rich history of this area as well.”

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2.Rila Monastery and Boyana Church Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 918 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $24

Travel from central Sofia to Rila Monastery and UNESCO-listed Boyana Church in about eight hours. Expect an English-speaking guide or driver-guide, a 40-minute monastery tour, free time for lunch and museums, and only 10 minutes inside Boyana Church. Bring cash, food, and clothing that covers shoulders and knees.

“Excellent guide Maria Well organised Rila Monastery is an amazing place unlike anything I’ve seen before Try something from the bakery Would recommend a visit”

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3.Plovdiv Small Group Full Day Guided Tour from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 235 reviews · 8 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $22Best value

Travel by air-conditioned minibus from central Sofia to Plovdiv, then walk the Old Town with an English-speaking guide such as Hristo, Martin, Maria, or Todor. See the Ancient Theatre, Roman Stadium, and 19th-century homes, followed by about 90 minutes for lunch, shopping, museums, or Kapana. Airport pickups can add time.

“A lot of interesting historical information was shared, great sights. Very knowledgeable tour guide.”

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4.Plovdiv and Koprivshtitsa Full-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 177 reviews · 11 hours (approx.) · from $24

Spend a long, well-packed day with an English-speaking driver-guide in Plovdiv and Koprivshtitsa. See Roman remains, old-town streets, colorful houses, and sites tied to Bulgaria’s liberation movement. Guides such as Martin, Maria, and Lubomir are praised for clear storytelling, but expect limited free time and plenty of walking on uneven stone streets.

“Great day out, small number on tour, excellent guide Dafini, great resturant recommendations. Long day but worth it!”

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5.Full-day Nis and Serbian History Tour from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 90 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $83

Spend about 10 hours crossing from Sofia into Serbia with an English-speaking driver-guide. Visit Mediana’s Roman mosaics, Skull Tower, the Red Cross concentration camp, and Nis Fortress, with free time for lunch and exploring. Guides such as Georgi, Michael, Ivan, and Stefan are praised for strong Balkan history and easy company. Border delays can reshape the day.

“It was a fantastic tour if you are interested in history. I Loved the stops we had, our guid was grat and the time I had in Nis to explore for my self was a good choice. Thank you for an amazing tour.”

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6.Full-Day Belogradchik Rocks and Belogradchik Fortress from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 75 reviews · 10 to 11 hours (approx.) · from $95Top rated

Travel from Sofia in a small group of up to seven with licensed English-speaking guide and driver Ventsislav. Explore Belogradchik Fortress, climb for wide views over the strange red rock towers, enjoy a local lunch break, and, when included, visit nearby Venetsa Cave. Expect a long but scenic day, with stairs and optional hiking.

“Belogradchik Rocks is an amazing place, I loved it the most. Our guide was really kind and gave us shortcuts to see the best views. He took care of us and had pacience and comprehension with people who had some fears or that were not well prepared to face the climate or the humidity in the caves.”

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7.Full-day Rila Mountains, Seven Lakes Hike, and Hot Springs Tour from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 70 reviews · 6 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $132

Leave Sofia for a guided Rila Mountains hike around the Seven Rila Lakes, choosing a three or five-hour route. Ride the chairlift above the forest, then relax at Sapareva Banya, fed by Europe’s hottest mineral spring. Guides such as Phil, Daniel, Velko, and Kiril have helped adapt walks to weather and fitness.

“Disappointing and scary experience. The car was in shambles, unclean. We didn’t hike the mountains, it wasn’t great! The tour guide was not up to scratch sadly.”

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8.Full-Day Small-Group Tour of Bulgaria by Minivan with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 59 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $96

Spend about seven hours exploring Bulgaria’s northern Black Sea coast by minivan. See Varna’s Roman baths and old church, pass the central market, walk among the stone columns of Pobiti Kamani, visit a Roman villa museum, and share lunch at a local home in Beloslav. English, German, and French departures alternate by day.

“Wunderbar geführte Tour um Kultur und Bräuche Bulgariens zu erleben. Ein Erlebnis für groß und klein”

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9.Seven Rila Lakes Snowshoe Hike and Thermal Baths Full-Day Tour from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 43 reviews · 1 day (approx.) · from $144

Travel from Sofia into Rila Mountains National Park, ride a chairlift to 2,150 meters, snowshoe toward the Kidney lake, then soak in Sapareva Banya’s thermal pools. An English-speaking mountain leader provides equipment and instruction. The private tour includes hotel pickup, but chairlift and spa fees cost extra.

“In advance of the tour, we sent multiple Viator messages, wrote an email, and called the provided number 5+ times. We did not select a pickup point because we were already going to be in Rila and wanted to meet there, so we asked where would be best to meet the local guide. No one responded to any of these inquiries, no one reached out to us via the phone number I provided, and so ultimately my husband and I did not go on this tour. (Despite having paid for it!) We had a great day in Rila by ourselves, but there was absolutely no communication from the vendor which…”

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10.Seven Rila Lakes – Full Day Hiking Trip in the Rila Mountain

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 40 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $35

Leave Sofia at 7:30 am for the Seven Rila Lakes, reached by minivan and cable car. You’ll hike for about five hours among seven high mountain lakes, with a guide handling navigation and transport. The route is self-guided on some departures, so bring sturdy shoes, food, cash for the 30 BGN cable car, and warm layers.

“Driver was on pickup location at correct time and the van was quite nice and modern with AC. Guide showed us around lift area and explained us little about the park. Although there was enough time to visit all lakes when walking a bit faster, one more hour at the location would be ideal.”

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11.Full-Day Plovdiv and Asen’s Fortress Tour from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 36 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $35

Travel from Sofia to Plovdiv for a guided walk through the Old Town, Roman theater, and National Revival streets, then continue to Asen’s Fortress for Rhodope Mountain views. The tour lasts about nine hours, uses an air-conditioned vehicle, and includes an English-speaking guide, with a virtual reality headset at the fortress.

“By my personal taste Plovdiv itself is not so worth to visit, maybe just to have a walk in it. I had to be really bored but the guide was amazing and put a lot of passion in it and the fellow travelers I met in the trip were amazing people. Great to have such a small group and transportation in a van, but, please, do something about shock absorbers, they almost don't exist.”

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12.Rila Monastery & Thermae Full-Day Tour from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 34 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $43

Travel from Sofia to Rila Monastery with an English-speaking guide such as Georgi or Ivan, hear the story behind Bulgaria’s great Orthodox sanctuary, then relax at Aqua Club Kotvata’s indoor and outdoor mineral pools. The $43.25 price covers transport and guiding, but lunch, spa entry, towels, and lockers cost extra.

“Very nice experience to Rila Monastery from Sofia and a relaxing spa experience afterwards. This is a full day trip starting at 9am ending at 530pm.”

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13.Belogradchik Full-day Tour from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 30 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $82

Travel from Sofia to Belogradchik with an English-speaking driver-guide, then explore the Roman-era fortress, fanciful rock formations, and Venetsa Cave. The day lasts about 10 hours, with roughly three hours each way on the road. Guides such as Stefan, Georgi, George, Georgia, and Michael have led this outing.

“The Belogradchik fortress and rock formations was the highlight for me .I’ve been to lots of caves from all over the world so that is the same as all the rest to me but Belogradchik was superb the views from the top was something else .”

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14.Bulgaria and Macedonia Full-Day Tour from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 26 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $144

Leave Sofia at 8:30 a.m. for Boyana Church, Zemen Monastery, and St Joakim Osogovski Monastery in North Macedonia. A guide such as Maria, Ivan, Chimy, or Deni handles the driving, history, and border crossing. Expect beautiful countryside, a long road day, some stairs, and no Macedonian city stop.

“Thank you to our most excellent guide Maria for a wonderful day exploring Bulgaria and Macedonia - we appreciated all the insightful information and the chance to get to know so much more about the people and country. I'm sure the cats at the monastery in Macedonia will not forget our visit. Aaron, Jay and Dan.”

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15.Sofia full day tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 23 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $138

Spend eight hours exploring Sofia with a guide and air-conditioned minivan. Visit UNESCO-listed Boyana Church, the National Museum of History, Pancharevo Lake, and the city center. Guides such as Deni, Peter, Maria, and Elitsa are praised for their history knowledge and flexible approach. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included.

“On these amazing tour hosted by the lovely Mariya, whom asked us every time what we wanted to do and was willing to accommodate any requests of places to visit. We asked her to take us to her favourite places as she was so wise and passionate about her city so off we went, we went to the natural history museum of Bulgaria, boyana church a beautiful little world heritage site, we then went to Sofia beach, a big reservoir that locals use as the sea 😂 and had lunch. Then the walking tour was done from the car as it was so cold so we drove about and stopped…”

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