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Bulgaria
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Sofia City Province
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Sofia
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Tours & Activities
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Bulgaria and Macedonia Full-Day Tour from Sofia
1 day
Full Day
About this activity
Begin with pickup from your Sofia hotel and travel to your first stop of Boyana Church: a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
Located on the outskirts of Sofia, this exquisite church follows the Byzantine architectural pattern of consisting of three parts: a Greek cross ground-plan, dome, and richly decorated facades with ceramic elements.
On arrival, head inside to admire the stunning interior. The walls and ceilings are adorned with several layers of paintings dating from the 11th, 13th, 15th to 17th, and 19th centuries, which together feature 89 scenes and 240 human figures depicted either individually or together.
Its main claim to fame are its 13th-century murals, created in 1259, which echo and represent key movements and moments in Bulgarian medieval culture. According to experts, the style of these glorious frescoes resembles, yet predates the Renaissance.
Having explored here, continue to the Zemen Monastery of St. John the Evangelist. Founded during the First Bulgarian Empire (681-1018 AD), this splendid complex consists of a church and monastic living quarters, the latter dating from the mid-19th century, together with a bell tower added on the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1878.
Learn how the church was built sometime during the 11th or 12th century, and hear how Deyan, the ruler and despot of the Velbazhdosko Empire, donated funds in 1334 to have it restored. Head inside to see some of the church's 12th-century elements and view the portraits of its founders, including the despotic ruler Deyan and his wife Zoya, dating from the 14th century.
Afterward, enjoy a roughly 2-hour drive into Macedonia to visit Osogovo, an Orthodox complex established in the 12th century and dedicated to Saint Joachim Osogovski.
Perched high in the lush forests of the Osogovo Mountains, this stunning monastery is considered one of Macedonia’s most beautiful and consists of a small 14th-century and larger, 19th-century church, together with old dormitories and other buildings.
Admire the churches and their frescoes, and learn how the monastery has withstood an earthquake, Ottoman damage, and the ravages of time.
Refuel with a light lunch at a nearby restaurant and then return to Sofia where your tour ends with a hotel drop-off.
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Located on the outskirts of Sofia, this exquisite church follows the Byzantine architectural pattern of consisting of three parts: a Greek cross ground-plan, dome, and richly decorated facades with ceramic elements.
On arrival, head inside to admire the stunning interior. The walls and ceilings are adorned with several layers of paintings dating from the 11th, 13th, 15th to 17th, and 19th centuries, which together feature 89 scenes and 240 human figures depicted either individually or together.
Its main claim to fame are its 13th-century murals, created in 1259, which echo and represent key movements and moments in Bulgarian medieval culture. According to experts, the style of these glorious frescoes resembles, yet predates the Renaissance.
Having explored here, continue to the Zemen Monastery of St. John the Evangelist. Founded during the First Bulgarian Empire (681-1018 AD), this splendid complex consists of a church and monastic living quarters, the latter dating from the mid-19th century, together with a bell tower added on the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1878.
Learn how the church was built sometime during the 11th or 12th century, and hear how Deyan, the ruler and despot of the Velbazhdosko Empire, donated funds in 1334 to have it restored. Head inside to see some of the church's 12th-century elements and view the portraits of its founders, including the despotic ruler Deyan and his wife Zoya, dating from the 14th century.
Afterward, enjoy a roughly 2-hour drive into Macedonia to visit Osogovo, an Orthodox complex established in the 12th century and dedicated to Saint Joachim Osogovski.
Perched high in the lush forests of the Osogovo Mountains, this stunning monastery is considered one of Macedonia’s most beautiful and consists of a small 14th-century and larger, 19th-century church, together with old dormitories and other buildings.
Admire the churches and their frescoes, and learn how the monastery has withstood an earthquake, Ottoman damage, and the ravages of time.
Refuel with a light lunch at a nearby restaurant and then return to Sofia where your tour ends with a hotel drop-off.
Included
- Transport by modern vehicle
- Professional guide
- Light lunch
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Entry/Admission - Boyana Church
- Entry/Admission - Zemen Monastery
Not included
- Gratuities
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Features
Tourism
85%
Cultural
65%
Reviews
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We had a wonderful tour with Maria who was a mine of knowledge and a fantastic tour guide . The trip into Macedonia was lovely and the monastery and surroundings were beautiful - great place to have lunch. Particularly enjoyed Boyana Church since it seemed to have lots of personal touches and we recognised some of the artwork in the archaelogical museum in Varna so were clearly paying attention! Our first trip to Bulgaria and this made a fantastic tour before heading to Varna , Bourgas and Sunny Beach. Bulgaria exceeded my expectations in many ways .Thank you to Maria for a memorable trip and for being a fantastic representative for the Bulgarian people and culture - she really is thorough , professional and lovely person - what more could you want? ps we are watching The Destiny of Fate this evening as recommended so our experience continues!
Tour guide was really good
This trip was great! Chimy, my guide, was very informative and accommodating. The monestary in Macedonia is incredible with the views. I highly recommend this!
Ci Ci was an amazing guide, Knowledgeable, Accommodating, Insightful and can share her experiences in life as a proud Bulgarian in a modern world. Her experience as a guide helped us achieve time to enjoy all the most important sights on our list. We were more than satisfied with our tour.
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.
This is a really good day-trip if you want to get out of the hustle and bustle of Sofia and have an appreciation for religious treasures. This tour takes you through the Bulgarian and Macedonian countryside, which when I travelled was full of lush, green trees and fields of sunflowers. My guide and driver did their best to ensure I was comfortable throughout the journey, and provided me with insightful information about the monasteries that we visited. The border crossings were painless, and the guide and driver took care of everything - very professional! The light lunch that is included is not exactly light, but very tasty! I had brought snacks for the journey, but these weren't needed. Bringing some water is recommended. One thing I would recommend to anyone on this tour is to bring something for motion sickness, should you be prone to this. The roads aren't horrible, but there is a lot of twists and turns in the road that might make some not feel so great.
I enjoyed this one day tour to Macedonia. Our tour guide Chimi provides us all the information on our way to our destination. She has loads of information to share. She gives us interesting stories of the monasteries. It's a private tour just for the two of us and very affordable. Lunch included.