Things to Do in Sofia

You can go on your own, since the monastery grounds are free to enter. Public transport is thin, though: the one direct bus we found leaves Sofia in the morning and returns in the afternoon, which leaves about two hours at the site. Check the current timetable; a tour covers the road and usually adds the Boyana Church.

The monastery is roughly 120 km away, a little under two hours by road each way. The lakes are a separate trip: hiking tours take 10 to 13 hours and make sense in summer, because snow covers the lakes for much of the year.

Plovdiv is about 130 km away, two to three hours by bus or train on your own, and guided day tours take 9 to 12 hours. Some tours add Koprivshtitsa or the Starosel area. If you want a slower visit, going on your own by bus or train and staying a night is the other option.

According to current reports, no: the interior is sealed for safety and the site is guarded, so no tour operator can promise access. You can see the building from outside; there is no public transport, so you need a car or a tour, often combined with the Rose Valley.

Not for the city: the centre is compact and a metro line connects the airport, about 10 km out, with the centre. For monasteries, lakes and caves outside the city, a tour is the easier way, since public transport there is limited.

There is no sea and there are no boat tours; the Black Sea is several hundred kilometres away. The most-reviewed offers are mountain and monastery day trips, walking tours and food tastings. In winter the mountain offer shifts to snowshoe and ski tours.