Tours & experiences

Tours in Bulgaria

Small-group tours, day trips, cooking classes and multi-day adventures. Every tour vetted for traveller reviews first.

Start with a country

🌍

CategoryDurationRatingPrice (AUD)

58 tours in BulgariaClear filters

Sort by:

Full Day Private Eco Tour in Koprivshtitsa from Sofia

★ 5.0 (8)

🛕 Culture & History

Bulgaria

Full Day Private Eco Tour in Koprivshtitsa from Sofia

When Mia from our BugBitten team did this full-day private tour, we headed out from Sofia to Koprivshtitsa, a mountain town that was central to Bulgaria's 1876 April Uprising. It's a proper step back in time — narrow cobbled streets, heritage house museums painted in bold colours, and locals who still live as though history isn't just something you read about. The tour runs eight hours and uses hybrid and electric vehicles, which feels right for a place that's trying to preserve itself. You're exploring on foot through the town itself, so the vibe is slower, more deliberate than your standard coach-tour sprint.

8 hoursfrom AUD $232

Luxury Day Trip to Boyana Church and Rila Monastery

★ 5.0 (8)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Bulgaria

Luxury Day Trip to Boyana Church and Rila Monastery

When Sarah from our BugBitten team ran this nine-hour loop from Sofia, she got a proper sweep of Bulgaria's spiritual and natural highlights in a single day. You start at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, then cruise by luxury SUV through the Vitosha mountains to the 900-year-old Boyana Church, lunch at a traditional spot nestled in the Rila range, and finish at Rila Monastery — one of the country's most significant Orthodox sites. The day wraps with a soak in the hot mineral pools at Sapareva Banya, with mountain views thrown in. It's the kind of itinerary that packs a lot in without feeling rushed, though you're mostly watching Bulgaria from a car window.

Cook and Eat with a Local in Sofia

When Alex from our BugBitten team did this Sofia cooking class, we pitched up at a local home to learn Bulgarian food from someone who actually cooks it every day. No fancy kitchen, no pretence — just a mate's place, a stove, and proper traditional dishes. You'll shop for ingredients with your host, cook alongside them, then eat what you've made with local wine or rakija while a curious cat named Coco demands attention. Four hours, no experience needed, and a genuine window into how Sofians eat at home rather than what tourists get served in the old town.

4 hoursfrom AUD $148

Rila Monastery and Melnik, Day Tour from Sofia with Pickup

★ 5.0 (8)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Bulgaria

Rila Monastery and Melnik, Day Tour from Sofia with Pickup

When Lily from our BugBitten team ran this Sofia day tour, she hit three distinct corners of southwestern Bulgaria in one go: Rila Monastery, the Melnik wine region, and the striking Melnik pyramids. The combo works because each stop feels genuinely different — sacred monastic grounds, a heritage wine-tasting house, and raw geological drama. You're looking at roughly 9–10 hours door-to-door with hotel pickup, so it's a full day but lets you scratch three boxes without the faff of arranging separate trips. The region itself is quiet, hilly, and feels properly removed from Sofia's buzz.

9 hours – 10 hoursfrom AUD $141

Sofia Half Day Tour with National History Museum

★ 5.0 (8)

🛕 Culture & History

Bulgaria

Sofia Half Day Tour with National History Museum

When Jake from our team ran this Sofia half-day tour, we got a brisk primer on Bulgaria's capital—Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the old bazaar quarter, key squares—then headed to the National History Museum for a proper dive into the country's layered past. Sofia's a compact, walkable city with a mix of Soviet-era blocks and older Ottoman corners, and the museum itself sits in a former royal palace on the edge of the Vitosha foothills. Four hours is tight but realistic if you're not looking to linger for hours in any one spot. Plenty of other tour groups doing the same route, especially in peak season.

4 hoursfrom AUD $149

One Day Tour from Sofia to Koprivshtitsa and Plovdiv

★ 5.0 (7)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Bulgaria

One Day Tour from Sofia to Koprivshtitsa and Plovdiv

When Mia from our BugBitten team ran this route, it threaded together two of Bulgaria's most historically charged spots in a single push from Sofia. Koprivshtitsa is a village where 19th-century revolutionary fervour still clings to the streets — you'll wander past merchant houses frozen in time, their woodwork and gardens speaking to a pre-Ottoman-liberation era. Then it's on to Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second city, where a Roman theatre dominates the skyline and the old town feels less museum, more neighbourhood where locals actually live. The pace is tight across the 10–11 hours, but the contrast between village intimacy and urban layers makes it work.

10 hours – 11 hoursfrom AUD $289

Bulgarian Wine Tasting Experience in the Center of Plovdiv

★ 5.0 (7)

🍜 Food & Cooking

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Wine Tasting Experience in the Center of Plovdiv

When Tom from our BugBitten team stepped into Cork & Fork in central Plovdiv, we found ourselves in a proper wine bar tucked inside the historic Atlas House building. Over 40 minutes, the team works through Bulgarian wines you won't see back home—they've got 365 different drops from over 110 local wineries spanning five distinct regions. The tasting comes with appetisers that actually complement what you're drinking, and the vibe is intimate enough for mates but polished enough for a proper night out. Plovdiv's old town hums around you while you're in there.

Sofia Turbo UTV and Buggy Tour

When Jake from our team tried the Sofia Turbo UTV tour, we found ourselves 20 minutes out of the city centre, strapped into a beast of a machine—a 2026 CFMOTO ZForce with 210 horses under the bonnet and a 3.9-second sprint to 100 km/h. This isn't a scenic cruise. You're tearing through mud, rocks and mountain climbs in the foothills near Sofia, with your guide leading the way and then handing you the wheel for a separate 20-minute driving slot if you've booked as a driver. Routes range from 40 minutes (short and sharp) to two hours (full technical terrain). The vibe is pure adrenaline—stag parties, mate groups and anyone after proper off-road thrills.

40 min – 3 hoursfrom AUD $145

Bulgaria Premium Aged Rakia, Cold Cuts and Pickles Tasting

★ 5.0 (7)

🍜 Food & Cooking

Bulgaria

Bulgaria Premium Aged Rakia, Cold Cuts and Pickles Tasting

When Tom from our team tried this one-hour rakia tasting in Bulgaria, he expected a quick sip and a talk about a national drink. What he got was a small, relaxed room where the spirit, the snacks and the stories made sense together. Rakia is the fruit brandy that turns up at family tables, weddings and name days across the country, so there is plenty of context to take in before the first glass is finished. The setting leans vintage and stylish rather than touristy, and the group stays small enough that you end up chatting with the people beside you instead of the back of someone's head. Bulgaria's food culture is a big part of the appeal, and the pickles and cured meats give you a local snapshot that's hard to get from a menu. At an hour it's a tidy, low-commitment way to start or end an evening. Our BugBitten team's verdict: a sensible pick for curious travellers who want a taste of local life without a big time commitment.

1 hourfrom AUD $96

23-Day Grand Balkan Tour from Athens to Zagreb

★ 5.0 (7)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Bulgaria

23-Day Grand Balkan Tour from Athens to Zagreb

When Em from our team ran this 23-day sweep across the Balkans, it was the kind of trip that demands serious commitment but delivers serious reward. You're rolling from Athens through Bulgaria, across the Balkans, and finishing in Zagreb, hitting UNESCO sites, Ottoman-era cities, and rocky coastlines along the way. It's a guided odyssey with a private driver and a fixed itinerary—no daily logistics stress, just wake up and go. Three-plus weeks is a proper stint, so this suits travellers after the full regional immersion without having to Tetris-puzzle accommodation and transport themselves.

23 daysfrom AUD $9247

Private lessons in Bansko with former national ski racers.

★ 5.0 (7)

🏔 Adventure & Sports

Bulgaria

Private lessons in Bansko with former national ski racers.

When Tom from our BugBitten team booked a private ski lesson in Bansko, he got paired with an instructor who'd raced at national level — the kind of person who actually knows how to fix your technique rather than just cruise alongside you. Two hours sounds short, but it's enough to reshape how you approach the mountain, especially if you're keen to tackle steeper runs or iron out bad habits. Bansko's a proper ski town in the Pirin range, busy with a mix of beginners and serious skiers, and the national park setting means you're skiing through proper Alpine terrain.

2 hoursfrom AUD $169

From Sofia: Rose Valley, Shipka & Buzludzha Small Group Day Tour

★ 5.0 (7)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Bulgaria

From Sofia: Rose Valley, Shipka & Buzludzha Small Group Day Tour

When Lily from our BugBitten team ran this day tour from Sofia, she hit three stops most operators skip or rush. The Rose Valley's working museum shows how Bulgarian rose oil gets pressed the same way it did 300 years ago — that's the heart of it. Then Shipka Freedom Monument, the 1878 battleground where Bulgaria's independence actually turned. Finally Buzludzha, the Soviet-era monument on the ridge. Small group (max 8) means your guide stops talking at you and starts talking with you. Eleven hours total, leaving Sofia early.

11 hoursfrom AUD $187

Communist Heritage Tour- Buzludzha and The Might of the East Block Aviation

★ 5.0 (7)

🛕 Culture & History

Bulgaria

Communist Heritage Tour- Buzludzha and The Might of the East Block Aviation

When Mia from our team ran this 10-hour tour, we wound up Bulgaria's mountain roads to Buzludzha Monument—a towering brutalist relic from the late 1970s that looms over the landscape like a frozen moment of Cold War ideology. The day pairs this striking hilltop structure with a visit to an East Block aviation museum, tracing how Bulgaria's communist state flexed its industrial muscle through aerospace. It's a solid half-day immersion into a chapter of European history most travellers skip, set against genuinely dramatic mountain terrain.

10 hoursfrom AUD $155

★ 5.0 (7)

🍜 Food & Cooking

Bulgaria

Wine Experience & Tasting Hub

When Em from our team visited the Wine Tasting Centre in Central Northern Bulgaria, we got a crash course in what makes the region's smaller and heritage-focused wineries special. The hub brings together boutique producers to walk you through local varieties like Gamza, Red Misket, and Dimyat—grapes that deliver the fresh, smooth, fruity profile Bulgarian wine's become known for. You'll taste five wines across the 45-minute session, with staff laying out the terroir and winemaking backstory. It's a concentrated look at Bulgarian wine culture without the drive between cellar doors.

Roman Plovdiv, Self-Guided Tour and Urban Quest Game

When Em from our team tried this self-guided Roman Plovdiv quest, she worked her way through the old city on her own phone, solving escape-room style riddles tied to each site rather than trailing a guide with a flag. The game runs about two and a half hours and takes you past the Roman remains that Plovdiv is known for: a stadium, theatre, forum and the streets that once formed Philippopolis. Plovdiv is Bulgaria's second-largest city and it feels lived-in rather than staged, with cafes spilling onto cobbled lanes, locals going about their errands and the old and new layers sitting side by side. Because you set your own pace, you can linger where you like and skip the parts that don't grab you. It suits anyone who would rather poke around independently than shuffle along behind a crowd, and it's a good pick for travellers who want a bit of playful problem-solving built into their sightseeing.

2h 30mfrom AUD $19

From Sofia: Rila Monastery and Villa Montevino Half - Day Trip

★ 5.0 (6)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Bulgaria

From Sofia: Rila Monastery and Villa Montevino Half - Day Trip

When Em from our team tried this half-day run out of Sofia, she wanted a proper look at Rila Monastery without the scramble of a big coach tour. The trip runs about six hours, with hotel pick-up and drop-off, and pairs the UNESCO-listed monastery with a stop at a wine estate on the foothills of Rila Mountain. The monastery sits in the hills south of the capital, with painted walls, a working bakery and a steady flow of visitors from around the world, so expect company. Our BugBitten take is that this suits people who want a gentle, structured day with an English-speaking host rather than a hike or an adrenaline hit. It's also a sensible pick if you have a few hours to fill before a flight, since you're dropped back in Sofia early in the afternoon.

Sofia Food & Tasting Tour with Communist-Era Tram Ride

When Lily from our team ran this Sofia food tour, we discovered why locals queue for banitsa at breakfast and why a tram ride doubles as a proper city lesson. Over three hours, we hit five neighbourhood spots—each one turning out traditional Bulgarian dishes that actually taste like someone's grandmother's kitchen, not a tourist menu. The tram is the real deal: you're using Sofia's public network, not a novelty ride, which means you're moving through the city how Sofians do. The guide steers you toward tucked-away spots where you'll find slow-cooked lamb, grilled cheese on tile, and surprises that shift with what's in season. Small group, empty stomach required.

3 hoursfrom AUD $142

Sofia Hidden Gems: Small-Group Walking Tour with Tram Ride

★ 4.8 (13)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Bulgaria

Sofia Hidden Gems: Small-Group Walking Tour with Tram Ride

When Sarah from our BugBitten team ran this Sofia tour, it delivered exactly what it promised: a compact, low-stress walk through neighbourhoods most visitors miss, capped off with a proper tram ride through the city. Sofia's a compact capital with tree-lined streets and early 20th-century architecture tucked between the grander Soviet-era blocks, and small groups (max 8–10 people) mean you're not shuffling behind a flag. The two to three hours moves at a relaxed pace, blending on-foot exploration with public transport, so it reads less like a rushed checklist and more like a mate showing you around.

2 hours – 3 hoursfrom AUD $63

Some tours listed with Viator, a Tripadvisor company. Prices and availability confirmed at checkout.