The Boyana Church (often spelled "Boyana") is one of Bulgaria's most important monuments and one of the 10 sites in the whole country and the only one in Sofia listed by UNESCO.
The small medieval church of the Orthodox Church is tucked away in a park on the very outskirts of Sofia at the foot of the Vitosha Mountains, but a visit is almost a must when in the Bulgarian capital.
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Architecture and history
The Boyana Church has two floors, but only the ground floor is open to the public.
It was begun in the 10th century and was fully completed in its present form in the 14th century. The Boyana Church survived the Ottoman Empire unscathed and is in a very well-preserved condition.
Frescoes in the interior
While the church looks subtle and rather uninteresting from the outside, the most beautiful part is in its interior.
The walls of the ground floor section are decorated with 89 paintings and frescoes, which have been carefully maintained and restored to their original state.
Inside, a constant temperature of between 17 and 18 degrees is maintained 24/7 and 365 days a year to minimize damage to the frescoes.
Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside. It took quite a lot of effort to persuade the security guards to allow at least one photo.
Admission and opening hours
The church is open to the public every day.
- Winter hours are 9:00-17:30 (last entry at 17:00)
- Summer 9:30-18:00 (last entry at 17:30)
Ticket prices are as follows:
- 10 bgn - Entrance to the Bojana Church
- 15 bgn - Combined ticket to the Bojana Church + the nearby Natural History Museum
Only 8 people can be inside the church at a time for a maximum of 10 minutes. If you arrive without a reservation, you may have to wait more than an hour for a slot, especially on weekends in the summer.
However, reservations can only be made by calling +359 879 456 635.
Official website: boyanachurch.info
Admission is only for the interior. You can visit the park in which Boyana Church stands for free.
How to get there?
The public bus number 107 runs directly to the church. The bus does not connect to the metro anywhere, however, at the "Ovcha Kupel" stop you can change to tram lines 4, 5, 15 (towards the centre) and 11 (west of the city).
Line 107 runs at an interval of about 26-32 minutes on weekdays and 40 minutes on weekends.
You can also take bus number 64 to the stop "Boyansko Hantche" about 250 metres from the church, which goes to the following metro stations:
- Vitosha (metro M2)
- Bul. Akad. Iv. Geshov (metro M3)
Timetables and line maps can be found at sofiatraffic.bg/public-transport.
Accommodation nearby
Just about 5 minutes walk from the church, you can stay in a popular and well-rated hotel Villa Boyana ****.
This is ideal if you want to go for regular walks in the foothills of the Vitosha Mountains while staying in a quiet urban area.
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