Mountains and ski resorts

Rugged snow-capped peaks and soft green slopes, cool forests carrying the aroma of herbs and wild fruit, quick-flowing rivers and crystal-clear blue lakes, mineral springs and bio-reserves, rare plants and game, large ski resorts and small picturesque villages with living traditions and folklore every Bulgarian mountain has its own characteristic appearance, fascination and beautiful name.

Bulgaria has no less than four different mountain ranges, the Stara Planina, the Rhodope, the Rila and the Pirin mountains. Bulgaria now boasts three international quality ski resorts: Pamporovo, Borovets and Bansko. These resorts offer ski tracks up to 2,715 m above sea level with ski runs total up to 75 km.

In summer the mountains continue to attract a large number of visitors with some of the best hiking routes in Europe. Mountain bikers and horse riders are also beginning to discover the attractions of Bulgaria.

The area around Sopot in the Stara Planina also boasts some of the best hand gliding and paragliding conditions in Europe.

Rila mountain

Rila is the most majestic Bulgarian mountain with highest peak Moussala (2,925 m) - the highest on the Balkans. There are 219 high-mountain lakes, over 2,000 plant varieties and a rich animal world. Here is located the Bulgaria's most famous monastery - Rila monastery. There are nice ski tracks, lifts and infrastructure at the country's oldest winter ski resort Borovets and Maliovitsa, and also some smaller and quieter places for ski lovers like Seven Lakes and Panichishte.

Borovets Over 40 km of various ski slopes neighboring 12 hotels and 4 villa camps, only 73 km away from Sofia. The ski season continues from November through May and the snow cover is over 1.5 meters.
Maliovitsa Situated over the peak bearing the same name in North-Western Rila mountain, 92 km far from Sofia and 40 km far from Borovets, operates all year round Panichishte The resort is located in the Rila Mountain at 1,400 m above sea level near the town of Separeva Bania, operates all year round, there are Alpine ski-tracks for sleigh contests.

The mountain Pirin

Pirin is the second highest mountain in Bulgaria with the highest peak Vihren (2,914 in). The mountain gets more and more attractive for simmer tourists and also for skiers during the winter with the fast developing ski centers like Bansko and Dobrinishte. These towns attract more and more tourists every year and a lot of properties have been built during the last years. The price of a typical house near Bansko rarely exceeds EUR 40,000 and the foreigners buy them like hot cakes. There are 176 marvelous mountain lakes and about 100 varieties of rare plants, including the edelweiss and the famous Baikousheva fir, which is almost 1,300 years old - this is the age of the Bulgarian country.
The Pirin National Park is one of the most beautiful and richest parks in Bulgaria.

Bansko This charming, historic village nestled between the Pirin, Rila and Rhodope mountains is a year-round destination that offers a slice of village life plus good skiing, hiking and restaurants. Unique combination of a well developed mountain resort and a living historical town turns it into an elegant place for entertainment. Virtually every house has its own story to tell, which indeed can turn your vacation into a journey to the Bulgarian traditions. The traditional Bansko taverns with their exceptional charm and style offer local atmosphere by their cuisine and good selection of Bulgarian wines.
The resort has excellent snow conditions with great snow cover from December till May. The ski tracks are located in two main ski centers and the total length of the marked ski tracks is about 65 kilometers. A brand new resort area with super luxury hotels and holiday apartments is being developed in Bansko, attracting tourists and property investors.
Dobrinishte Dobrinishte village is only 6 km south of Bansko. There are also very good conditions for skiing with a long track and lift to the Bezbog hut, situated high in the Pirin mountain.

The Rhodope mountains

The Rhodopes are the greenest and most picturesque Bulgarian mountains, linked with the legend of the mythical singer Orpheus, who lived there and played his gorgeous music to the animals. There is something for everybody in the Rhodope - snow and sun, clean air, mild climate with a Mediterranean influence, original folklore and superb cuisine, cordial and hospitable people. Here is situated the ski resort - Pamporovo, offering excellent conditions for winter sports and holidays. In Rhodope mountains the ecotourism is also well developed, in the cities and villages of Momchilovtsi, Kamenitsa, Chepelare and Trigrad. Here are located some of the largest and lovely caves, some of them are illuminated and suitable for every kind of tourists, and others only accessible only for speleologists.

Pamporovo Pamporovo is the sunniest Bulgarian winter resort. The gently sloping mountain hills provide a variety of ski runs appropriate both for beginners and for advanced skiers Chepelare Magic combination of sea breeze and forest freshness are mixed in the town of Chepelare, where anyone can spend a holiday according to his own ideas and requirements.

Vitosha mountain and Vitosha National Park

Vitosha is the green mountain of the million-large Bulgarian capital Sofia, the most frequented Bulgarian mountain, attractive during any season. There are two wildlife reserves and three climatic zones, and varied flora and fauna, and curative mineral springs. The highest peak is Cherni Vruh (2,286 m), often visited by the citizens of Sofia. Here tourists can see rare natural phenomenon - Moraines - rivers from large rocks. Vitosha is a popular mountain resort for winter holidays and skiing, with several modern hotels and ski facilities.
1800 m above sea level, Vitosha is only 10 km far from Sofia. The mountain is the best place for skiing in the winter and trekking in the summer.

The Balkan Range (Stara Planina)

The Balkan Range, known as Stara Planina among the Bulgarians is the mountain which gave its name to a peninsula - the Balkan Peninsula, and life to a state - Bulgaria. It is the biggest and longest mountain chain crossing the entire country. The highest peak is called Botev (2,376 m). The mountain consists of 700 km long mountain ridge, ideal for hiking tours. There are also steep rocks and intriguing caves of equal attraction to tourists, mountaineers and speleologist. In the foot of the mountain are situated a lot of picturesque National Revival towns and museum villages, offering excellent possibilities for ecotourism: Kotel, Zheravna, Tryavna, Arbanassi, Bozhentsi, Etura.
Uzana The resort area Uzana is situated 22 km from Gabrovo and offers good opportunities for tourism and winter sports.

Sredna gora

Sredna gora means "the meddle forest". The Sredna Gora mountains are situated in the central part of Bulgaria, between the Balkan Range and the Thrace plain. The highest peak is Mt. Bogdan with 1604 m. The Sredna Gora mountains give rise to the rivers Topolnitsa, Luda Yana, Pyasuchnik. Sredna gora are famous for the mineral springs and balneological sanatoria in Hisarya, Pavel Banya, Strelcha, Krasnovo, Banya and Stara Zagora.