Sofia Province / Sofia: Hotels and Accommodation

A specific winter sports resort in Sofia Province / Sofia is Borovets in the municipality of Samokov. It has three interconnected ski centres and eight illuminated, interconnected slopes for night skiing. In winter, there are also opportunities for skiing and snowboarding; in the warmer season, activities include mountain hiking, cycling and eco-adventures.

If you would like to book a hotel in Sofia Province / Sofia, choosing accommodation is part of your personal travel planning.

Winter and mountains

The Sofia region is considered an area with varied terrain, mountain landscapes, basin landscapes, marked mountain trails, eco-trails and mineral springs. It includes parts of the western Stara Planina, Ihtiman Sredna Gora, Rila, Verila and Plana, as well as parts of the Sofia, Samokov, Ihtiman, Zlatitsa–Pirdop and Botevgrad basins.

Within the municipality of Samokov, Musala reaches 2,925 metres and is considered the highest peak in Bulgaria and on the Balkan Peninsula. More than 30 rivers cross the Sofia region, including the Iskar, Maritsa, Topolnitsa and Nishava. There are also nearly 60 reservoirs and micro-reservoirs, including Beli Iskar, Ognyanovo and Topolnitsa.

Nature

The Dragoman Karst Complex extends across the municipalities of Dragoman, Slivnitsa and Kostinbrod and is listed under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance. The Dragoman Wetland lies entirely within the Dragoman Natura 2000 site and partly within the Rayanovtsi Special Protection Area. It provides a habitat for rare and protected plant and animal species.

The Dragoman wetland complex includes some of Bulgaria’s last remaining karst marshes and is considered unique in Bulgaria and rare on the Balkan Peninsula. Dragoman Marsh offers opportunities for birdwatching; more than 220 bird species can be observed there.

Protected areas near Koprivshtitsa include Bogdan Reserve, with an ancient beech forest, and Donkina Gora. A pair of rare and globally endangered imperial eagles may be seen in Donkina Gora.

The areas around Sofia include Golema Ikuna and Sveti Nikolay Chudotvorets. Zvezdets and Baba are located in the wider regional surroundings of Sofia.

Active pursuits

For cyclists and hikers, Borovets has ten forest cycling trails with a total length of more than 60 kilometres.

The waterfall route in the municipality of Etropole is easy and suitable for children. It passes the Holy Trinity Monastery, Varovitec Waterfall and Vranata-Voda Waterfall. The municipality of Etropole also publishes hiking routes with downloadable GPS coordinates. Another easy route there is suitable for children over eight years old and leads to the Thracian fortress of Lishaviya Kamak.

Culture and history

In the municipality of Samokov in the Sofia region, the Tsari Mali Grad complex includes a restored fortress, a medieval church and an ethnographic museum. Tsari Mali Grad is a national cultural monument.

The Holy Trinity Monastery near Etropole is protected as an architectural, historical and artistic cultural monument. Together with the Etropole Historical Museum and the Clock Tower, it is included in the “100 National Tourist Sites” movement. The Etropole Historical Museum displays artefacts, documents and photographs from the municipality’s cultural and historical heritage; the Arnaudova House is a branch of the museum. The Clock Tower of Etropole was built in 1710, and the town’s Turkish konak now houses this museum.

Koprivshtitsa has more than 40 historic fountains and numerous vaulted stone bridges. Kalachev Bridge, also known as “First Rifle”, is associated with the first shot of the April Uprising of 1876. Traditional festivals are preserved in Etropole, including Peene na Prastenite, Atanasovden, the Festival of Etropole Sons-in-Law and Petrovden.

Aladzha Klise is also located in the surroundings of Sofia.

Other offers

The Sofia region has mineral water and balneotherapy resorts in Belchin Baths, Pchelinski Mineral Baths, Dolna Banya, Momin Prohod and Kostenets.

The municipality of Pravets has an 18-hole championship golf course and hosts cultural and sporting events, including the Mozart Festivals-Pravets. The St. Sofia Golf Club and SPA in Ravno Pole has an 18-hole course, a golf academy, and indoor and outdoor pools with mineral water.

Other regional pages: Samokov, Sofia Region, Samokov, Raduil.

To the main travel overview: Bulgaria.

More destinations

More places in the same destination:

Stara Zagora Province, Blagoevgrad Province, Smolyan Province.