For those of you who have already visited Sofia you might already know that Vitosha is the closest mountain to Sofia out of five other mountain chains that surround the capital of Bulgaria. The mountain is 20 km long and you could easily see the highest peak called the Black peak (2,290 m) from the city centre in clear weather.
How to get to Vitosha mountain from Sofia city centre? Here are few options how you could reach certain points of the mountain:
Sofia Public Transport
Take bus number 63 from Krasno selo district. The bus stop is really close to Krasno selo subway station. Though this bus takes you up the mountain, the price of the ticket is 1.60 BGN, this is the regular price of a ticket for the public transport in Sofia.
Again by bus, this time number 64, you could reach the bottom of the mountain in Boyana neighbourhood where Boyana church is. After exploring this medieval orthodox temple that is part of UNESCO world heritage list, you could head towards hiking a track in the forest that will take you to Boyana waterfalls.
All the schedules of Sofia public transport you could find at Sofia Urban Mobility Center.
Simeonovo Cabin Lift
This is one of the eco options to the mountain. The first stop of the lift is really close to the Ring road in Sofia, more like above IKEA and the Ring Mall, the final stop of the lift is metres away from Aleko mountain hut. From there you could start hiking to Black peak (Cherni Vrah) for example, or just to have a cup of tea at the hut and enjoy the fresh air. The timetable for Simeonovo cabin lift is here.
Walking/Hiking
One relatively accessible point in the mountain is getting from Knyazhevo neighbourhood after walking for around 2-2.5 hours on a forest track you will reach an area in Vitosha which is a popular place among the locals. This area is called the Golden Bridges and it is the biggest stone river here at the mountain. Around the Golden Bridges area you will find a few huts where you could have lunch or could stay over the night and continue exploring Vitosha the next day. This particular track from Knyazhevo is not the best ever option in winter time especially if you don’t have the proper outfit for this purpose.
Rent-a-car
It is always a carefree option. A breath-taking destination could be reaching the area called Kopitoto where stands a 186-metres high Sofia TV tower. From this area you could have a really memorable view down the city especially in the night when Sofia is covered in millions of night lights.
No matter which of the options above you choose before getting to the mountain, get ready and:
- check the weather forecast in advance
- use proper outfit according to the season
- have a map with you
- charge your phone
Hope these few ideas are useful and will help you to plan your way to the mountain better and efficiently.