Borovets

The oldest Bulgarian resort dating back to the year of 1896 when the mayor of the town of Samokov of that time built a wooden chalet there to alleviate the fate of his wife who was ill of tuberculosis. Today Borovets is the biggest, first-class mountain resort in Bulgaria.

 Spread out on the bordering Borovets pass as well as along the northern slopes of Moussala Ridge of Eastern Rila, amongst centuries-old coniferous forests. Its altitude above sea level is from 1230 to 1390 m and its climate is one of the healthiest. It is pleasantly cool here in summer (the average July temperature is 15.2°C), and the winter is mild and snowy (the average January temperature being 4.8°C).

 Borovets is connected to the town Samokov, the distance between them is 12 km. The distance to Sofia is 72 km, the roads are first-class network. There is regular bus transport to them, the buses to Samokov running every 30 minutes.

 The genuine charm of Borovets can be seen and felt in the winter as the mountains and the views are one of a kind. The perfect opportunities for practising winter sports and skiing most of all attract thousands of fans of the mountains from Bulgaria and abroad. At their disposal are over 45 km of ski-runs varying in difficulty and grouped in 3 regions: Sitnyakovo - Martinov wooden chalets - 8 ski-runs, Markoudzhik - 4 ski-runs and Yastrebets - 3 ski-runs. The Yastrebets ski-runs are first-class and all the ski races of greater significance within the resort are held on them. Rounds of the World Cup on ski-Alpine disciplines are also held here. The Alpine skier Peter Popangelov, the Bulgarian legend in winter sports started from here, too. He contributed a lot to the international recognition of Borevets. There are dozens of ski-running and biathlon tracks, too. The resort is the regular host of races held in these sports.

 A multitude of facilities (draglifts, baby tows, seat chain lifts) cross the mountain above Borovets, but the cabin cableway to Mt. Yastrebets is the most imposing one (2363 metres above sea level). The difference in altitude is 1046 m and the length of the route is 4827 m. Its capacity adds up to 1200 people per hour. The journey takes 23 min. Getting off of the cableway one is faced with the Paradise of Rila - the highest peaks of the mountain ? Mt. Moussala, Mt. Malka (Little) Moussala, Mt. Irichek, Mt. Deno, Mt. Aleko.

 Hiking trails may be undertaken from Borovets along marked routes to various sites in Rila: to the Mount of Moussala (6 hours, and from the upper station of the cabin cableway - 3 hours), to Sitnyakovo Palace (1.30 hours), to Chakar Voyvoda Chalet (2.30 hours), to Saragyol Palace (3 hours), to the Maritsa Chalet (4.30 hours), to the Zavrachitsa Chalet (6 hours).

 Accommodation is offerred for tourists in: the Fournir Villa and the tourist chalet of Shoumnatitsa (at the distance of 3 km along the road to Dolna Banya and Kostenets. It goes without saying that there are a lot more hotels, private villas, holiday homes where one can get accommodation. In summer the prices for accommodation are reduced. There are a lot of public catering establishments, which offer various specialities from Bulgarian cuisine. The big, modern base of the Mountain Rescue Service is located at a 3 minutes-walk form the lower cabin cableway.