Bulgaria · HIKING TRIPS IN SOFIA
This is the shortlist to send a friend: 15 hiking trips in Sofia worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
From Sofia, ride up to Rila National Park and hike the Seven Rila Lakes, with a chairlift option and a real mountain guide.
“The lakes are absolutely stunning in Autumn - the trip is well worth it if you’re in Sofia for a few days. We had a great guide and recommend the guided tour - you get more out of the experience understanding the landscape/what you’re looking at.”
Full-day self-guided hike to Bulgaria’s Seven Rila Lakes from Sofia, with chair lift rides, emerald water, and bring-your-own lunch.
“Our driver Krassy was a great guy. Had a good music. The trip itself was worth to wake up at 6.30 AM”
Full-day hike in Bulgaria’s Rila Mountains to the Seven Lakes, then soak in Sapareva Banya hot springs, with Sofia pickup.
“Sent a message what hotel I was at. No response, nobody showed up that morning. Asked for a refund from Viator and no response about that either. Beginning to think this website is a scam.”
Rila Lakes in the morning, chairlift views over the peaks, then hot springs at Sapareva Banya. Easy to tough options, full day.
“Wonderful hike. We went for the longer trip and it was both gorgeous and tough but worth it.”
Snowshoe the Seven Rila Lakes from Sofia, ride up by chairlift, then soak in Sapareva Banya hot springs for a full winter day.
“In advance of the tour, we sent multiple Viator messages, wrote an email, and called the provided number 5+ times. We did not select a pickup point because we were already going to be in Rila and wanted to meet there, so we asked where would be best to meet the local guide. No one responded to any of these inquiries, no one reached out to us via the phone number I provided, and so ultimately my husband and I did not go on this tour. (Despite having paid for it!) We had a great day in Rila by ourselves, but there was absolutely no communication from the vendor which…”
Hike Bulgaria’s Seven Rila Lakes on a full-day trip from Sofia. Small group transport, clear meet-up points, and a 5-hour mountain walk.
“Like the title says. There are multiple spots to turn around so pretty accessible regardless of your fitness level”
Full-day hike from Sofia up Mt. Vitosha for summit views, then down to Boyana Waterfall, with pickup and free entry.
“We were 40 minutes late to be picked up. The tour is factually incorrect - we did not climb any mountain. Very, very disappointed.”
Snowshoe on Bulgaria’s Vitosha Mountain from Sofia with an English-speaking guide, included gear, and winter views on a 7-hour hike.
“Ha estat increible, hi havia molta boira pero tot i així el guia tenia diferents opcions i hem pogut gaudir de la muntanya”
Guided hike to Bulgaria’s Seven Rila Lakes, traditional lunch, Sapareva Banya geyser at 103°C, then thermal spa time.
“L'excursion était super ! Simeon et Vera étaient de très bons guides et l'ambiance était au rendez-vous. Gros avantage : nous avons pu choisir le lieu de prise en charge, juste en face de l'hôtel. Nous avons passé une journée inoubliable, la vue au sommet des montagnes était à couper le souffle. Simeon s'adapte à votre rythme pour la randonnée et fournit des crampons à mettre sur vos chaussures, très pratique pour ne pas glisser. Nous avons mangé dans un chalet dans les montagnes. Le repas était copieux et d'une grande variété. Le spa était aussi une belle découverte. Nous recommandons d'y rester 2h plutôt qu'une pour bien profiter. N'hésitez…”
Hike to Cherni Vrah from Aleko, then visit Dragalevtsi Monastery for free. Sofia views plus summer hiking or winter snowshoes included.
“So this is one of the most useless tours i have ever seen in my life. Maybe they guided version is better as people write in the reviews, def not the self-guided. First of all self guided should be somebody dropping you in a place and then you go around yourself. But here i just received a word file and nothing else. And even if the concept has a different meaning, the transport advice they provided, you can easily find online - i received it in a free walking tour guide of sofia- and a wikipedia description of the place. A 30 euro worth of word file. No map print…”
Guided day tour from Sofia to UNESCO Boyana Church and Rila Monastery, with St John cave hike, Stob pyramids walk, and wine tasting.
“Excellent visit. The guilt is kind, cool, benevolent and very professional. The travel was well organized and the guilt got a lot of knowledge about the place I've visited. And now, i know a lot about Bulgarian history. I had a good day and I recommend without hesitation. Thank's a lot.”
A flexible Seven Rila Lakes day hike from Sofia, with climate-controlled transport, chairlift access, and guided tips for a moderate mountain day.
“Great day tour from Sofia. Professional on-time driver. I would recommend this tour (self-guided option). Hike with beautiful views that is very moderate.”
Small-group hike from Sofia to the Seven Rila Lakes, using a chair lift to reach glacial lakes at 2,100-2,500 m.
“It was an amazing trip! The most beautiful landscape in Bulgaria !! The Georg guide was amazing, and fun to go with! The lakes and scenery are simply breathtaking !!”
Full-day Vitosha snowshoe hike from Sofia with hotel pickup, snowshoe hire, and Cherni Vrah summit views, guided in English.
“An amazing day with a great team! We got very lucky with the weather and had an opportunity to hike up to the 5th lake since it was clear and sunny. It might be a bit challenging physically for some but in general everyone would be able to do it without a lot of preparation. Appreciation to our guide Daniel for his knowledge, competency and responsibility.”
UNESCO Pirin lakes hike and Bansko Revival town visit from Sofia, small group of 8, hotel pickup, guided walk, lunch extra.
“Laura as a tour gide is absolutely amazing. Best driver and guide. That's it. End of 100 of whatever mandatory ... this is stupid, because I write what I want.”
Pick a monastery, a mountain, a cave or a coastline.
