Lyulin Mountain – a step away from Sofia and now just a click away

Ask someone to name the mountains around Sofia and chances are they will start – and perhaps finish – with Vitosha. Yet the Bulgarian capital, lying in the Sofia Valley, is surrounded by five: Vitosha, Plana, Sofia Mountain, Lyulin and Lozen Mountain.

For a big city, that is quite a privilege – five mountains within easy reach, offering fresh air, walking and hiking, or simply a chance to get away from the bustle of the capital.

The smaller mountains, however, have yet to become as accessible as Vitosha. Marked routes are few, convenient transport and parking are limited and, above all, there is not enough information about what they have to offer visitors.

This is where the new initiative Lyulin Mountain – Preserving the Past to Build the Future comes in. Launched by the Manastirska Koria Tourist Association, it is putting Lyulin’s trails and lesser-known places on the map – and online – while a series of themed hikes will give people a chance to discover them for themselves.

And Lyulin has one obvious advantage: it is remarkably close. Stretching west of Sofia, the mountain is within easy reach of several neighbourhoods, with gentle trails suitable for families and people taking their first steps into hiking. There are approaches from Gorna Banya, Bankya, Malo Buchino, Golyamo Buchino, Marchaevo and Vladaya.

You do not necessarily need a car, either. Bus 103 at weekends and 803 on weekdays take visitors to the Vishna Zona Lyulin stop, virtually at the entrance to the mountain.

“Lyulin Mountain has a very rich history. There are monasteries here that form part of the historic ring of monasteries known as Sofia’s Holy Mountain,” Ivan Popov, chairman of the tourist association, told Radio Bulgaria.

“But the idea is also to take some of the pressure off Vitosha. We all know that when the weather is good, or when there is snow and children can ski and sledge, everyone heads there. Lyulin, too, has fresh air and pleasant places for walking, and we think more people should know about it.”

Supported by Sofia Municipality’s Europe Programme, the project is already taking shape on the ground. Its first step is a circular hiking route of about three hours, with QR codes along the way providing visitors with additional information.

The route begins at the Gorna Banya Monastery of Sts Cyril and Methodius, founded in the late 13th century and repeatedly destroyed during the period of Ottoman rule. From there, it leads almost entirely through woodland, past several chapels and, on the way back, through a rather different chapter of Lyulin’s history – a former anti-aircraft military base, now a ghost settlement, where more than 1,000 servicemen and their families once lived.

The abandoned base is also the starting point for a mountain-bike route aimed at intermediate riders. It finishes at Bonsovi Polyani, just five minutes from a car park and bus stop.

Finding your way around Lyulin is not always so straightforward, however. Poor trail marking remains one of the mountain’s main problems – one reason the first circular route was chosen in an area where the paths are already clearly marked. 

And the project is not intended to exist only on maps and screens. Four organised hikes are planned for consecutive Sundays in late September and October, with the exact dates still to be announced.

“One will focus more on history and spirituality, while another will be about the former anti-aircraft base, with its history and photographs,” Popov says. “Our third walk will be an ‘eco patrol’. We’ll all have gloves and rubbish bags in our backpacks so we can collect what careless visitors have left behind. We want to set an example and say: ‘People, think when you’re out in the mountains and take your rubbish with you!’”

The fourth event will add a little competition to the programme – a speed ascent of Dupeevitsa Peak, with small prizes for the fastest participants. Each of the four hikes will be limited to around 35 people.

Lyulin lends itself well to this kind of exploration. It is a relatively low, sprawling mountain, with numerous peaks and viewpoints, while its generally mild weather makes sudden changes in conditions less common.

But the organisers are particularly keen to tempt younger people into discovering it. A dedicated app provides information about the mountain while turning exploration into something of a game: users can collect digital badges and points and exchange them at the mountain hut for a free drink or a slice of cake.

The idea is simple – to get young people outdoors, even if the phone stays in their hand, and show them how much there is to discover in a mountain that lies practically on Sofia’s doorstep.

Editor: D. Semkovska