Cherni Vrah
2,290 m
Bulgaria
Also known as Vitosha, Витоша, +9Also known as
Vitosha · Витоша · Vitoša · Schwarzer Gipfel · Βίτοσα · Tcherni Vrakh · ვიტოშა · Черни връх · Vitosja · Czarny Wierch · Vitoșa
- Elevation
- 2,290 m
- Prominence
- 1,275 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jun–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Hut closedReported 29 Sep 2026
The Simeonovo–Aleko gondola is not operating, according to the operator Vitosha Ski (status checked 29 September 2026); the Dragalevtsi chairlift is also listed as closed. Use bus 66 or a car to reach Aleko hut.
sofiacityguide.comWorksReported 28 Sep 2026
The Vitoshko Lale 1 and 2 chairlifts are closed for maintenance from 28 September 2026 until the winter season; no reopening date is confirmed.
sofiacityguide.com
Routes
1The shortest and most popular route to Cherni Vrah, the summit of Vitosha above Sofia: a red-marked path from Aleko hut (1,810 m) steeply up the Stenata ('the Wall'), then on a broad, gentle path over open ground to the meteorological station on the top. 3 km and about 480 m of ascent; 1½ hours up.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 4.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +485 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,290 m
- Time Up
- 2h 09m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 33m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at Aleko hut (1,810 m), the hub of the Vitosha ski area, reached by car or by Sofia city bus 66 from Vitosha metro station. Facing the hut, take the red-marked path that climbs on the left. The first section, known as the Stenata ('the Wall'), climbs steeply beside the ski runs for about 45 minutes to a small shelter at its top. Beyond, the path becomes wide and much gentler, crossing open stony grassland past the upper ski lifts to the summit of Cherni Vrah (2,290 m), about 40 minutes further. The summit is occupied by a meteorological station (opened 1935) with a café serving hot meals and a mountain-rescue post; it gives shelter in bad weather but has no beds. Descend the same way, or by the stake-marked bypass that skirts the Wall to the north-west. Allow 3–4 hours for the round trip. Longer marked routes reach the summit from the Zlatnite Mostove (Golden Bridges, blue, 3½ hours), Selimitsa hut (red, 3½ hours), Zheleznitsa (blue, about 4 hours) and Yarlovo (5 hours). In winter the summit is a popular snowshoe and ski-touring objective, but there are avalanche-prone slopes nearby.
Start
Aleko hut1,805 m
- Simeonovo–Aleko gondola (not operating as of September 2026); Vitoshko Lale chairlifts (weekend summer service; closed for maintenance from 28 September 2026)
- Sofia city bus 66 from Vitosha metro station (M2) to Aleko hut, about 50 minutes. The Simeonovo gondola was not operating in September 2026.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleko hut → Cherni Vrah | 4.3 | 485 | 0 | 2h 09m |
Waypoints
- Hut: Aleko hut1,805 m
Bus 66 terminus nearby
- Feature: Stenata2,026 m
Steep 'Wall' section; small shelter at its top
- Summit: Cherni Vrah2,290 m
Key Passages
- Steep climb up the Stenata (the Wall)
- Open summit plateau, easy to lose in fog
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
Cherni Vrah (2,290 m), the summit of the Vitosha massif, rises directly above Sofia and is Bulgaria's most-visited peak. An easy 1½-hour walk from Aleko hut leads to a windswept granite top with a meteorological station and café.
Vitosha is a dome-shaped massif on the southern edge of Sofia, and Cherni Vrah ('Black Peak') is its highest point and Bulgaria's fourth-highest summit, after Musala, Vihren and Botev. The mountain became the first national park in the Balkans in 1934 and is now a nature park. Around the summit lie the large stone rivers of the upper Vladayska and Boyanska valleys, and the peak sits on the watershed between the Black Sea (via the Iskar and Danube) and the Aegean (via the Struma).
Tens of thousands of people climb it each year, most from Aleko hut at the top of the ski area. The summit is far from wild: a meteorological station operating since 1935, with a café and a mountain-rescue post, crowns the top, and ski lifts reach close to it from the north. The weather, however, is serious for its height: the mean annual temperature is about 0 °C and the average wind speed 9.3 m/s, the second highest of any Bulgarian peak.
The longer routes from the Golden Bridges, Selimitsa hut, Zheleznitsa or Yarlovo give a fuller day through forest and open moorland. The Torfeno Branishte reserve to the north-west and the drinking-water catchments to the south are closed to visitors.
Climbing Notes
An easy half day from Aleko hut (3 km, about 480 m, 1½ hours up, 3–4 hours return); the longer approaches from the city edge take 3½–5 hours one way. Bring warm, windproof layers at any time of year and take care in thick fog on the broad, open summit plateau. In winter the mountain is a snowshoe and ski-touring area with avalanche-prone slopes near the summit; check conditions with the mountain rescue service. Check lift and bus status before going: the Simeonovo gondola was not running in September 2026, and private cars may be restricted on weekends.
History
Legend links an ascent by Philip V of Macedon in 181 BC to Vitosha. On 27 August 1895 the writer Aleko Konstantinov led about 300 people, including Ivan Vazov, to the summit; the date is considered the birth of the Bulgarian tourist movement, and a rally is held on the summit every year. The meteorological station was built in 1935.
Season
Best Jun–Sep- January: Good
- February: Good
- March: Good
- April: Possible
- May: Good
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Good
- Jan
- Snowshoe or ski tour; cold and windy
- Feb
- Coldest month on the summit
- Mar
- Spring snow; avalanche risk on steeper slopes
- Apr
- Thaw; wet, icy patches
- May
- Snow patches high up
- Jun
- Wettest month; thunderstorms
- Jul
- Warmest month; busy at weekends
- Aug
- Annual rally on 27 August
- Oct
- Lifts closed for maintenance; first snow possible
- Nov
- Fog and early snow
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Aleko hut and other huts in the ski area take bookings directly; the summit meteorological station has a café but no beds.
- Rules
- Vitosha Nature Park: the Torfeno Branishte reserve and the drinking-water catchment zones south of the summit are closed to visitors
- Reported in 2025: private cars are not allowed into Vitosha between 10:00 and 15:00 on weekends and holidays (check current rules)
- Getting There
Sofia
Sofia Airport (SOF)
- Sofia city bus 66 from Vitosha metro station (line M2) to Aleko hut, about 50 minutes
- By car on the Simeonovo or Dragalevtsi roads to Aleko hut (parking by the lift station)
- City buses to Zheleznitsa (69, 98) and the Zlatnite Mostove for the longer routes
- Simeonovo gondola and Dragalevtsi chairlift not operating as of September 2026
Hazards
- Weather
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,810 m
Aleko hutHutStaffed