Simeonovo - Dragalevski Monastery

The first days of May came with Gaby and cold weather, unrelated :) Despite the biting cold, we managed to squeeze a hike, literally between the raindrops, on Saturday and drove to Simeonovo, one of the residential areas of Sofia at the skirts of Vitosha mountain. 

The beech forest was already wearing its green spring uniform and was beautiful and enchanting. The cold rain, however, had turned into snow during the night and there were scattered patches of snow on the grass and a few fallen blooming trees. 

The sun was partial, mostly hidden behind the clouds, the air was cold, but the brisk pace and the engaging conversation with our daughter kept us quite warm.

Hike info:

Date: 02 May 2026

Destination: Dragalevski Monastery

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 13 km

Elevation gain: 310 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 4 hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

The trail is very pleasant and almost level, most of it is part of the low altitude Vitosha circuit.

The Aleko waterfall - after all the snow and rain this winter, the rivers are quite full watered.

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda blouse, Burda cargo pants

I: lingerie, Sinclair Lotte blouse, leg warmers

Gaby: lingerie, Sinclair Journey jacket, knitted hat 

We had our picnic at the picnic area near the Dragalevski monastery, enjoying delicious tortillas, herbal tea and coffee together with lovely table talk. 

We had a quick walk around the monastery grounds and headed back to the car along the same trail. 

The Aleko waterfall again, from another angle

Despite the forecast for rain, the clouds held tight and the rain started only after we were already in the car on our way back home. A very enjoyable hike, even with the unusual May cold.

Boyana - Dragalevski Monastery and back

What a hike we had today! We hiked the trail from Boyana to Dragalevski monastery and back, some 6 km in one direction. The weather forecasts painted a sunny and warm day, but the morning was foggy and gloomy, with temperatures slightly above zero. The snow in the city melted yesterday, but as we approached the outskirts of Boyana, we found that the snow on the trails on Vitosha was there to stay, probably till the end of February, if not longer.

I really don't know why we have never done this hike, starting from Boyana, which is only about 20 min from home by car, but we liked it a lot and we'll definitely repeat it in the future.

The first part of the trail is a gradual climb through beech forests towards the Boyana lake

Even if it was only for this view of the lake, the hike would have been totally worth it. I had never seen the Boyana lake frozen and the scene took my breath away - the white emptiness, the total quiet, the mysterious fog - it was a surreal experience.

And then the sun broke the clouds and shone through the mist

Hike info:

Date: 23 January 2026 

Destination: Dragalevski Monastery

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 12.5 km

Elevation gain: 300 m

Total duration (plus picnic): 4 h

Average difficulty: 3.5 / 10 

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda longsleeve, Burda Cargo pants, socks

I: lingerie, Burda "Page" hoodie, socks, hat, gloves, snood

Although the mist did give way for a while at the altitude line above 1000 m, the city stayed tucked under a thick white fluff the whole day. Across the sea of fog - the ridge of the Balkan mountains, with peak Murgash.

We had our delicious tortillas and herbal tea on the meadow near the Dragalevski monastery and headed back to the car along the same track.

The usually popular trail between Boyana and Dragalevtzi was completely empty, we had the mountain for ourselves today :)

A curious encounter - fire salamander. These cute creatures usually stay hidden and protected from the cold in winter, but this well developed specimen was recklessly staying on the track. We moved it carefully to the side, I hope it will find a shelter and survive the cold months.

And an update on our pickled veggies - we polished off the previous batch with the red cabbage and today we prepared a new batch with olive oil and white cabbage. Can't wait for lunch tomorrow to taste it!

Simeonovo - Dragalevtzi 2025

We've hiked the easy trail from Dragalevski Monastery to Simeonovo lakes many times, yesterday however we decided to drive to Simeonovo, leave the car there and walk the trail to Dragalevski monastery and back. 

The start from Simeonovo added some 3 km total to the hike and a good cardio exercise at the beginning of the trail, where the hiker has to cover a significant elevation gain. The pay off - we had our lunch at the picnic area near the monastery, which was nice and quite comfortable.

As we get usually Fridays off,  when we can and the forecasts are favourable, we prefer to hike on Fridays, especially along well frequented trails, like the low altitude circuit of Vitosha.

Yesterday was no exception - the trail was quiet and empty, with a fellow hiker here and there and without the weekend crowd. Unlike the previous week, the weather was sunny, but with clouds and chilly winds, so we had our sweaters on most of the time.

One of Simeonovo lakes - there are several of these, forming a cascade along the river

Hike info:

Date: 09 May 2025

Destination: Dragalevski Monastery

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 13 km

Elevation gain: 310 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 4 hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

The beech forests on Vitosha are simply marvelous in May, when they are just covered in fresh greenery.

The Aleko waterfalls - the highest point of the trail, literally but also figuratively

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda blous, Burda cargo pants

I: lingerie, Central Park cardigan

The picnic area near Dragalevski monastery, where we had our well deserved delicious lunch. A wood nuthatch flew casually on the neighboring table during our picnic :)

After the lunch break, we took a short walk around the grounds of the monastery

And the Aleko waterfalls again, on the way back, this time from the other side