Borovets is Bulgaria's most popular mountain resort area for many reasons. It lies at the foot of Mount Musala in the northern part of the Rila Mountains, at an altitude of 1,350 metres above sea level, 73 km southeast of Sofia. The resort was founded over 100 years ago by the Bulgarian kings who built a palace and hunting lodges there.
In Borovets, the air is pure and clean, with cool nights - a true delight for nature lovers and those wanting to escape from city stress to a healthier environment. The resort enjoys 150 days of snow cover every year, for the delight of winter sports' enthusiasts. The Borovets ski resort offers more than 40 km of ski runs, varying in difficulty and grouped into 3 regions - Sitnyakovo-Martinov (8 runs), Markudzhik (4) and Yastrebets (3).
For sports and leisure there is a lot to do around Borovets: Winter sports options include skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snow-mobiling, night skiing and ice skating. In other seasons you can enjoy walking tours, hiking, climbing, tennis, cycling, golf, fishing, bird watching, horseback riding, and water sports on Lake Iskar.
The distance from Sofia to Borovets (also spelled Borovec, Borowez) is approximately 73 km (a 1.5-hour drive).
- Take the Expressway E80 (Tsarigradsko Shosse) towards Plovdiv.
- Exit at the sign for Borovets, which is a few kilometres after the exit for the Sofia airport,
- Take Highway 82 to Samokov, passing first through Gorubljane on the outskirts of Sofia and afterwards Pancharevo.
- In Samokov, turn left at the sign marked Ihktiman-Kostenets-Plovdiv.
- Cross a short bridge and immediately afterwards turn right.
- Continue straight on for 11 km to Borovets.
- On arrival in Borovets, keep right and then turn left at an intersection where you will see a sign marked "Villa Stresov". Pass several shops on the right and left.
- After approximately 1 km you will see the Villa to the right at the top of a hill faced with a stone retaining wall.
- Turn right and drive 20 metres uphill to reach the front gate of the Villa.