UNDER VITOSHA

Countryside living in a capital city

The city of Sofia has many historical landmarks but, Vitosha mountain is one of it’s most special. In no other European capital can one reach ski lifts, mountain biking trails, climbing and hiking locations by city transportation. Neighborhoods at the foot of Vitosha offers a unique opportunity to enjoy a countryside lifestyle at home while being near work and live in a major city.

The neighborhoods under Vitosha are predominantly residential, typically single-family homes with at least an ample garden around them (if not a bigger plot of land), larger apartments, townhomes and gated complexes. Residents enjoy access to all kinds of outdoor activities directly from their doorstep and even an active ski center in the winter. Unfortunately during the winter, air quality drops in the city center, but at the base of the mountain is almost always clear.

Most neighborhoods have local shops and restaurants, often of excellent quality as many successful people choose to make this area their home. The shopping areas on the South Ring like, Sofia Ring Mall & Ikea and are a short drive away. Many international companies have their offices in this area and buying or renting in these neighborhoods is ideal for people working in the Sofia Business Park, the office districts blv. Bulgaria, Cherni Vrah and Tsari Gradsko Shose.

Neighborhoods

Boyana is the top neighborhood. It was the first to be developed and home to the old money of Sofia. Here you will find the most expensive homes, the famous Boyana film studios and even the residence of the infamous, late Socialist leader Todor Zhivkov. The downside is that it gets very little sun during the winter because of its position under the mountain. In Boyana you will find new complexes, luxury apartments and large houses with pools and tennis courts.
Dragalevtsi is more casual than Boyana with less ostentatious homes. For many years a chairlift ran from near the center of Dragalevtsi to the top of the mountain, attracting many locals to the easily accessible nature. Despite the closure of the old Dragalevtsi lift, it's still the epicenter and starting point for hiking and biking trails.
has the village feel. Buildings are less dense than in other areas and there are many new developments in this neighborhood. The most unique aspect of Simeonovo is the gondola lift that goes from just above the Sofia Ring Mall to the ski station Aleko. For those who love to ski, apartments nearby offer the opportunity for the “ski in - ski out” lifestyle.
Bistritsa
Has a real village, great air quality, close to Borovets

Building & Architecture

The neighborhoods under Vitosha mountain have gone through several distinct development eras making diversity in the types of properties one will find. Before the 90’s these areas only had summer villas (max. size - 2 floors x 40m2). After the 90’s locals acquired more wealth and built austentatious houses, with poor design and bad building practices. These houses require full renovation from A to Z to fit with current living sensibilities. They generally have impractical layouts, poor insulation and are oversized. In the early 2000’s smaller, more European style houses began to be built with better layouts, usually from 200m2 to 500m2. From 2009 to 2013, due to the national economic crisis, there was virtually no building going on, but from 2014 onward the market recovered and the quality of the construction has only been improving since.

Investment

Now one can find many modern and 3 level homes with large living areas, bedrooms and inlaw apartments. 80-90% of homes have large basements that inflate the listed square footage. In these areas, there is a big demand for houses and little choice of rentals. Small townhouses (180 - 250 sq.m.) cost around 250 to 400k Euro and are a good investment as they can be rented for 1300 to 1800 euro/month if they have a nice, neutral interior. In the last 3 to 4 years prices have appreciated 20 to 30% and are expected to continue to climb 3-5% per year.