Travel with a car rental in Panichishte

General information about Panichishte

Panichishte lift
Panichishte lift

Panichishte is a ski resort, which is located in the Rila Mountain at an altitude of 1350 meters. The distance to Sofia is 80 km, to Separeva Banya - about 10 km and about 25 km to Dupnitsa. In the summer Panichiste is a starting point for many hiking routes, including routes to the Seven Lakes, Skakavica Reserve, the waterfall “Maliovitsa”, Borovets and the most spiritual and cultural monument in Bulgaria, Rila monastery. The village is next to National Park "Rila", and it is located near the lowest glacial lake in the mountains - Dry Lake.

The resort is close to Separeva Banya, where are the hottest springs with mineral water in Bulgaria. That makes it a preferred destination for wellness and health tourism. Panichiste has several ski slopes, including children’s, and all of them are equipped with ski lifts and sledge.

Sites around Panichishte

Bekyara

Length- 470 meters, equipped with ski-lift with a capacity of 280 people per hour. It is located across the Restaurant “Elenite”.

Azhdena

The ski slopes 400 meters long with a lift capacity of 250 people per hour, including children's ski lift.

Track cross-country

Panichishte piste
Panichishte piste

This is just a training area at the Dry Lake. This track will be equipped with targets for biathlon training.

Hut "Pioneering"

The track is 400 meters long and has a ski lift with a capacity of 350 people per hour. It also includes sledge length of 1130 m.

Hut Seven Lakes

This is 300 meters ski run with ski lift with a capacity of 250 people per hour.

Hut "Rila Lakes"

It has 950 meter ski run, with ski lift with a capacity of 700 people per hour. It offers ski equipment for rent and ski instructors. There is two-seater chair lift from hut" Pioneering" to hut "Lakes" with a total length of 2200 m and a capacity of 960 people per hour. Panichiste offers many opportunities for training in all winter sports. There are slopes for alpine skiing suitable for racing. The resort has a training base in Dry Lake, with football, volleyball, basketball playgrounds. For tennis players and swimmers there are pools and tennis courts in the local hotels. More information about the accommodation, hiking trails in the area, mountain guides and etc. can be obtained from the visitor’s Information Centre "Panichiste". The visitor’s center in Rila National Park “Panichiste” was created by PHARE European Union under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment and Water. It is patterned after the well-known centers of reserves worldwide. This is the first center of its kind in Bulgaria.

Sightseeing around Panichishte

Rila National Park

Hut in Panichishte
Hut in Panichishte

It is the largest National Park and Preserve in Bulgaria. It hosts the Seven Lakes, which are famous worldwide with their beauty. The visitors of the park have the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful natural scenery and rich biodiversity.

The Lakes in Rila

They are located one of the most beautiful areas of Rila – the Damgskiya share. They have glacial origin and are located between 2000 m and 2500 m altitude. The most prominent among them are the Seven Rila lakes that are named according to their shape - the Teardrop, the Eye, the Kidney, the Trefoil, the Twin, the Fish and the Lower Lake.

Rila Monastery

Built in the remote 927-941, Rila Monastery managed to survive more than a millennium, though it had been victim of fires on several occasions and rebuilt afterwards. It is the most important Christian monument in Bulgaria, and during the Turkish slavery it was literary and educational center. Rila monastery is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage.

Kirilova Polyana

Polyana is a meadow that is located in the reserve "Rila Monastery Forest" in the Natural Park "Rila Monastery". It is a large flat meadow with bungalows and space for camping. From Kirilova Polyana starts eco - route that leads to the Dry Lake.

Eco - trail "Beli Iskar"

The trail starts at 1215 meters above the sea level and on its highest point is built terrace. From the panoramic terrace you can see the tributaries of Beli Iskar, whose names bear the valleys in the area. The eco - trail was established in 2003 and has a length of 7 km.

Dry Lake

Panichishte
Panichishte

The Dry Lake is located in the National park Rila, next to the city Belitza and Semkovo. This is the lowest lake in the Rila Mountain. It is located near the beautiful dwarf pine forest at the foot of Middle Peak. An interesting fact is that this lake is non-draining, and it doesn’t dries up in the summer.

Hotels around Panichishte

Best hotels in Panichishte according to Booking.com are:

  • RiLa Shato Hotel & Spa
  • Hotel Panorama
  • Medi Guest House
  • Guest House Green Preslap
  • Pionerska Chalet

    Where to rent a car in Panichishte very easy and quickly?

    If you plan to visit Panichishte and have not yet booked your rental car, you may do so by using our reservations left. You can use Sofia as a starting point for your trip to Bulgaria. Top Rent A Car offers direct deliveries to all sea, ski and golf resorts in Bulgaria.

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    Muratovo Lake (Муратово езеро), Pirin By Pudelek (Marcin Szala) (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons