Golf guide • Bulgaria • Western Bulgaria

Golf in Sofia: a capital below Vitosha, with the Pirin in sight

Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, has only one 18-hole course within 45 minutes: St. Sofia Golf Club at Ravno Pole, opened in 2004 and reworked by Paul McGinley in 2012. The region's other major course, Ian Woosnam's Pirin Golf near Bansko, is about two hours' drive away and is played as the second leg of the trip. Golfers come to combine golf, a historic city and the mountains, from April to October, ideally in May, June and September.

Plan this tripUpdated 11 October 2026

Sofia spreads across a high plain at the foot of the Vitosha massif, whose wooded dome closes the horizon to the south. Inhabited since at least 7,000 BC, Roman Serdica has become a capital of boulevards, Orthodox domes and cafés, where you pass straight from ancient remains to the terraces of Vitosha Boulevard. For a golfer, it is first of all a city break, with a course half an hour from the centre.

That course, St. Sofia Golf Club, is a parkland layout dotted with lakes, reworked by the Irishman Paul McGinley, with a hotel and spa on site. It is enough for two or three rounds, but not for a week of golf. For that, take the road south: about two hours away, in the Razlog valley, Ian Woosnam's Pirin Golf & Country Club is played among pines and mountain streams, facing the ridges of the Pirin.

The trip therefore falls into two parts: two or three nights in Sofia for the city and St. Sofia, then two or three nights at Pirin, where you sleep beside the course. The Rila Monastery, 117 km south of the capital, is a good reason to make the drive by day.

The courses

Mountain fairway between pine forest and a pebbly stream, limestone peaks dusted with snow in autumn

St. Sofia Golf Club & Spa

Architect: Paul McGinley (2012)
Opened 2004
18 holes

Opened in 2004 at Ravno Pole, east of Sofia, St. Sofia was soon reworked by the Irishman Paul McGinley, and the new layout was unveiled in May 2012. The land is flat, just 55 hectares, but water does all the work: more than half the holes run alongside a lake or a stream, and the course measures 5,949 metres from the back tees. A course of precision rather than power, pleasant for every level, with a hotel of 77 rooms and 5 apartments, a spa and the Ritorno restaurant for lunch.

Signature hole. The 15th, a par 3 to an island green, calls for a crisp iron: the front-right pin position is the most generous on the course for a shot at a hole-in-one.

Official website

Pirin Golf & Country Club

Architect: Ian Woosnam; Gary Johnston (European Golf Design)
Opened 2007
18 holes

About two hours' drive south of Sofia, near Razlog and a few minutes from Bansko, this course designed by Ian Woosnam with Gary Johnston of European Golf Design opened in 2007. It is a true mountain course: rolling fairways, four lakes, a stream that follows the routing and the ridges of the Pirin as a backdrop. A practice course completes the offer. Come for two or three days and stay on site, rather than making the round trip from the capital.

Signature hole. The 7th, a downhill par 5 and stroke index 1, sees its fairway narrow and dive to the right as it approaches the green.

Official website

Where to stay

Grand Hotel Sofia

Opened in 2004 on Gurko Street, right beside the City Garden, the Grand Hotel Sofia is a classic five-star of the capital, used to business travellers and dignitaries on official visits alike. Ask for a Panorama Room on the 9th floor: its 10 m² terrace looks over the city or towards Vitosha. The Shades of Red restaurant means dinner without going out again after a day at St. Sofia.

Hotel Casa Boyana

A boutique hotel in the residential district of Boyana, at the foot of Vitosha on the edge of the city. You gain calm and mountain air, at the cost of a longer journey to the centre and to the golf course, which lies on the other side of Sofia. The in-house restaurant and sports centre suit a group that wants to stay in for the evening, and Boyana Church is in the same district.

Pirin Golf Hotel & SPA

The natural base for the second part of the trip: a five-star hotel with 71 rooms at the heart of the Pirin Golf estate, alpine in style, with a view of the countryside from every room. The 5,500 m² wellness centre and its pools do tired legs good after eighteen hilly holes. On half board, Dine Around opens seven of the resort's restaurants, including La Foret and its game menu: book the day before.

Where to dine

Manastirska Magernitsa

On Khan Asparuh Street, Manastirska Magernitsa occupies the century-old house of the critic Krastyo Krastev, who hosted the writers of his circle beneath a dogwood still standing in the courtyard. Every recipe on the menu was collected from a Bulgarian monastery, and the meal opens with a complimentary pogacha loaf. In fine weather, ask for a table in the courtyard; the list is all Bulgarian wine, with a rakia suggested for each starter.

Shtastliveca

Founded in 1997 in Veliko Tarnovo, this house took the pen name of the writer Aleko Konstantinov and the décor of a 1930s bourgeois apartment. On Vitosha Boulevard, the kitchen reworks Bulgarian and Eastern European recipes using farm produce. The house cures its own charcuterie in natural casings and bakes its own bread, so open dinner with a board. A safe choice for the first evening, back from St. Sofia.

Rustic table with a stew in a clay pot, tomato salad topped with grated white cheese and a carafe of red wine

Beyond golf

The Vitosha massif

Vitosha, the oldest nature park in the Balkans, begins at the city's edge, and buses and lifts make it easy to reach. Trails climb through the forest to the stepped plateaus and Cherni Vrah, the highest point at 2,290 metres. Half a day's walk is enough to see Sofia from above; in winter, the same massif is where the people of Sofia go skiing.

Boyana Church and the Rila Monastery

At the foot of Vitosha, the small Boyana Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, holds 89 painted scenes and 240 figures; its central wing dates from the 13th century. Further south, 117 km from the capital, the Rila Monastery, the largest in the country, combines well with the drive to Pirin Golf.

Sofia, from Serdica to the domes

The centre is best explored on foot, from the remains of Roman Serdica, conquered by Rome in 29 BC, to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, begun in 1882, which can hold 5,000 worshippers beneath its gilded domes. In the evening, head for the terraces and tables of Vitosha Boulevard.

Hikers seen from behind on a plateau of grass and granite boulders, spruce forest and a large city in the valley

When to go

The golf season runs from April to October. May, June and September are the most pleasant months: mild weather, courses in good shape and long light. July and August remain playable, as the capital's altitude keeps it cooler than the rest of the country, but some heatwaves pass 35 °C: tee off early. October brings autumn colour to Pirin. Winter, cold and often snowy, is out of season for golf: Vitosha and Bansko both turn to skiing.

Getting there

Sofia Airport (SOF), 10 km east of the centre, is about twenty minutes from the city's hotels, and St. Sofia Golf Club about half an hour from the centre. Pirin Golf, near Razlog and Bansko, is about 160 km away, two hours by road: arrange a car or a private transfer, which the resort also offers.

Frequently asked questions

How many golf courses are there near Sofia?

Only one 18-hole course lies within 45 minutes: St. Sofia Golf Club at Ravno Pole, about half an hour from the centre. Pirin Golf & Country Club, near Bansko, is about two hours' drive away.

What is the best golf course near Sofia?

For quality and setting, Ian Woosnam's Pirin Golf & Country Club, opened in 2007, but it is about two hours' drive away. Near the city, St. Sofia, reworked by Paul McGinley in 2012, is the only option.

Can you do Sofia to Pirin Golf as a day trip?

It is possible but not much fun: about two hours' drive each way. Better to spend two nights on site, at the Pirin Golf Hotel & SPA, and play in the cool of the morning.

When can you play golf in Sofia?

From April to October, ideally in May, June and September. Winter, cold and often snowy, is out of season for golf.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Sofia?

Four to six nights: two or three in Sofia with a round at St. Sofia and time to see the city, then two or three at Pirin Golf, near Bansko.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Sofia

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

Green and white-sand bunkers on the edge of a golden limestone cliff, calm sea and dry grasses at sunset

Dobruja, Black Sea coast

Balchik

3 courses

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