Sofia is the only European capital with a 2,000-metre mountain inside its administrative boundary. Vitosha rises directly south of the centre — the cone of Cherni Vruh, the second-highest peak in the country at 2,290 metres, is visible from almost everywhere in the city.
In summer the mountain is the city's lung: hiking trails to Cherni Vruh, the Boyana Waterfall, and the Stone River; refuges and a few hotels. In winter Aleko is a working ski resort 30 minutes from the centre. The Simeonovo gondola lift takes you from 1,000 to 1,800 metres in 25 minutes; from the top it is a two-and-a-half-hour walk to the summit.