Samokov: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Samokov grew rich on iron: for centuries its water-driven forges supplied the Ottoman Balkans, and the money that came back paid for churches, a painted mosque and a school of painters whose icons hang across Bulgaria. This walk links the centre to the old church quarter. About an hour and a half on flat streets, all within a kilometre. Start at the mosque in the morning, when the museum is open.
A short history of Samokov
Samokov grew up in the Middle Ages at the foot of the Rila Mountains, and in the Ottoman period it became known for ironworking: water flowing down from the mountains drove heavy hammers, which is probably also the origin of the name, 'self-hammer'. In the 19th century the town had a school of icon and fresco painters, and its most famous graduate, Zahari Zograf, born in Samokov in 1810, painted the churches of the Rila Monastery and the Bachkovo Monastery. In 1896 a royal hunting lodge was built in the mountains above the town, from which the Borovets ski resort developed.
The ten best sights in Samokov
1Bayrakli MosqueThe painted interior is the reason to come; it is now a museum, not a working mosque
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2Samokov History Museum
Iron forges and icon painters — the two things that made the town
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3Pokrov Bogorodichen Convent
A working convent in the middle of town; quiet courtyard, modest dress
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4Church of the Dormition
Step inside for icons by the local painting school
5Evangelical ChurchA trace of the American missionaries who ran schools here
6Rila MonasteryBulgaria's great monastery, about an hour south-west; come early, before the coaches
7Tsarska BistritsaThe royal hunting lodge in the pines above Borovets; guided visits only
8Big FountainThe old stone fountain in the centre; fill a bottle — the water is mountain water
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9Zahari Zograf Monument
The town's most famous son, standing by the museum
10BorovetsBulgaria's oldest mountain resort, 10 km up the road; ski in winter, walk in summer
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Samokov →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Samokov:
Free walking tours in Samokov
Iron and icons
Samokov grew rich on iron: for centuries its water-driven forges supplied the Ottoman Balkans, and the money that came back paid for churches, a painted mosque and a school of painters whose icons hang across Bulgaria. This walk links the centre to the old church quarter. About an hour and a half on flat streets, all within a kilometre. Start at the mosque in the morning, when the museum is open.
- Bayrakli Mosque · Built in the 1840s, it was decorated inside by local Bulgarian masters, so its walls carry the same painted flowers and draperies you see in the town's churches. It no longer serves as a mosque and is run as part of the town museum.
- Big Fountain · The town's name is the clue to its water: a samokov was a heavy hammer driven by a water wheel, used to beat iron in the forges along the Iskar. Mountain streams powered dozens of them, and the town took its name from the machine.
- Samokov History Museum · The museum covers both sides of the town's fortune: the iron trade and the Samokov school of painters, a family-based workshop tradition that supplied icons and wall paintings to monasteries across the country in the 19th century.
- Zahari Zograf Monument · Zahari Zograf was born here in 1810 and died in 1853. He painted at Rila, Bachkovo and Troyan monasteries, and is the best-known painter of the Bulgarian National Revival, and one of the few of his time who signed his work and painted his own portrait on a monastery wall.
- Evangelical Church · American Protestant missionaries made Samokov one of their bases in the 1870s and ran a boys' school here for half a century. In 1926 it moved to Sofia and became the American College of Sofia, still one of the country's leading schools.
- Pokrov Bogorodichen Convent · The name means the Protection of the Mother of God, but locals call it simply the Devicheski Manastir, the Maidens' Monastery, because it has always been a house of nuns — and nuns still live here, in the middle of a town street.
Lakes and the monastery
West of Samokov the Rila range holds Bulgaria's best-known mountain landscape and its most important monastery. This is a car day: a chairlift up to the glacial lakes in the morning, a hot geyser on the way down, and the monastery by the afternoon. Count about 100 km of driving on mountain roads. Bring layers; it can be cold at the lakes in July.
- Panichishte · This small resort is the road head for the lakes: above it a chairlift climbs to the Rilski Ezera hut, which cuts a two-hour climb to about twenty minutes.
- Seven Rila Lakes · The seven glacial lakes sit one above another between about 2,100 and 2,500 m, and each is named for its shape: the Tear, the Eye, the Kidney, the Twin, the Trefoil, the Fish Lake and the Lower Lake.
- Sapareva Banya Geyser · The spring that feeds this geyser comes out at about 103°C, one of the hottest mineral springs in Europe. It spouts day and night in the middle of the town.
- Rila Monastery · The monastery grew around the hermit Ivan of Rila, who lived in these woods in the 10th century and became Bulgaria's patron saint. A fire in 1833 destroyed most of it, and the striped arcades you see were rebuilt in the following decades; it has been on the UNESCO list since 1983.
- Hrelyo Tower · The stone tower in the courtyard was built in 1334-35 by the local lord Hrelyo Dragovola, and it is the only part of the monastery older than the 1833 fire.
- Tsari Mali Grad · On the way back, this hill above the village of Belchin carries a late-Roman fortress whose walls were rebuilt and opened to visitors in the 2010s, with a small museum of finds and a view over the Samokov plain.
The royal mountain
Bulgaria's princes discovered the pine forests south of Samokov at the end of the 19th century, built a hunting lodge, and their court made the place fashionable. Above it rises Musala, the roof of the Balkans, and below it the Iskar begins its long run to Sofia. A half day by car with an optional long walk up high. In summer start early; afternoon storms are common on the ridge.
- Tsarska Bistritsa · Prince Ferdinand began building this hunting lodge in 1898, and it stayed a royal retreat until the monarchy ended in 1946. The wooden villas are now a museum with the hunting trophies of the royal family.
- Borovets · The resort was founded in 1896 under the name Chamkoria, from the Turkish for pine, which makes it the oldest mountain resort in Bulgaria. It took its current name, also meaning a pine wood, in 1949.
- Yastrebets · The gondola from Borovets ends near this summit, and the walk to Musala starts here. The name means hawk's peak.
- Musala · At 2,925 m Musala is the highest peak in Bulgaria and in the whole Balkan Peninsula, higher than Olympus by a few metres. A weather station has worked on the summit since the early 1930s.
- Beli Iskar · The village is named after the White Iskar, one of the streams that form the Iskar. At 368 km it is the longest river entirely inside Bulgaria, and the only one that cuts right through the Balkan Mountains.
- Iskar Reservoir · Finished in 1954, it is the largest reservoir in Bulgaria and holds most of the drinking water of Sofia, which is why swimming is not allowed.
Getting to Samokov and getting around
- Samokov Bus Station · Buses to Sofia and up to Borovets leave from the square in the centre
- Sofia Airport · About an hour by car; the closest airport, and there is no railway to Samokov
Cheap eats in Samokov
Bulgaria uses the euro since January 2026, and eating cheap is easy. The Samokov plain is famous across the country for its potatoes, so they turn up everywhere: fried, baked with cheese, in stews. Grills sell kebapche and kyufte by the piece, and the morning means banitsa from a bakery.
- Skara Svetofara · Grilled kebapche and kyufte from a hatch, about €1 each
- Pizza by the slice · Slices to go, €1.50-2
- Joy · Quick sandwiches and snacks on Makedonia Street, €2-4
- Grand · Coffee and banitsa by the river, €2-3
Museums in Samokov
- Samokov History Museum · Forges and the painters' school; an hour
- Bayrakli Mosque · The painted mosque; part of the museum ticket
- Tsarska Bistritsa · Royal hunting lodge in the woods; guided visits
- Rila Monastery · The monastery museum holds a carved wooden cross; an hour south-west
- Tsari Mali Grad · Rebuilt late-Roman fortress with finds on display
Nature and day trips near Samokov
- Seven Rila Lakes · Glacial lakes by chairlift and on foot; a half day
- Musala · Roof of the Balkans; start from the gondola top
- Musala Hut · Mountain hut by the lakes below the summit; a rest stop
- Malyovitsa · Granite peak and climbing walls above Govedartsi
- Iskar Reservoir · Big lake on the Sofia road; viewpoints, no swimming
Things to do in Samokov with kids
- Borovets Gondola · Runs in summer too; a long ride over the pines to Yastrebets
- Sapareva Banya Geyser · A boiling fountain in the park, and warm pools
- Borovets · Ski school in winter, rope parks and horses in summer
- Panichishte chairlift · Chairlift toward the lakes; children like the open ride
- Govedartsi · A village on a river with picnic spots on the way to Malyovitsa
Where to eat in Samokov
- Kokoshkovata Kashta · Bulgarian cooking in an old house on the main street
- Kaymakanovata Kashta · Family restaurant with a garden on Bulgaria Boulevard
- Mehana Velcheva Zavera · Traditional tavern near the centre; grills and potatoes
- Pri Vesi · Simple dishes on Targovska Street by the mosque
- Pri Sote · Local favourite for grilled meat at the south end of town
- Pri Grafa · Grill and Bulgarian classics on Tsar Boris III Street
Frequently asked questions about Samokov
What is there to see in Samokov?
The top sights in Samokov are Bayrakli Mosque, Samokov History Museum and Pokrov Bogorodichen Convent. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Samokov?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Samokov without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Samokov?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Samokov, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Iron and icons.
How do you get to Samokov and get around?
The main ways are Samokov Bus Station and Sofia Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Samokov, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Samokov that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Samokov for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.