1. In Western Stara Planina

The town of Chiprovtsi - situated at the northern foothill of the Balkan Mountain, at the distance of 36 km from the town of Montana, with which there is a regular bus connection. A key set out point for Chiprovtsi Mountain. It is connected through roads to the Velin Dyal Chalet (5 km) and Kopren Chalet (20 km), and there are marked hiking routes to them, too.

The town of Berkovitsa - at the northern foothill of the Balkan Mountain, 89 km from Sofia, 24 km from Montana and 53 km from Vratsa, with which it maintains a regular bus connection. It is a station on the local railway line Boychinovtsi - Montana - Berkovitsa. It is the starting point for the Kom Chalets (new and old), to which there is a road, and one can get there along the marked tourist route for 3.30 to 4 hours. The pleasant Stara Planina Mt. Kom (2016 m), the champion of Berkovitsa Mountain, from which the marked tourist route along the whole ridge of the Balkan Mountain up to the Cape Emine on the Black Sea coast, can be climbed in about 2.30 hours along a marked route (with winter and summer marking).

Petrohan Pass (Petrohan) - a bordering ridge between Berkovitsa Mountain and Koznitsa, through which the road from Sofia to Montana passes. It is at the distance of 71 km from Sofia and 42 km from Montana. All the regular buses going through the pass, stop there. There are several roadside public catering establishments and the big Petrohan Chalet is located in the eastern direction at about a 30-minutes’ walk (there is a road leading to it, too - 1.8 km). The tourist hiking route Kom - Emine passes through Petrohan, so it may be the starting point from which to set out either westward to the Kom Chalet and Mt. Kom and Berkovitsa, or eastward along the Stara Planina ridge.

The town of Vratsa - 116 km from Sofia. A starting point for a lot of marked hiking routes around the nearby Vratsa Balkan Mountain: Ledenika Chalet (to the illuminated cave of the same name - 2.30 hours, an open-seat cableway may be used too, saving about an hour and a half, Parshevitsa Chalet (3.30 hours), the Chalet and the Memorial of Okolchitsa (3-3.30 hours). Vratsata - the unique rocky paradise for mountaineers starts from the end of the town, too!

The gorge of the Iskar River. One can set out from almost any small station all along the whole gorge along a marked route west- or eastwards. The gorge itself is extremely beautiful and the view pleases one’s eyes regardless of the fact whether you pass through it by train, by car, on a bike or on foot. One can set out in various directions from the village of Rebrovo, the town of Svoge, Bov railway station, the town of Lakatnik (with many interesting mountain climbing sites around), the village of Opletnya, Eliseyna railway station, the village of Zverino and others (see the Iskur Gorge related section).

The town of Etropole - beside the Mali Iskar River at the northern foothill of Etropole Mountain. It is 25 km from Botevgrad and 87 km from Sofia and is connected to them through regular bus transport. Marked tourist hiking tracks set out from it for: Rudinata Chalet in the low massif Bilo (5 hours), from where one can reach Botevgrad in 2 to 2.30 hours, Chavdar Chalet, on the main Stara Planina ridge (4 hours), from where one can continue in various directions, Strazhata Chalet (already in the Central Stara Planina, 4 to 5 hours past the Etropole Monastery), from where one can get to the Svishti Plaz Chalet (about 3.30 hours) or the Kashana Chalet (2.30 hours).

The city of Sofia. Bulgaria’s capital. From here, making use of the well arranged bus and railway transport, one can get to each smaller settlement or starting point  (for instance Kre­mi­kovtsi, Buhovo, Yordankino, Chourek, Vitinya Pass - on the main ridge), from where marked hiking routes set out around the nearest sub-parts of Western Stara Planina.