Dupnitsa Voyage Tips and guide

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Dupnitsa (Bulgarian: Дупница) is a town in Central Western Bulgaria, under the slopes of Rila, the highest mountain in the country. It's one of the starting points for the mountain itself, the Rila Monastery, and the nearby spa resort Sapareva Banya.

Dupnitsa is about 50 km (31 mi) south of the capital Sofia and 30 km (19 mi) north of the larger Blagoevgrad. With a population of 27,000 (2021), it's the administrative centre of a municipality within Kyustendil Province (Kyustendil itself is 35 km (22 mi) to the west).

The name is pronounced DOOP-ni-tsah. Between 1948 and 1990 the town bore the name of the Communist activist and functionary Stanke Dimitrov (1889-1944), who was born in Dupnitsa. He's notable among other things for being one of the organizers of the Sveta Nedelya terrorist attack that killed 134 people. Amusingly, for a brief period of time the town was named with his pseudonym - Marek, derived from "marxist, anti-fascist, revolutionary, emigrant, Communist", and today that name is used by Dupnitsa's soccer club, FC Marek.

Most tourists just pass through Dupnitsa in transit. The road to the Rila Monastery splits off the main road about half way between Dupnitsa and Blagoevgrad. One of the ways of getting there is to get a bus or train to Dupnitsa, and then one of the local buses to the Monastery. The same applies to Sapareva Banya, a small town and spa resort 12 km (7.5 mi) east of Dupnitsa. A few of the hiking trails in Rila start from the villages east of Dupnitsa.

Dupnitsa itself is a quiet and green town with a good view of the mountain. The Dzherman, a mountain river starting from the Seven Rila Lakes, runs through Dupnitsa on its way to merge into the larger Struma.

• 42.26032923.1037871 Railway station. 

• 42.26896423.1261811 Fortress Kulata. Remains of mediaeval fortress Kulata. (updated Apr 2018)
• 42.26466123.1194832 Clock Tower. The Clock Tower built in 1782. (updated Apr 2018)
• 42.24877223.1447823 Park Rila. The Clock Tower built in 1782. (updated Apr 2018)
• 42.26498423.1160344 Art Gallery. (updated Aug 2020)
• 42.26484123.116495 Medieval mosque. (updated Aug 2020)
• 42.26393923.1200526 City Garden. (updated Aug 2020)
• 42.26493623.1167267 Chitalishte "Zora 1858". (updated Aug 2020)
• 42.26489223.1195748 Monument Yatachkata. (updated Aug 2020)

• 42.26409523.1166051 Hotel Rila, Svoboda sqr. 1, Dupnitsa 2600. 20-50 лв. (updated Oct 2023)
• 42.26609423.1160912 Hotel Universal, ulitsa "Hristo Grancharov", Dupnitsa 2600. 70 лв. (updated Aug 2020)

42.26409523.1166051 Hotel Rila, Svoboda sqr. 1. Club Zanzibar contains a stylish cocktail bar with an African interior which at night time offers the largest nightclub in town. 

• 42.26409523.1166051 Hotel Rila (Хотел Рила), Svoboda sqr. 1, ☏ +359 701 596 10, [email protected]. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. In the centre of the city. The hotel has a modern and beautiful rooms with a pleasant view to Rila mountain. The hotel also has a modern and renovated spa centre with saunas, jacuzzi, steam bath and nice pool. 50-85 лв. (updated Nov 2016)