Belitsa

Belitsa (Bulgarian: Белица) is a small town in South-Western Bulgaria, and the gateway to the nearby small mountain resort Semkovo on the slopes of the Rila mountains. A bear sanctuary was established there in 2000 for "dancing bears" from Bulgaria and other Balkan countries after the practice was outlawed.

Not far from the Bansko international ski resort, Belitsa has a population of about 3000 people (2021) and it's the administrative centre of a municipality within Blagoevgrad Province.

Belitsa is not far from National Road 84, the main road that connects Pazardzhik in the north to Razlog and Bansko. Access to Belitsa is provided by the tertiary Road 8406: from the south (Bansko, Razlog), Road 8406 exits Road 84 near the village of Banya ('Баня'); from the north (Velingrad, Yakoruda), Road 8406 exits Road 84 near the village of Kraishte ('Краище'). By road, Belitsa is about 21 km (13 mi) from Razlog and Bansko, and 60 km (37 mi) from Velingrad.

Belitsa is one of the stops on the Rhodopes narrow gauge railway. About 35-40 min from Bansko, 30 min from Razlog, 130 min from Velingrad, almost 4 hr from the start of the line at Septemvri. The main disadvantage is that the station is about 4 km (2.5 mi) from the village centre.

• 41.91766523.5794821 Railway Station. Old-fashioned, utilitarian building. Four trains daily, one of them "fast". If for some reason you decide to hike to Belitsa, your choices are a dirt road that starts from the station, or crossing the tracks to get on Road 84 (see above), and then Road 8406 splits off towards Belitsa about 500 metres (550 yd) north of the station. Timetables and a virtual arrival/departures board can be found on BDZ's website, but note that BDZ lists the station name as Belica!  (updated Oct 2026)

• 42.03111423.5825441 Bear Sanctuary Belitsa, Andrianov Chark Area, Belitsa 2780, Bulgaria (12 km (7.5 mi) north of Belitsa itself, next to the Semkovo resort - follow the road signs), ☏ +359 888 00 23 58, info@bearsanctuary-belitsa.org. Tours every half hour, the last one 30 min before closing; Jul-Aug: 10:00-12:00, 13:00-18:00; Apr-Jun, Sep-Nov: 12:00-18:00; Dec-Mar: closed to visitors. Built by the international animal welfare organisation Four Paws in 2000, the sanctuary houses bears from Balkan countries, Argentina and Ukraine, on a total area of 12 hectares (30 acres). The guided tours are offered in Bulgarian and English and include descriptions of the bears' poor original living conditions. The park's landscape is not suitable for people with mobility issues and baby strollers. Adults (18+): €8, children (7+): €2.5, younger children and disabled: free.  (updated Oct 2026)
• 41.95144723.5582882 History Museum (modern building in the north-eastern corner of the pedestrianised central square, close to the church). Mon-Fri 8:00-12:00, 13:00-17:00. Modest provincial history museum. Archaeological finds from Thracian and other sites nearby, the obligatory ethnographic exhibits about life during the National Revival period, and the modern history of Belitsa. It shares a building with the tourist information centre; museum entrance is on the left.  (updated Oct 2026)