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Where to go in February / Bulgaria in February / Sofia & the southwest / February

Bulgaria · Mountains

Sofia & the southwest
in February.

Illustration of Rila Monastery courtyard toward the Church of the Nativity and Hrelyo Tower
Rila Monastery’s courtyardDestination view, not month-specific.

Is February a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
A steady visitor season.

February averages 48°F afternoons, with about 5 rain days. Later February is typically warmer.

Afternoons
48°F
Rain days
5
Visitor demand
100%of February peak

Historical Yugozapaden regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Sofia, Bansko and Rila Monastery; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.8/10 · scores & priorities

This weather score measures sightseeing comfort. Snow and ski conditions need a separate check.

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#10 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.7/10Good
CrowdsSteady all yearsimilar all year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostCheapfor Europe; Bulgaria-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your February

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 48°F (9°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 29°F (−2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. About 11 hours of daylight. About 5 rain days in a typical February.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 11 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:25Sunset 17:5729°F48°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:25 and sets about 17:57 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 29°F (−2°C); afternoons reach about 48°F (9°C). Expect rain on about 5 days in a typical February.

Typical afternoon
48°F (9°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Februarys
Night low
29°F (−2°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
10h 33m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late February?

Late February is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 45°F on the 1st, versus 51°F on the 28th.

Early February 1 February

45°F

Typical afternoon high

26% historical wet-day frequency

Mid February 15 February

47°F

Typical afternoon high

21% historical wet-day frequency

Late February 28 February

51°F

Typical afternoon high

26% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Daily calendar & holiday datesFebruary 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

February 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
145°245°346°446°546°646°746°
846°947°1047°1147°1247°1347°1447°
1547°1648°1748°1849°1949°2049°2150°
2250°2350°2451°2551°2651°2751°2851°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

School-holiday dates for February 2027 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open.

Afternoons warm from about 46°F (8°C) in the first week to 51°F (10°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 20–26%.

Elsewhere in February 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: France 42%, Netherlands 46%, Belgium 25%, Czechia 18%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Steady all year. February averages 100% of February's overnight stays per day. Overnight demand varies little across the year.

Overnight stays across Yugozapaden do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

Well above usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Bulgaria as a whole
Well below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 53 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

Year-to-year variation

How much does February vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 36°F (2°C) and 56°F (14°C); in 8 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 48°F (9°C). Rain days ranged from 1 to 12; half the years had 4–10.

Rain days in each February

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 7 rain days720112012: 11 rain days112013: 10 rain days102014: 1 rain days12015: 5 rain days52016: 10 rain days102017: 4 rain days42018: 12 rain days122019: 5 rain days52020: 8 rain days82021: 5 rain days52022: 7 rain days72023: 4 rain days42024: 4 rain days42025: 3 rain days32025
Rain days
5
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 10 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
6 of 28
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no February in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
10 of 28
rated very good or better
See every recorded FebruaryHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201146°F7
201236°F11
201348°F10
201454°F1
201545°F5
201656°F10
201749°F4
201846°F12
201947°F5
202050°F8
202151°F5
202248°F7
202348°F4
202455°F4
202544°F3

Checked against official climate averages for Sofia. How we check

Compare dates

January, February
or March?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs February peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsJanFebMar
Afternoons43°F48°F55°F
Rain days759
Overnight demand86%100%78%

January: Cooler afternoons and more rain days than February. January guide →

March: Warmer afternoons and more rain days than February. March guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with February Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. February stays as your reference.

Hotel stays vary little through the year. April to October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than February.

Your comparison

February or January?

Overnight stays vary little through the year.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest well above usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the January guide →
February compared with another month
Typical conditionsFebruaryJanuary
Afternoons48°F43°F
Nights29°F25°F
Rain days57
Visitor seasonSteady all yearSteady all year
Overall / 106.86.5
Month rank#10#12
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.5#1243°F25°F75.1Steady all year
February6.8#1048°F29°F55.7Steady all year
March7.1#855°F34°F96.3Steady all year
April8.0#764°F41°F87.9Steady all year
May8.5#571°F48°F99.0Steady all year
June8.7#379°F56°F109.1Steady all year
July8.7#484°F59°F59.1Steady all year
August8.8#284°F59°F49.3Steady all year
September9.0#176°F53°F49.8Steady all year
October8.2#664°F43°F68.4Steady all year
November7.1#954°F36°F66.3Steady all year
December6.7#1146°F29°F75.4Steady all year

Near here

Nearby places in February

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Same dates, elsewhere in Europe

Sofia & the southwest's weather ranks 3 of 28 mountain regions this month. We found no mountain regions outside Bulgaria with a weather score at least 1.0 point higher on these dates.

All of Bulgaria in February · Everywhere in February

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

Hotel stays are steady all year here: this month is 100% of the busiest and 36% above average. That counts overnight stays, not how busy the sights are. That means about 19,000 overnight visitors on a typical February night across the region, 41% of them from Bulgaria itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 7,100 more: 37 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)64
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Sofia from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.7°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day10
Busiest month hereFebruary · 10
Visitors as share of people present0.9%
Rank among Europe's regions this month62nd percentile
Domestic share of nights41%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights37
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.3%
National hotel-price seasonBulgaria historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−4% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used2.0 million
Statistical regionBG41 · Yugozapaden

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.