The size of Stara Planina Street in Sofia is by no means comparable to the size of the mountain range it was named after. The street that goes from the intersection of Kniaz Dondukov Boulevard and Rakovski Street to Tsaritsa Yoana Hospital has the name of the longest range on the Balkans. The range was once called Balkan and that old name was also given to the entire peninsula.

Stara Planina covers a total area of 11,600 square kilometres, which is one tenth of Bulgaria's total landmass. The range stretches across the country from the Serbian border in the west to the Black Sea in the east. It can be subdivided into three sections, each composed of individual massifs divided by high passes and saddles: Western Stara Planina (highest peak - Midjur, 2,168m), Central Stara Planina (Botev, 2,376m, the highest peak of the Balkan Range), and Eastern Stara Planina (Bulgarka, 1,181m).

To the north, the mountains wind and smoothly melt into the Pre-Balkan region and the Danube plain; while to the south steep mountain slopes tower above a series of hollows and fields. The relief of the range is quite diverse - from almost alpine in the highest western part, through the middle parts covered with dense forests and pastures, to the lower eastern parts with their valleys, hollows and low saddles.

Running across Bulgaria from west to east, Stara Planina separates the country into two parts. It also acts as a climatic barrier and has a profound influence on the climate of the entire country. It generally stops or weakens the cold and wet western air masses.

As a result, some of the greatest rainfalls in Bulgaria have been recorded in Western and Central Stara Planina. By stopping the strong western winds, the range protects the southern part of the country from their negative influence.

Stara Planina is one of the richest water mountain ranges in Bulgaria. There are numerous waterfalls and rivers but no lakes.

In addition to its climatic role over the centuries, Stara Planina has also played the role of natural obstacle to enemies. Many decisive battles of the territory have taken place there.

There are still places in the mountain range where nature has not been influenced by people because of difficulty of accessing certain areas. Today, most of these spots are declared reserves. The number of endangered species that live only in this area is very large. The area is also home to many beech forests and at higher altitudes there are even alpine roses and edelweiss. The fauna is represented by species such as deer, wild goats, bears, wolves, foxes and martens.

In the Balkan Range, there are four national parks - Central Balkan, Vrachanski Balkan, Etura and Sinite Kamuni - and more than 30 reserves. Many of the peaks in the range are accessible to hikers - Triglav (2,276m), Vezhen (2,198m), Levski (2,166m), Kom (2,016m), Murgash (1,687m), Chumerna (1,536m), Hadji Dimitar (Buzludja, 1,441m) and Shipka (1,326m) among others.

Another attraction for tourists are the caves, and many of them, such as Ledenika and Mecha Dupka, are equipped with tourist facilities and electricity. Most tourists are attracted by the Raisko Pruskalo and the Skaklya waterfalls, as well as by numerous natural formations and phenomena, such as the Iskur Gorge with the Kutina Pyramids, Lakatnik Rocks and Kozya Stena.