Bansko
Until recently Bansko was not one of the best known ski areas in Bulgaria. But heavy investment right across the ski area and the resort have utterly transformed this small medieval town and its ski area in to a year-round, international destination resort.
Most prominent of these improvements for skiers and boarders is a remarkable new gondola that cuts out the old 12km (8 mile) drive between town and ski slopes. Then once you're on the snow - once served by a few elderly chairs and drag lifts, you'll find high speed detachable Doppelmayr quads, near comprehensive snow making, night skiing and more than six times as many pisted runs as before, maintained by a fleet of a dozen new groomers.
The combination of a lively, historic, architectural interesting and culturally rich ski resort with an exciting modern ski area, all within the spectacular beauty of the Pirin Mountain, with its untamed nature and recognition of being on UNESCO's List of World Heritage sites, is a rare and winning combination.
The resort's rapid expansion has seen the addition of an ever increasing list of high calibre accommodation including luxury hotels that herald a new dawn in Eastern European skiing. Most of these hotels offer high specification facilities and luxury spas.
Bansko town is blessed with a mild climate and yet the season is long up on the slopes where you can expect to have crisp snow on the ski pistes until early May. Recent investment in snow making equipment has made the resort even more confident in claiming to have a truly long ski season.
Skiing
Bansko has over 60km (40 miles) of marked ski runs with about half of the slopes covered by snow cannons, all well groomed by a fleet of a dozen machines.
The main ski runs in Bansko have been extensively renovated and the ski run Stara Pista floodlit for night skiing. The Shiligarnika, Stara Pista, Todorka and Plato ski runs are suitable for beginners and intermediaries, and the Banderiza and Ctzurna mogila ski runs may be used by experts. Experts have the additional challenge of skiing the runs where Bulgaria's Olympic champions train.
Bansko is also a regular host to a number of ski and snowboard competitions, such as the Extreme Ski and Snowboard and Balkan Cup Competitions.
The ski runs are serviced by a healthy number of chair lifts and drag lifts, all of which are cutting edge Doppelmayer ski lifts, including the eight person gondola and detachable quad chairs, one with pull-down bubble cover if the weather in poor. Easy access to all lifts is secured by SkiData chip-card ski passes that one never needs to take out of the pocket.
At the end of the day, skiers and snowboarders have a choice to return by the Gondola or, so long as snow cover is adequate, take the ski road down to Bansko, which marks this resort as one of the few in the world to offer this option. This is a unique 16 kilometer (ten mile long) uninterrupted ski run, starting from Todorka Peak (2600m) at the highest point of the ski center, all the way to base station of the gondola lift at the outskirts of town. The last seven kilometres of the slope are floodlit, and the entire facility is equipped with artificial snow machines to ensure a great skiing experience even in warmer conditions.
Those, who do not have their own ski or snowboard gear, can choose from more than a thousand pairs of carving ski and a huge choice of snowboards available for rent at the Gondola base lift station.
The winter sports centre also includes nine kilometres of cross country ski tracks, a biathlon shooting range, a winter sports stadium and a ski kindergarten-the Junior Ski Club-which welcomes children aged four and up.
There are a number of web cameras by the slopes and images of these are available online at the resort's website. Images of the web cameras are also displayed online at the base station of the Gondola lift and at the best hotels in Bansko.
Boarding
The new terrain park on Todorka is popular and the resort's half-pipe is also of great interest to both foreign and Bulgarian snowboarders as it was the first permanent half-pipe facility in the country. There are plenty of natural features to ply on too. The availability of high quality rental gear and excellent tuition are other strong positive points as is the fact that most of the mountain is now accessible by high speed chair ands cabin lifts rather than surface tows. Bansko is a regular host to a number of ski and snowboard competitions, such as the Extreme Ski and Snowboard competition.
Apres
Among other Bulgarian mountain resorts, Bansko offers what is probably the best après-ski, because it is a unique combination of a modern mountain resort and a living rustic town with a population of about 10,000 people.
There are over 100 tavernas, many offering live music as well as a good choice of food and drink options. Despite rapid and extensive development of the resort as a whole, the old part of Bansko is particularly enticing. In the common "mehana" establishments, food is served in the atmosphere of traditional songs and dances, performed by local artists.
Bansko's most popular late night hangout is the Amnesia disco club, which features popular music in a relaxed atmosphere. Bowling in the modern Hotel Strazhite is another popular après-ski activity, snowmobiling, bumboarding and horse riding are also available.
Dining
Delicious Bulgarian meals and local red wine are easy to find. Almost a hundred "mehana" dining places offer peculiar local cuisine dishes, such as "kapama" or "Banski starets". In some of the smaller "mehana" your waiter may very well be the proprietor of the place
On the slopes there are three main areas with fast-food establishments -Banderitsa, Shiligarnika, and Platoto.
Shopping
There are numerous souvenir shops and a range of ski shops as well as a pedestrianised resort centre but otherwise Bansko is not a shoppers paradise. Although credit cards are increasingly accepted it's best to be aware that payment may be required in cash.
Facilities
The list of things to do off the slope in Bansko grows every year. The new hotels and apartment complexes, most opened since 2004, have brought with them superb leisure facilities which are sometimes available to non-residents as well as their own guests. The five star Kempinski includes the Zalez Spa with sauna, steam bath, indoor and outdoor pools, massage, hairdressers and a wealth of body and beauty treatments. The Tamplier Apartments also have indoor pool, sauna, hot tub, sauna, fitness centres and massage facilities. Hotels Perun and Pirin also have indoor pool and leisure complexes.
Outdoor opportunities include snowmobile or all terrain vehicle (ATV) rental, bowling, snowshoeing, paragliding and bumboarding.
For those interested in the pre-skiing history of Bansko there are plenty of cultural attrractions too. Besides the famous local church, St. Trinity, there are many historical, architectural, and cultural monuments in Bansko, including the houses of many famous Bulgarians from the period of the Bulgarian Revival. These include the Velyanova House, Neofit Rilski Museum-house, Nikola Vaptsarov Museum-house and the Poetry and Arts house.
Local men dress as Koukeri on January 1st and chase away evil spirits from the streets of Bansko. Other prominent events include Easter and Christmas concerts.
Families
Facilities for families are good and get better each year in Bansko. The resort offers a combination of high quality and high value that makes skiing more affordable - and enjoyable - for most families than in the Alps.
The Junior Club Ski Kindergarten has excellent facilities including three baby drag lifts, magic carpet and a carousel. It accepts children from age four to six years. Older children from age seven can join the ski school.
There were no facilities for children aged under four at the time of compilation, but new businesses open every week in the resort so it's worth double checking if you need such a facility.
Some of the accommodation providers operate their own Kids Clubs, most notably the Kempinski hotel. Many others, such as the four star Orphey, Tanne, Perun and Katarino have child playrooms.
Off the slopes Bansko is a good choice on value for family with the competition between the 100+ eateries driving up standards and keeping a curb on pricing.
Accommodation
Bansko's range of accommodation is expanding rapidly, with an onus on high quality. There are now approximately 7000 guest beds, with more than half of these in two to four star hotels, the remainder in chalets and private villas. Typically quality is much higher at the prices charged than would be found in the Alps at a similar cost.
Top of the pile is the Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko, the first five star in a Bulgarian ski resort and believed to be the first luxury chain hotel to be purpose built in a European ski resort by a major international brand. It has a luxurious spa and wellness centre, cigar lounge and its own kids club. It is located 600m from the resort centre but right next to the ski slopes.
Bansko's range of four-star hotels, which provide nearly a fifth of all beds available in the resort, rank among the best in the country. These include the Pirin, Bansko, Strazhite, Glazne, Bulgaria, Orphey, Chateau Vaptsarov, Katarino and Tanne which all offer excellent facilities and services, and most offer, and allow free use to their guests, of their swimming pools and the beauty-and-fitness centre.
Travel To
Most guests arrive via the nearest airport in Bulgaria's capital Sofia, 150km (70 miles) away, with a transfer time of two-and-a-half to three hours. There are plans moving ahead to build a new airport nearby.
Summer
During the summer, Bansko is the premier starting point for a number of tourist routes to the Pirin Mountain. Summer activities include walking tours, horseback tours, hiking, mountain biking, alpine climbing, paragliding, swimming, soccer and special craftsmen demonstrations or courses at request.
The edelweiss flower and the wild goat are popular symbols of the region. Unique natural sights include Koncheto, Banski Suhodol, Bunderitsa and Kazana caves, Bunderitsa and Vasilyashka group of lakes, the famous Ulen forest reserve, the Baykushevata Mura tree, the Ulen and Demyanshki Skok waterfalls, Hanna cave, and the Dobrinishte village.
Summer events include the Bansko Tradition Festival in May and the Bansko Jazz Fest in Summer.
Piste Information
- Resort height:
- 935m
- Total km of pisted runs:
- 45km
- Total number of slopes:
- 14
- Total km of x-country skiing:
- 9km
- Longest run:
- 3.5km
- Total number of lifts:
- 12
- Highest lift:
- 2560m
- Percentage of easy runs:
- 36%
- Percentage of intermediate runs:
- 57%
- Percentage of difficult runs:
- 7%
- Snow cannons:
- yes
- Passport photo required (for lift pass):
- no
Piste Map
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Videos
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