Skiing Trip: Bansko, Bulgaria

Afternoon all

Given that the ski season is almost upon us, I thought it may just be time to recommend a favourite haunt of mine that myself, friends and family have visited several times across the last few years.

Bansko is a small village in Bulgaria, but is home to the number 1 ski resort in the country, having held the Ski World Cup and other high profile winter events on more than one occasion of late. So, to follow Il Gialloblu's exemplary layout from his China article, I will do my best to give you an idea of what Bansko has to offer as an all-round experience.

Travel

Most flights to Bulgaria go into Sofia, with Manchester, London Luton and Heathrow being the three airports that I have used thus far. BA fly from Heathrow, with the funnily, but scarily named Wizz Air flying from London Luton. Flights generally cost anywhere between £100-£180 per person during peak ski season depending on how early you book.

Location

Bansko is approximately 2 hours car journey from Sofia airport. The journey itself is a bit of a mixed bag, combining incredibly bumpy roads and maniacal drivers with views of Sofia (still heavily bearing the marks of the Soviet era), before merging into a mountainous, scenic region in the second half of the ride. Not to worry, though, there are plenty of service/petrol stations along the route, where incredibly cheap coffee and snacks can be purchased.

Cost

In comparison to many of Europe's ski resorts, Bansko is very cheap. Despite costs slowly rising over the past few years, likely as a result of Bulgaria becoming a member of the European Union, you can still expect to buy a three course meal for somewhere in the region of £15, and a pint of lager can be found for anywhere between £0.80 and £2.50 depending on where you drink, with the Apres Ski bar being at the top end, and some of the local 'tavernas' in the old town being at the lower.

The skiing and ski hire itself isn't overly expensive. Expect to pay around £25 per day for a ski pass, and as little as £30 for a few days of ski hire.

It should be noted that despite being a member of the EU, the Euro is not used in Bulgaria, and you should instead exchange your money for Lev or Leva, depending on who you hear say it.

Accommodation can be found from around £15 per person per night based on four sharing, from my own experience.

Cuisine

If you are a meat eater, you'll love Bansko. Traditional local dishes seem to cover anything meat orientated. I'd particularly recommend the pork dishes. You will no doubt come across all kinds of strange things on the menus, particularly in the old town tavernas, but don't let them put you off - in general the food is excellent.

The restaurants do however serve fantastic salads if meat isn't your dish, and one thing to keep an eye out for is the local cheese. Bulgarian cheese is different to that anywhere else in the world, owing to the bacteria found in it's cattle that is apparently exclusive to that country. Whatever the reason is, the cheese is excellent, and I'd highly recommend trying some.

For those typical Brits abroad, the Lions Bar serves full English breakfast.

Night Life

Most bars and tavernas tend to be relatively quiet once everyone has eaten for the evening, giving you an option to enjoy a relaxed drink. If you're looking for something more lively, however, I'd suggest going to the 'Lions Bar' or 'Amigos Bar', both of which play music until the early hours, sometimes with live entertainment at Amigos, and are generally very busy and atmospheric. Amigos is probably the best venue, in my opinion.

In the old town there are a couple of clubs, which do have big nights occasionally, but you would need to look out for these being advertised at the time. Lap dancing is also on tap for anyone that way inclined...not that I've been.

The Skiing

Bansko has numerous ski runs, though not on the same scale as some of the French and Swiss resorts. Likewise, there aren't a huge amount of black runs for the more advanced skiier, though the 'Albert Tomba', the slope used for the Ski World Cup, is a cracker. What you do get in return for fewer slopes however is much clearer slopes. Numbers have however been noticeably increasing since my first visit five years ago.

A 7km ski road, leading right down to the door of the apres ski, is available for those wishing to ski back to the bottom of the mountain at the end of their days skiing. Whilst not particularly challenging, it allows a good build up of speed that can be maintained for a long period of time.

The Old Town

The Old Town, situated at the bottom of Bansko is well worth a visit. Here, the modern apartment blocks give way to the more traditional buildings of old Bansko. Down in the Old Town square you will find very cheap coffee shops, antique stores with all kinds of Soviet memorabilia and memorials to various famous Bulgarians. When it is snowing in particular, the old town is incredibly idyllic. Tavernas can also be found here which serve excellent food and drink.

The Locals

Quite a surly bunch, the Bulgarians. They are however generally very friendly when you interact with them, and the majority speak good English. Not the place to go and start causing trouble though, I'd wager.


Anyway, hopefully that has covered most angles. Anything else anyone would like to know feel free to give me a shout and I'll try to help. It is definitely worth a trip to Bansko if you're a novice skiier, or even a regular skiier looking for something different. You might just be surprised.

Nice article Fists. Informative and inviting at the same time. Bansko sounds good, if you're a skier.

I'm not, but I hope someone finds this useful after all the effort you have obviously put into writing it. Nice one.

Thanks, mate.

It is just something completely different to the norm, and I've thoroughly enjoyed it each time I've been out there.