This week we take a look at Borovets, Bulgaria’s most popular ski resort, although Bansko, its noisy neighbour, is gaining all the time!
Set in the Rila Mountains, Borovets was originally developed for Bulgarian royalty to use almost exclusively, but thankfully these days everyone can visit and enjoy this wonderful ski resort with its soaring mountain peaks, excellent skiing and a lively apres ski scene.
Located in the Rila Mountains in south west Bulgaria, the resort itself is 1320 metres above sea level (rising to 2560 metres at its highest point), has 58kms of ski runs, 5kms of advanced or black runs and the rest are for beginner and intermediate skiers, which make Borovets a popular choice for these skiers.
To get to the top of the mountain quickly there is a gondola which is a five minute walk from the Hotel Rila. Once at the mid station or at the top of the mountain there are plenty of ski runs, particularly suitable for beginner and intermediate skiers. There are also slopes outside the hotel Rila plus some drag lifts leading to more runs so you can ascend the mountain from that side too.
What also makes Borovets popular for beginner and intermediate skiers are the ski instructors. They are used to teaching people of all levels, so they are very patient and will encourage beginner skiers from the start of their holiday.
It’s fair to say that skiing is an expensive pastime, but it’s a lot cheaper in Bulgaria! First, the price of our holidays are much lower than other ski destinations yet the hotels and apartments are just as good, if not better! Borovets has mostly hotels and the ones we offer are excellent quality and are excellent value for money. There are the hotels in the centre of the resort such as the Hotel Rila, Hotel Iglika Palace, Hotel Festa Winter Palace and the Hotel Samokov. These are within easy reach of the gondola and the bars and restaurants for that lively apres ski! There are hotels that are away from the bustling centre of the resort, they tend to be located in the forest where it’s peaceful and they have their own shuttle service to the gondola in the mornings which makes getting to and from the slopes nice and easy.
A significant part of the cost of skiing are ski services. A ski pack in other countries can be very expensive, but in Borovets and Bansko they are much lower and offer exceptional value for money. For example, if you book to travel in late February the cost of a ‘First time ski pack’ in Borovets is £331 – for this you get a six day lift pass, ski and boot hire and four hours a day tuition for 6 days, that’s great value.
With regards to flights, we offer Flights from 7 UK airports, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Bristol, Belfast, East Midlands, Manchester and Newcastle to Sofia. The transfer time to Borovets is an hour and a half so sit back, relax and enjoy the journey!
Borovets is also well known for its lively apres ski scene. Low local prices being are a big factor that makes Borovets so popular. A bottle of beer here will cost just a few pounds which is a fraction of the price in some other European resorts. There’s lots of bars and clubs full of skiers having a great time and for those who want to experience Bulgarian culture there are folklore evenings. There are also plenty of restaurants that serve a variety of cuisine including local food in a traditional Bulgarian setting, this is actually very popular with tourists as the local food is delicious and very hearty, perfect for a skiing holiday.
So there you have it, thanks for reading our blog about Borovets, we hope this has been of help to you. Whatever your skiing ability and budget, Bulgaria and Balkan Holidays has a holiday for you. We offer great value holidays to Borovets from 7 UK airports, plus right now (February 2024) we have some fantastic deals that will get you on the slopes for a very competitive price. You can book on our website, www.balkanholidays.co.uk or you can call us on 020 7543 5555, we look forward to hearing from you.
