Bansko is a town in south west Bulgaria located at the foot of the Pirin Mountain, 925 metres above sea level rising to 2746 metres at the top of Todorka, the highest peak in Bansko. Bansko is an actual town where people live, work and go to school, this is very different from Borovets (our other featured ski resort in Bulgaria), which is a purpose built ski resort.
That Bansko is an actual town adds to it charm. You can ski during the day and then head into the old town at night for a few drinks or a meal at one of Bansko’s ‘Mehanas’, a traditional style Bulgarian restaurant serving authentic and local food and drinks.
It has to be said that skiing is an expensive pastime, but it’s a lot cheaper in Bulgaria! The price of our holidays are much lower than other ski destinations yet the hotels and apartments are just as good, if not better! Then there is the price of Ski Services. A ski pack in other countries can be very expensive, but in Bulgaria they are lower and offer exceptional value for money. For example, if you BOOK to travel in late January the cost of a ‘First time ski pack’ in Bansko is £263 – 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.
There is a wide choice of Hotels and Apartments in Bansko. There’s a number of great value self-catering apartments, some of which offer half board accommodation, plus there are plenty of High Quality 4 star Hotels that offer very comfortable, luxurious even, accommodation, some of them offer ‘Ski in Ski out’ skiing where you can start skiing outside the front door! There are two 5 Star Hotels including a Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena, one of the finest hotels in Bulgaria.
With regards to getting there, we offer Flights from 7 UK airports, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Bristol, Belfast, East Midlands, Manchester and Newcastle. They are all on modern aircraft offering a very comfortable flight, a great start to your skiing holiday.
All ski resorts are different, some suit advanced skiers, some suit beginners, you just have to find one that suits you. Bansko is particularly good for beginner and intermediate skiers, but as it has a lot of ski runs, 75kms in total, that’s enough to keep most skiers happy. If you’re a beginner or an intermediate skiers don’t go on the Tomba run, (named after the world champion skier, Alberto Tomba), it’s a black run which means it’s for advanced skiers only!
Bansko has a modern lift system with 18 lifts in total. There’s a Gondola lift that takes you from the town to the main ski area and from here you can take chair lifts further up or you can ski down the mountain using the various slopes or the ‘ski road’ which is good for beginner skiers. Once you get the hang of it skiing is great fun, you feel totally free as you ski down a mountain, there’s no feeling like it!
Ski Instructors in Bansko are also Very Good. They are used to teaching beginner skiers and so are very patient, a positive characteristic in a ski instructor!
Apres Ski
Bansko has a very lively apres ski scene. There are plenty of bars and a few nightclubs. Happy End is a bar next to the Gondola and skiers tend to head for there after a day’s skiing. There are other bars and clubs in Bansko that make the apres ski scene very lively, another reason skiers Choose Bansko.
So there you have it, a review of Bansko, 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 Bansko from 7 UK airports, plus right now (January 2024) we have a New Year Sale with savings of £100 per Booking (terms and conditions apply). 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.
