What is there to do in Bulgaria’s ski resorts when the skiing stops? What is the apres ski scene like? Well if you really want to you can go night skiing in Borovets and Bansko, but come one, have a day off, or should that be a night off! So if you can tear yourself away from the ski runs you’ll find that at night in Bulgaria’s ski resorts is when the fun really starts! 

Let’s start with dinner at a local restaurant, or a mehana (meaning tavern) as they call them in Bansko. Bulgarian food is delicious, especially in the numerous restaurants you’ll find in our three featured resorts. All food is sourced locally and fresh so it’s delicious. We recommend a shopska salad for a starter and then a chicken or lamb kavarma, perfect for a cold winters night. As you’d expect, dinner out in any Bulgarian ski resort is exceptional value, so even if you have booked half board do treat yourself to a visit to a local restaurant, it’s well worth it. We must mention that Bansko isn’t a ‘resort’ as such, it’s a town where people live and work so the prices, especially in the old town, are exceptional value.  

Now it’s time for drinks! Many ski resorts in other European countries have a quiet apres ski scene as skiers like to be in bed early, ready for the next day’s skiing….but in Bulgaria skiers like to keep the party going! There are plenty of bars of all types, traditional, sports bars and karaoke bars to name a few. All of them are busy with people having a great time, Happy End in Bansko is located next to the gondola and it’s busy from lunchtime every day! We mentioned how quiet some ski resorts in other European countries are, yes the skiers there like to get to bed early, but another reason is that it’s just so expensive there, about six euros for a beer, it’s half that in Bulgaria! Hence the party atmosphere. 

But it’s not all about eating and drinking! There are other activities on offer, some hotels have swimming pools or a bowling alley or we offer excursions that can be booked with our reps. For starters how about a ride on a ski-do? These are great fun as you race through tree lined tracks (available in Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo). A very popular excursion is a torch lit walk in the forest that surrounds Borovets followed by dinner in a traditional Bulgarian restaurant, just make sure you blow out your torch before you go in the restaurant! Or if you need to recover from a few days skiing then a soak in a hot spring is ideal. We offer this excursion from Borovets or Bansko (sorry, not Pamporovo), you’re sure to return feeling refreshed and revitalised. Finally, another popular excursion is our pizza and quiz night in Bansko, this is great fun and it has been known that the quiz masters are open to a bribe, although we couldn’t possibly comment! 

So, as you can see there’s plenty to do in Bulgaria when the skiing stops and it’s all good fun and exceptional value for money! 

Liked this? Check out five reasons why skiing in Bansko is unforgettable here.