Bansko is the up and coming ski resort of eastern Europe. Recently
the Bulgarians have invested millions of Leva in Bansko. Bansko
has a fantastic, almost brand new infrastructure. The lift system
is simply excellent. After taking the 8 seat gondola from the
town to the bottom of the ski area, it is a short ride on one
of the many lifts Bansko now has, and you are skiing. While some
could argue that because of this, Bansko doesn't have the village
charm of other Bulgarian resorts, the other resorts don't have
a lift system like this! Another plus for Bansko, is its well
thought out piste network, with something for almost everyone.
The nursery area is very well equipped, with long drag lifts and
various training aids for the complete novice, along with plenty
of room. Contrast this with "Tomba" the most challenging
piste in Bansko and you will soon realise why it is named after
a ski champion.
Bansko has many hotels and apartments and accomadation is readily
available. The people who like to organise their own travel arrangements
are spoilt for choice when Bansko is the destination.
Here's a few facts and figures for Bansko:
The town of Bansko is situated at the Glazne river at the northeastern
bottom of the Pirin Mountains, 160 km south of Sofia, 60 km southeast
of Blagoevgrad. Bansko is one of the biggest mountain resorts
in Bulgaria with a long winter to take advantage of its modern,
well developed skiing and sport facilities. The skiing conditions
in Bansko are excellent. The Pirin mountain has a predominately
Alpine character with three peaks towering above 2900 m. However
the slopes offer runs and tracks for all types of skiers, from
novice to the experts, while the ski runs are maintained in excellent
condition. It is also the main starting point for hiking in the
UNESCO protected Pirin National Park-the largest in Bulgaria where
the most interesting tree species such as the black fir can be
found. Having been a birth place to many national intellectuals
and a witness of dramatic history during the centuries, Bansko
is of special architectural and cultural value. There are several
landmarks which are of great interest: Sveta Troitsa (The Holy
Trinity) Church, the Monument of Paissii Hilendarski, the Neofit
Rilski House Museum.
Our first trip to Bansko was in late March 2006. The conditions
were as good as could be considering it was almost April. Bansko
benefits from its relatively high altitude, and has a season from
December to March/April. As with all ski destinations, it does
get busy during school half term and local holiday dates. If you
have the choice, book outside of these dates. Bansko hasn't yet
awoken to just how much tourists will pay for anything they want.
Borovets and Pamporovo are much more aware of how much they can
charge. That said, the prices in Bulgaria are a fraction of those
in the alps. Bansko has a wealth of local restaurants (known locally
as mehanas), that serve just about everything you could want.
In our experience, Bansko seems more expensive when booking through
some of the travel companies. Why this should be, we don't know,
especially when the opportunity to book your accommodation, flights,
transfers and ski packs is now so easy. Flights to Sofia are now
very easy to find, and transfers inexpensive. We are sure that
more and more people will look to organising their own holiday.
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip there, and will definitely be
returning.
