Winter resort with summer options

The Bulgarian city of Bansko was named the Best Ski Resort in Bulgaria for the 7th consecutive year. This honorary title is awarded by the World Ski Awards - the highest authority in the tourism industry. The online competition featured over 200 applicants from 5 continents. Almost 2.5 mn users from 140 countries voted at Worldskiawards.com.

“We are working very hard to maintain a high level. Our initiative to limit the use of disposable plastic products in the ski area has made us pioneers at the Balkans. Our cooperation with the elite Swiss resort of Verbier and the Bansko Loyalty Club program are just part of our efforts to show the guests of Bansko how special they are and they appreciated this and voted for us,” said marketing director Ivan Obreykov a few minutes after receiving the award.

The ceremony of awarding the winners took place long before the opening of the ski season. The famous Austrian skier Mario Matt, the 2014 Olympic champion and three-time world champion, was invited to the opening ceremony.

However, the demand for holidays in Bansko is not only in a winter season.

Unusual holidays in Bulgaria: summer at a ski resort

Amazing things are happening in the tourism industry in Bulgaria: hoteliers on the Black Sea coast are sounding the alarm: the number of tourists is declining, revenues are declining, the industry is in crisis. At the same time, the flow of visitors is growing every summer at the Bansko ski resort, gradually turning the winter resort into a year-round one. What is the reason?

In summer, environmental problems are especially acute in the Old World: air pollution reaches its annual maximum, and high air temperatures force Europeans to look for comfortable coolness. And the financial state of the post-crisis economy influences. In this situation, the eyes of Europeans are increasingly turning to the mountainous Bulgaria. In this country of the European Union with a low price level and low population density, there is a huge nature sanctuary – the Pirin National Park. 

Over 35 years ago, it was put in the UNESCO list in the Man and the Biosphere programme. And the Bansko ski resort is in it. The Directorate of the National Park Management is also here with an information centre where you can find out everything about this unique protected natural feature, as well as get free maps of the area with marked hiking trails and interesting destinations.

From spring to late autumn, mountain hiking tours of varying complexity are carried out in Bansko. From here, the ‘Vihren hut’ camp, you can climb up to the highest peak of the Pirin mountain range. The route is laid so that not only seasoned climbers, but also ordinary travelers can use it. Students, golden-agers, parents with very young children go there. Some manage to climb up to the top almost in their pool slides. But this is, of course, excessive extreme. On the way, you can meet wild goats, roe deer, admire the mountain lakes, rare plants and birds. And at the top point, at the Vikhren peak, you can take pictures against the background of the pyramid at an altitude of 2,915 metres.

In Bansko, over a dozen marked routes start along the Pirin trails, which go to the neighboring Rhodope and Rila mountain ranges. In total, their length is

approximately 200 km. Hiking beginners can try a 2-hour route to Okato (the Eye Lake), the nearest of the mountain lakes, or in an hour and a half climb up to one of the most ancient trees in the world - the Baikushev’s pine, it is almost one and a half thousand years old.

More seasoned hikers can climb up to the glacial lakes of the Pirin Park: there are several dozen of them and each is one-of-a-kind. The highest one is at an altitude of 2,710 meters above sea level, and the lowest is at an altitude of 1,963 metres.

There are also combined routes with overnight stays in the so-called ‘huts’ - small alpine tourist camps, modest, but with very beautiful views. Mountain trails divaricate from here to various interesting destinations, which are impossible to reach in a one-day trip. In addition, in the hot summer months, the guests enjoy a pleasant coolness, clean air and healing silence.

Sports and beyond

Going down the mountain, you will not find yourself in a deserted city, because the permanent population of Bansko is almost 7,000 people. And although some of the city residents leave in the summer months to work on the Black Sea coast - at ‘Sunny Beach’ and ‘Golden Sands’ beach - nevertheless, some entrepreneurs are still at the resort ready to render their services to the mountain lovers. Really, in summer, large supermarkets, such as ALDO, do not operate here, discos and nightclubs popular in winter are closed, some hotels and restaurants are not waiting for guests. But no one will remain hungry - there are many small grocery stores and shops in the city, local vegetables and fruits are brought to the market from around the district on Sundays, and for those who do not like to cook, cafes and restaurants are open. Of course, there are fewer of them than in winter. But, on the other hand, these are all-year cafes and restaurants with experienced staff, proven menu and original local cuisine. This is appreciated also by the Bulgarians themselves, and one can see the inrush of hearty-eaters here on weekends and holidays.

In addition to hiking in summer, cycling, ATV safaris and swimming in the mineral water pools are popular in Bansko. After all, Bulgaria has a huge number of hydrotherapy springs, second only to Iceland. In the village adjacent to the ski resort of Banya, there are about 70 of them! 10 km from Bansko, there is another mineral-rich town - Dobrinishte. The local hydropathic centre is almost 80 years old, it looks modest, but it has been effectively used for a long time to treat many diseases. And just nearby, a large modern spa-centre was recently built for those who want to relax in a comfortable environment. Also, the small village of Eleshnitsa is nearby - it has only one mineral pool, but it is a radon one. Here you can not only relax, but also improve your health: treat the muscles and joints, nervous and respiratory systems, skin. They offer a wide price range: from 150 rubles in the municipal swimming pool, to 3,000 rubles in the top class spa-centres. The ordinary mineral water pool at a 3-star hotel costs 400 rubles per adult for the whole day. Children under 7 years are allowed to swim there free of charge. For the inexperienced, there is a certain danger: you cannot stay in hot spring pools for a long time - you must leave the water from time to time to relax. If you do not follow this rule, instead of benefit, you can get problems - heart palpitations or a high blood pressure. Usually at the entrance to such places, there are information boards with the water composition, its medicinal properties and how to use them.

On top of that, the summer Bansko is good for low prices. The city is an international resort, so there is a huge selection of hotels and apartments. And the prices in summer are pleasantly surprising. You can stay in a small private hotel for 15 euros. Well, if you want to enjoy a beautiful interior, original restaurant, large swimming pool and a spa area, then in the low season from April to November, this luxury can cost you 6,000 to 10,000 rubles per night.

Old and new

Unlike other Bulgaria’s ski resorts, where in summer there is absolutely nothing to do, Bansko is a city soaked in history: the indigenous communities of the Bansko area have lived here since time immemorial, several museums and art galleries operate in the city, the ancient Holy Trinity Church is open every day.

Some inconvenience may be caused by the construction work carried out here only in the summer season - it is necessary to complete everything before the beginning of December, since in the peak season, all construction sites here are frozen until spring. This is strictly monitored by the local administration.

Also, the Municipality of Bansko, justifying the status of the capital of the biosphere reserve, holds a lot of environmental events. In spring, volunteers collect the garbage in the mountains. The local communities and the Bansko guests are taken to the place by special transport fitted with the necessary equipment, and at the end of the working day, a picnic is organized paid for out of the local budget.

In accordance with the EU directive restricting the use of certain types of plastics, plastic utensils are prohibited in the mountains. And this summer, the Bansko administration voiced their recommendations to trading organizations and buyers to refuse the use of disposable plastic bags. At a demonstration event, city hall employees handed out fabric bags to everyone urging them to protect the environment in such an affordable way. And, of course, separate garbage collection is promoted here. On the streets of the city, you can easily find bright containers with designated wastes: paper, plastics, glass, metal.

It is nice to see the administration take such care of the ecological state of the resort. Although, in winter there are certain problems due to stove heating. In some areas located in the lower part of the city, smoke accumulates, which may inconvenience the people. This situation requires serious measures to be taken, especially taking into account that on September 11, 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers of Bulgaria, in accordance with EU Directive 2016/2284, adopted a programme to fight against air pollution. It involves tough measures against significant sources of emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and dust from 2020 to 2029. In the list of harmful emission sources, a special place is given to heating, in addition to industry, transport and agriculture.

Thank God, in the summer season one can feel only the smoke of barbecue in Bansko, which does not give rise to any complaints from the locals and tourists. Numerous holidays and festivals held here from spring to autumn are also amazing. For 22 years in a row, jazz music lovers come here in August, the 10th anniversary of the summer opera festival was celebrated in Bansko, and folklore contests, theater performances, an open-air cinemania, and pop-music concerts are held here. For the third consecutive year, an international youth football tournament is held, and bike competitions, motorcycle races are organized. In November, the film festival was held.

And the first major competition of the new ski season is scheduled for January 25-26, 2020. The World Cup in women’s Alpine skiing will be held in these days on the tracks of Bansko.