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Bansko
Place in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria

Bansko

Bansko is a town in southwestern Bulgaria, located in Blagoevgrad Oblast near the city of Razlog.

Plan a trip to Bansko→From Sofia

Once mainly a stockbreeding and travelling merchant community, the town is now an international centre for winter and summer tourism. More recently Bansko has become a known hotspot for digital nomads driven in part by the relative affordability of the location combined with its natural scenery.

Get in

Getting to Bansko

Bansko has no airport of its own. The closest international airports are: Sofia (SOF IATA) - about 160 km (99 mi) by car, though there are shuttle services that run between the airport and Bansko, e.g. BanskoShuttle (buses run Dec-Apr; private transfers are all-year round, but much pricier) Plovdiv (PDV IATA) - about 150 km (93 mi) by car, but see also the railroad note below.

See

Worth seeing

In a nice day, with good visibility the view of the mountains is beautiful, especially if you take the lift to the ski tracks. You should get to the ski tracks at least once, even if you do not ski yourself.

  1. 01
    The Old Town

    Bansko is one of the oldest settlements in the foothills of Pirin Mountain.

  2. 02
    House of Velyan

    Built during the 18th century, the House of Velyan is a national cultural heritage.

  3. 03
    House-museum “Neofit Rilski”
  4. 04
    Radonova

    Radonova house is now a historical and ethnographic museum.

  5. 05
    Holy Trinity Church

    A fine example of middle and late Bulgarian National Revival church architecture.

Do

Things to do

Bansko is a good place for skiing in winter. It has 14 operating lifts. It's the biggest ski resort in the Balkans, but a relatively small resort by international standards; 3.5 days is plenty. The resort is mainly suited to beginners, with few black runs, and those more advanced will get bored quite quickly. Also, don't expect the runs to be groomed too often.

Eat

Where to eat

Bansko is rife with traditional Bulgarian taverns ('Mehana'; plural 'Mehani'), as well as cafes and modern bars along the main roads. Price should be around €20 per person in most places. There are also a lot of places where you can get a slice of pizza or a sandwich. The "Friends Pub" near the first ski lift station is really nice, you can get a slice of pizza in the kiosk outside, or a full meal inside.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.