Bansko in Bulgaria – Skiing on a budget

Bansko in Bulgaria – Skiing on a budget! Recently I’ve taken up the hobby of skiing and although it was something I was very pessimistic about at the start, as I’ve started to do it more and more it’s quickly become one of my favourite activities!

When I was planning a trip away towards the end of the year I was really keen to do a ski trip, but unfortunately the months I was looking at seemed far too early in the ski season – luckily after a quick search I found that there are a number of resorts that operate right the year round and the name Bansko seemed to appear quite frequently!

Skiing cheaper at Bansko in Bulgaria

Nestled away in Bulgaria – Bansko is in the heart of an area that you probably wouldn’t usually associate with skiing. The French Alps, Switzerland and Austria all quickly jump to mind when you think of world-class ski resorts, but Bulgaria?

Before I’d heard of Bansko I will admit it’s somewhere that never even crossed my mind…

Mountains at Bansko, Bulgaria by Moise Nicu

And what I had been missing out on…

Affordability is the name of the game when it comes to Bansko, and like many other things in Bulgaria, compared to Western Europe it is very much a home of affordable skiing.

One of the main deterrents from some of the major ski resorts across Europe is the price – many of us can’t afford to go for too many weekends a year – but luckily Bansko solves this problem by being an affordable place where you can easily go for the weekend.

I’ve just checked the prices and a basic 6-day ski pass costs 340,-BGN (170,-EUR) and 165,-BGN (85,-EUR) for kids. And you can easily find a double room at Airbnb for 20,-EUR a night here in Bansko.

Bansko ski resort in Bulgaria by Liza

What levels does it cater for?

One of the things I love the most about Bansko is that it caters for people of all levels, when I was starting out and didn’t want to get in the way of more advanced skiers I found that there were so many places that I could go to learn and have fun without getting in the way of everyone else – and I loved this!

If you are a more advanced skier then there is still an abundance of runs that you will find challenging, and if you are looking to take some risks then you will find that there are black runs all over the mountain.

One of the great things about Bansko is that it isn’t that well-known about, so if you go at the right time of the year you will generally be able to get some good skiing in without facing problems of overcrowding or having to deal with too many people!

Ski resort in Bansko, Bulgaria by yossi2

I’ve never heard of Bansko should I be concerned?

Absolutely not! Just because you’ve never heard of a place doesn’t mean it doesn’t offer great skiing opportunities – in fact, in many situations it’s better because it could point to an area that many other people don’t know of!

In the case of Bansko, Bulgaria is simply not one of the first areas that most people consider when it comes to skiing, as there are far more well-known options closer to home.

Skiing in Bansko, Bulgaria by Amorphisman

What else to visit in Bulgaria?

Bulgaria is a beautiful country, be inspired here by their 45 Best Places to visit in Bulgaria.