Bansko Bulgaria

Bansko
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Properties, available on this resort:

The town of Bansko is located 925 m. above sea level, and its skiing area is on 2000-2500 m above sea level.

Bansko is the new Bulgarian ski resort, recently discovered by the foreign skiers and tourists, but well known in Bulgaria.

Bansko provides a superb combination of virgin nature of The Pirin mountain and the atmosphere of the ancient Bulgarian small towns. Bansko is not only a resort but also a beautiful historic spot. Bansko ski resort is situated in South Western Bulgaria at the foothills of one of the most beautiful Bulgarian mountains - Pirin. The Pirin mountain is a natural preserve included in the World Natural Heritage list. The distance between Bansko and Sofia is 170 km. The nearest International Airport is the one in Sofia. Transfer time from Sofia to Bansko is 2,5 hours. The skiing conditions in Bansko are excellent. The Pirin mountain has a predominantly Alpine character with 2 peaks towering above 2900 m. However, the slopes offer runs and tracks for all types of skiers and will suit both beginners and experts.

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Bansko is a new destination for the foreign skiers, has good snow record, offers great skiing and Apres ski. A good value for money, much different from the international resorts of Borovets and Pamporovo. The town itself attracts visitors by its 120 cultural monuments, its museums and the permanent ethnographic exhibitions.

A very interesting sight is The Holy Trinity church with its 30 m high bell tower and clock, splendid murals and woodcarvings.

Surrounded by The Pirin, The Rila and The Rhodopa mountains, Bansko is a nice mountain resort with short Summer and long winter. The skiing season starts in the middle of December and ends in mid April.

Bansko ski school is a very good one. All school graduates receive skiing certificate. Children above the age of 6 can attend the ski school too. Ski rentals are available.

24 hours emergency service is available too. It is significant to emphasize that there are no big queues on the lifts, except the weekends when Bulgarian skiers come.

The 2 major ski areas are situated above the town, on the northern slopes of the Pirin mountain, approx. 10 km from the town. A new modern lift, starting from the town, is now in process of construction. This new facility should be ready for the new winter season 2002-2003, and it will finally solve the problem with the transportation to pistes, which was the only disadvantage of Bansko. More information on the building works of the new facilities is available.

Slalom and Giant slalom runs are available.
Bansko offers a cross-country track with a total length of 5 km. A 3 km ski run Rollbahn track is situated 2km away from the town.

The ski runs with a total length of 14 km are serviced by 2 lifts and several drags. Being a new skiing destination for foreigners, prices in Bansko are still lower than the world famous ski resorts of Borovets and Pamporovo. The Bansko taverns, with unique charm and style offer local cuisine and good selection of Bulgarian wines. Live music is available at some places. A big number of local cafes are serving any kind of refreshments. Discos and night clubs work without time limit, and usually close early in the morning. Bansko is famous for its well-preserved traditions and culture, its original Revival-period architecture and its local culinary specialities (Banski shashlik, Banska kapama). Visitors to this mountain town have always left it captivated by the spirit of Banskalii ( local residents ) wishing they could once again return to the heart of Pirin; to be one with nature is something everyone craves in their hurried everyday lives.

Places to go
     Of course there's a lot to see in the town of Bansko itself, with around 120 cultural creations of the local artists and smiths.
     We also recommend a visit to the famous Rila Monastery and the busy city of Sofia.

Accommodation and catering:
     As one of the big ski resorts of Bulgaria, practically Bansko offers big opportunities in this respect satisfying visitors of different financial means. There are many luxury hotels as well as more than 40 small family hotels. We strongly recommend you arrange your hotel and additional skiing service before you go to Bansko, as the resort is quite busy during the winter.
Bansko is verv different from the famous ski resorts of Borovets or Pamporovo, which were specially designed skiing centres. Bansko combines great skiing, beautiful nature and historical significance.

Medical & dental service
The Emergency SKI PATROL service is available 24 hours a day. Ambulance and clinic (with doctor and nurse) are available, as well as first aid, on all ski slopes. Fully equipped and functioning hospitals are available in Bansko. Highly qualified dentists are available at the resort too.
Pharmacies are available at the resort. Some medical and all dental services must be paid in cash to the doctors (clinics) who should provide the necessary bills, receipts and invoices describing the service and the cost, so that you can claim back the expense from your insurance company. Follow the instructions of your company.

BANSKO-RAZLOG Valley
(850 m asl)

This unique valley and the surrounding her 3 mountains - Pirin, Rila & Rodophe is often called "The Bulgarian Little Switzerland". There are about 300 sunny days a year here. Placed in southwest corner of Bulgaria, 1 hour from Greece border, 2 h from Sofia, 3 h from Saloniki(GR), 2 h from Scopie(Macedonia) 4.5 h from Belgrade(YUG).

The valley with the high mountains around has an unique climate and landscape similar to the Swiss Alps, but much warmer and more sunny because it is located more than 1 000 km southeast from Switzerland. Still with the nearby peaks high up to 3 000 m it offers winter sports & skiing season as long as the Swiss one. Winter season lasts November till May with excellent conditions and brand new ski sports facilities and equipment as good as Swiss.More than 100 km of ski trucks covered with 1-2 metres of snow, cabin, chair and drag lifts, tea houses, BBQs & snack places plus tens of hotels, clubs, restaurants, discos makes the Bansko-Razlog Valley one of the most modern ski, sports & relax centre in Europe!

This Four Seasons Nature Paradise though is not only skiing and snowboarding centre. It's even more interesting and spectacular in Spring, Summer and Autumn. In the Bansko-Razlog Valley and surrounding mountains you can have fantastic holidays from May to October.

These are some of the things you can do: Sightseeing, hill walking, mountain hiking, trucking, mountaineering, climbing, paragliding, delta-planing, fly fishing, birdwatching, horse riding, wine tasting, hunting, SPA, fitness, coach riding, forest walking, picnic, self-indulgence, milking, picking mushrooms, wild strawberries & blueberries, rafting, collecting flowers and butterflies, etc.

You can swim and get your skin browned just like at the sea coast as there are lots of lakes and pools and the summer temperatures are up to 35°C. You can travel with the spectacular Narrow-Mountain Railway which is the one of the highest railways in Europe with numerous tunnels, stations and breathtaking views.

You can attend local Folklore and Village celebrations, the annual Bansko Jazz Festival and International Pop & Rock Stars concerts or simply Relax in a lazy, stress curing lifestyle!